Convenient food should take the road of value enhancement (brand theory)
The instant noodle business has been smoothly, but after peaking in 2013, sales have been declining.
In 2016, the industry giant Master Kong's net profit fell by 31% year-on-year. The other giant's unified life was not easy. Profits fell, and the factory was dismissed. For a while, instant noodles seemed to lose its appeal.
The industry that has fallen into a trough has to start thinking about a question: Are consumers tired of instant noodles, or are the instant noodles worth 3 yuan?
The giants in the predicament set out to make changes, and one after another, they made efforts to innovate tastes and upgrade products in an effort to get rid of the low-end image.
For example, Master Kong built an instant noodle impression hall in Tianjin to show the entire production process to consumers, aiming to eliminate people's doubts.
These measures soon paid off.
According to data, Uni-President's high-end instant noodle soup Daren's sales in 2018 increased by 30% year-on-year, and the revenue scale exceeded 1.9 billion yuan; Master Kong's high-end instant noodle sales increased by 10.6% year-on-year.
With the efforts of the industry, the decline in instant noodle market sales has been curbed, and industry profits have increased.
Synchronized with the self-help of instant noodle companies, it is convenient for the fast-food industry to blossom.
In addition to traditional fast foods such as instant noodles and quick-frozen noodles, self-heating rice, self-heating hot pot, instant noodles, healthy light meals and semi-finished dishes have emerged one after another. Although the price is much higher than that of instant noodles, they are still unstoppable.
The endless variety of products and tastes and flavors have quickly won the favor of young people, especially overtime workers.
Tmall data shows that in 2019, the number of consumers of online convenient fast food increased by 40%, and convenient fast food has become one of the fastest growing food categories in recent years.
Facts have proved that the market demand for convenience food has not declined. Instead, under the catalysis of consumption trends such as the "single economy" and "lazy economy", it has ushered in a broader market opportunity.
Looking back to facilitate the development of the fast food industry in recent years, the main line is clearly identifiable, and it has become the industry consensus to take the road of value enhancement.
Aiming at health anxiety and improving the quality of health.
When sub-health becomes an accessory to fast-paced life, consumers have both the self-comfort of staying up late and applying facial masks, and the rigid needs of low-calorie and low-fat eating for health.
If you are willing to pay for health products, you will naturally not be stingy with health food.
More innovative processes such as non-frying and freeze-drying may bring higher prices, but health-oriented efforts have also attracted consumers willingly to pay for it.
Meet social needs and enhance aesthetic value.
In 2020 on Tmall’s “Double 11”, the “post-90s” have surpassed the “post-80s” in terms of the number of orders and the amount of money, and the people who have the right to speak in the consumer market are quietly changing.
The consumption behavior of "post-90s" implies strong social attributes.
"Let the phone eat first" is not a joke. Putting food, clothing, housing and transportation on social media not only reflects one's own aesthetic standards, but also declares "I found good things,'Jimei' (sisters) come and talk."
Desscribing food is not just a meal, but also an object full of ritual, reflecting aesthetic appeal and lifestyle.
Therefore, to make food, not only the taste, but also the appearance of the product and the angle at which it may be photographed by consumers must be studied.
The support of value enhancement is quality upgrade.
Flavor is the soul of food. No matter how the consumption trend changes, "good taste" will always be the core competitiveness of food, and it is also an important factor indispensable for the innovation and development of the fast food industry.
Moving the restaurant back to the home, bringing the kitchen outdoors, and presenting complex food flavors in a more convenient way will become the core issue for new products to enter the market.
Young people who love early adopters gradually have more voice in consumption. Flavor ingredients and soup innovation will become the new development momentum of the fast food product industry. Only by grasping the "convenience" and "speed", while better satisfying the taste buds of consumers, Consumers can prepare food comparable to restaurants in a few minutes at home, and enjoy delicious meals anytime, anywhere, without the need to "a bowl of instant noodles to take the world", then they have a chance to win this "lazy economy" competition.
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