A piece of 18 yuan, the vinegar smell on the snow cakes also raises the value.

  Recently, Hengshun Vinegar has launched 3 cultural and creative ice creams, which are "more expensive than their own vinegar" under the blessing of curious enough flavors such as soy sauce cheese, balsamic vinegar and rice wine.

Cross-border co-branding + high pricing has become the norm, and the industry ceiling is constantly breaking through.

At the end of May, Moutai and Mengniu jointly launched Moutai ice cream. The content of Kweichow Moutai is 2% but has an "overwhelming" price - 66 yuan.

  "Beginning in 2019, there have been more and more OEM orders for cultural and creative ice cream, with sales of more than 1 million pieces last year." A relevant person in charge of an ice cream processing company told the Beijing News Shell Finance reporter that in order to reduce production costs, many brands Tends to choose the OEM mode, and the market retail price of products with an ex-factory price of about 6 yuan is at least one or two times, and it is not uncommon for three or four times.

  This summer, high-priced ice cream has become a slot point. Behind it is the trial of the industry entering the ten-yuan era, as well as the high-end brand layout, and the change of distributors and distributors from small profits but high sales to high profits and low sales.

  In the era of traffic, ice cream stands at a crossroads and intends to break through the inherent consumption circle with "everything can be ice cream" in the huge incremental market.

  The price is over 10 yuan, and the ice cream stands on the "highland"

  The pricing logic of ice cream has quietly changed.

  At the end of June, a reporter from Shell Finance randomly visited several supermarkets and convenience stores and found that more than half of the dozens of ice creams on sale were priced at more than 10 yuan.

According to a supermarket owner, the price of ice cream is mainly between 5 yuan and 20 yuan.

"Although the price is high, the sales volume has not decreased, and it is rising every year."

  Among the supermarkets and convenience stores visited by Shell Finance reporters, Yili, Mengniu, Menglong, Baxi and other brands have a relatively high distribution volume.

From the price point of view, Baxi and Zhong Xuegao have become the "top streamers". Among them, Baxi vanilla ice cream 550g is priced at 36 yuan, and Zhong Xuegao's 78 grams of light milk is 11.8 yuan.

In contrast, Yili and Mengniu can choose from a wide range of products ranging from two or three yuan to more than ten yuan.

  iiMedia Research Consulting survey data shows that it is difficult to see the ice cream market with a price of 50 cents or 1 yuan. Instead, products with a price of more than 3 yuan are replaced. Some ice cream products with Internet celebrity attributes are mostly priced at more than 10 yuan, or even more expensive.

  The price of ice cream "stings" consumers, which is not unrelated to the deviation from general consumption expectations.

The survey shows that in 2022, most netizens will accept a single ice cream in the range of 3 yuan to 5 yuan, accounting for 37%; followed by 5 yuan to 10 yuan, accounting for 33.9%; the total acceptance price of 10 yuan to 20 yuan It is 16.3%; the proportion of accepting the price of 1-3 yuan is 11%; the acceptance rate of more than 20 yuan is only 1.8%.

  Shell Finance reporters interviewed a number of consumers and learned that at present, generally "don't dare to take it casually, and check the price one by one", but the high price has not suppressed consumer demand too much, especially for buyers born in the 1990s.

Many respondents said that they are willing to try it because of packaging, shape, taste and other factors. If it is delicious, they will not refuse to repurchase because of the high price.

  Higher ice cream prices have prompted more consumers to switch to two channels - wholesale and online shopping.

  A mother born in the 1980s said that she pays more attention to cost-effectiveness, "Three or four pieces are only a few dozen yuan. I usually go to a convenience store to buy when I walk my baby, and I buy the goods at home online, which will be cheaper. The unit price is two or three. dollars."

  On June 18 this year, a buyer told reporters that he had purchased more than 30 Yili Choles at one time, and this time he also took a fancy to the discount.

"It's more than 20 yuan cheaper than usual, which is equivalent to less than three yuan each."

  When the Shell Finance reporter visited the convenience store, the price of a single Yili Qiao Lez was 8 yuan, compared with 15-22 yuan for 5 online purchases, and a 25% discount for full discount and 2 pieces.

  "As far as the entire market is concerned, the current ratio of online and offline sales is about 2:8, but the online growth rate is very fast. It only took one or two years to go from 5% to 20%." General Manager of Bright Cold Drinks Zhang Nan told Shell Finance reporters.

  According to data from the Prospective Industry Research Institute, in 2020, the online and offline sales of ice cream will account for 5% and 95%.

  By 2021, this figure reaches 20% and 80%.

With the change of people's consumption behavior, the sales channels of ice cream have changed, and online will become an indispensable sales channel for ice cream.

  Zhong Xuegao, established in 2018, initially focused on online, and only developed to offline in 2020.

"In 2018, there were almost no purely online companies in the industry, and it took time for traditional offline companies to enter the online market. Therefore, in the first two years of Zhong Xuegao's establishment, we faced more competitive pressures. Small." said Lin Sheng, founder of Zhong Xuegao.

  As a representative of high-end Internet ice cream brands, Zhong Xuegao has been at the forefront of the wave in the past two years. Last year, the "most expensive ice cream" appeared at 66 yuan. This year, the original price of "Xing Yu Nian" ice cream was priced at 200 yuan by scalpers.

Despite the "high-priced ice cream" label, its online channel sales still outperformed.

It is understood that the "Juvenile Series" jointly developed by Zhong Xuegao and the National Olympic Sports Center has achieved sales of over 20 million yuan in just 72 days.

According to data from June 18 this year, Zhong Xuegao also won the top sales in the fresh food category on Tmall and the top sales in the ice category in JD POP stores.

  "Everything can be ice cream", foundry: Wenchuang ice cream made at 6 yuan

  "My first stop was to buy the Broken Bridge ice cream, which cost 20 yuan for a single piece and 35 yuan for a combination." A consumer who had visited West Lake told reporters that he had been thinking about punching in the ice cream in the shape of Xu Xian and Bai Niangzi. .

And this is just the beginning.

  The second stop was the cultural and creative ice cream at Leifeng Pagoda, and I turned to look for the Santan Yingyue Ice Cream.

"In order to shoot the ice cream, I had to pay for the ticket, but it was sold out!" For a few hours, the theme of his punch-in trip was ice cream. As for the taste of the Broken Bridge ice cream, he couldn't remember it.

  In recent years, cultural and creative ice cream is becoming a new favorite, endowed with unique social attributes.

And since Zhong Xue Gao’s Internet celebrity ice cream relies on cross-border co-branding + high pricing to gain brand advantages, it has become the norm to “set high prices” by labeling “cross-border”—buyers “plant grass” and “pull out” In addition to "grass", a cultural and creative ice cream generally starts at 15 yuan, and most of them are between 20 yuan and 35 yuan, and continue to break through the ice cream price ceiling.

  The ice cream cultural and creative fever has heated up, and companies have entered the game one after another.

In May, Hengshun Vinegar's cultural and creative ice cream was launched in 3 flavors, which restored the old Hengshun factory gate in the 1980s in appearance, and the price reached 18 yuan per stick.

Last year, Huangshan Tourism launched the "Welcome Pine" ice cream. In June this year, this cultural and creative ice cream was upgraded and returned, which highly restored the unique dangerous peaks and cliffs.

At the beginning of July, the “Shuangshuang Guiyang” cultural and creative ice cream developed by Haagen-Dazs was officially announced.

It is said that on the cultural and creative ice cream, Jiaxiu Building and Qianling Mountain Park can be seen.

  "We have been doing ice cream OEM processing since 2015. Since 2019, there have been more and more OEM orders for cultural and creative ice cream. Last year, the sales volume was more than 1 million." Ms. Xie, the relevant person in charge of an ice cream OEM, told Shell Finance reporter , In order to reduce production costs, many brands tend to choose the processing mode.

  "Our ex-factory price is generally around 6 yuan. After the brand side picks up the goods, the retail sales in the market will increase by at least two times, three or four times. It will cost 24 yuan." Ms. Xie said.

  For the brand premium, Ms. Xie calculated an account, and there are costs for transportation, labor, and sales.

In addition, offline distribution may also buy advertising space, pay freezer fees, etc.

"That's how business is, and every link is profitable, so it can be done." She believes that the brand premium mainly comes from marketing expenses.

  A company in Shenyang, where Mr. Huang works, specializes in the OEM business of cultural and creative ice cream.

When introducing to Shell Finance reporters, he claimed that he had been an OEM for many years and had customers all over the country. "There are also many well-known first-tier brands, and the specific names are inconvenient to disclose."

  Regarding the OEM cultural and creative ice cream, Mr. Huang said that most of the cultural and creative products are ice cream shapes provided by customers, and the factory version can also be used. The available mold choices include dozens of molds such as towers, pagodas, Jingwei reclamation, Houyi shooting the sun, etc. There are 8 flavors, including white peach, chocolate, vanilla, and mango.

  "Usually the minimum order is 1,000 pieces, and there is no cap on the top. You can also customize the taste. For special tastes, you need a minimum order of 3,000 pieces." Mr. Huang told the Shell Finance reporter that the ice cream is priced at 7.5 yuan per stick, which can be negotiated for large quantities. The average ex-factory price is Each piece is 7 yuan. If you get 5,000 pieces at a time, the price can be reduced to 6.5 yuan per piece.

In addition, customers need to pay for the cold chain transportation fee, which is expected to be 0.5 yuan to 1 yuan each.

Usually, the price at the terminal after the customer purchases the goods is 15 yuan to 20 yuan per piece, and the price may be higher if the scenic spot is well-known and the flow of people is large.

  When a reporter from Shell Finance asked that the unit price of its products was too high, Mr. Huang said that this was mainly due to the high quality of raw materials.

In his mouth, the OEM ice cream uses raw milk + imported milk powder, which tastes very delicate and does not taste like ice balls.

In addition, the OEM products can also be sampled. The sample size is 3 to 5 pieces. The sample size is free, but the transportation fee is 300 yuan. The factory claims that it also accepts customers on-site inspections.

  In addition to the cold chain transportation fee, Mr. Huang's OEM bill also has mold costs that the customer needs to pay.

Among them, the unit price of the mold ranges from 18 yuan to 29 yuan, and the customization will float to a certain extent.

For example, Mr. Huang said: "Suppose you choose three of our general-purpose molds and order 1,000 ice creams each. Since the molds are not always reused, at least 100 molds are required for 1,000 ice creams, and the cost is about 5,500 yuan to 6,000 yuan. If If you want three custom shapes, the cost will be added 3,000 yuan to 5,000 yuan on this basis."

  Mr. Huang told Shell Finance reporter that the daily output of ice cream in his foundry reached 40,000 to 50,000 pieces, the production cycle was 25 to 30 days, and the transportation time was usually 2 to 3 days.

  Cost traceability, who is the driver of high-priced ice cream?

  With the popularity of cultural and creative ice cream, bright cold drinks have been involved in the past two years.

In the opinion of general manager Zhang Nan, compared with other types of ice cream, there is indeed a larger premium space for Wenchuang ice cream in pricing.

  "Cultural and creative ice cream values ​​appearance over taste, which is also determined according to the characteristics of consumer groups. People who go to scenic spots to buy ice cream are often planted by their appearance. They will take pictures, punch cards, and send friends to meet their social needs. demand, etc." Zhang Nan told Shell Finance reporters that the main sales channels for such products are relatively closed, and there are many scenic spots.

The high premium of cultural and creative ice cream is also affected by many factors.

For example, in the closed environment of the scenic spot, tourists can accept that things are more expensive than outside.

In addition, the cultural and creative ice cream was endowed with some cultural attributes at the beginning of production and development, that is to say, it was endowed with more functions in addition to cooling off the heat, including taking pictures and taking pictures.

After all, usually, Wenchuang ice cream is only sold in specific locations.

In addition, the production and R&D costs of cultural and creative products are relatively high due to factors such as special shapes.

  Zhou Bing, co-founder and vice president of Zhong Xuegao, believes that the rise of each generation of new consumer groups is faced with the reengineering of new consumption habits, new consumption concepts, and new business models.

In terms of product strategy, cultural and creative ice cream caters to the consumer trend of some consumers whose appearance is justice and the pursuit of personalization.

They are novel in shape, high in appearance and unique in taste, which bring consumers a sense of freshness and curiosity, and stimulate consumers from appearance to taste.

  However, Zhang Nan also pointed out that cultural and creative ice cream has great limitations.

First of all, in order to carry cultural attributes such as IP or cultural background, cultural and creative ice cream is limited to a fixed scene. Once it leaves a specific consumption scene, consumers will not pay for the premium space.

  "Most cultural and creative ice creams are not competitive in front of other products just by looking at the price. Moreover, most of the cultural and creative ice creams on the market have average taste, mainly because of their attractive appearance. People may choose more delicious ones if they are separated from closed channels. , moderately priced ice cream." Zhang Nan said.

  According to iiMedia Research’s survey data, among the ice cream brands eaten by Chinese netizens in 2021, Yili will top the list, accounting for 75.5%; followed by Mengniu, accounting for 71.3%; and Qiao Lez accounting for 53.9%, and Nestle accounting for 53.9%. The ratio was 46.1%, ranking third and fourth in the ranking.

  What is the gross profit margin of traditional cold drink companies?

Taking Yili as an example, the financial report data shows that the operating income of cold drink products last year was about 7.161 billion yuan, and the gross profit margin was 40.27%, down 0.61% year-on-year.

From 2016 to 2021, the gross profit margin of Yili Dairy's cold drink business will continue to be above 40%.

Among them, in 2020, when the epidemic appeared, the gross profit margin of Yili Dairy's cold drink business reached 48.66%, the highest level since 2016.

  Shell Finance reporter learned from an interview that the general profit of ice cream manufacturers is 40%-50%, and the gross profit of high-end products can reach 70%. Profitability has become a major incentive for the popularity of the ice cream market.

  Some practitioners told Shell Finance reporters that in the cost of ice cream, raw materials account for the highest proportion, usually around 60%.

"For different types of ice cream and ice cream, the proportion of raw material cost will fluctuate to a certain extent. For example, pure milk will be higher, and fresh fruit, etc. In contrast, the proportion of raw material cost of ice products will be lower."

  According to iiMedia Research's survey data, from 2008 to 2020, the cost of raw materials such as milk and whipped cream has risen by about 80%.

In addition to the rise in raw materials, in the midstream, manufacturing and logistics and warehousing are also boosting the price of ice cream.

  Recently, "the price of a pack of snow lotus 50 cents has not risen for 13 years" was pushed to the front of the stage amid the high-priced ice cream. Among them, Mr. Li, the person in charge of the snow lotus brand, said, "The profit of a pack of snow lotus is about 5 cents." , and "such profits are not enough to develop other products", and said "We are also considering the needs of netizens for online shopping, and are actively thinking of countermeasures. If you sell online, the logistics cost will be more expensive than Xuelian itself."

  Several interviewees told Shell Finance reporters that in recent years, the cost of warehousing and logistics has been rising, and the superimposed epidemic has led to higher transportation costs.

  Changes in downstream industries have also boosted the ice cream market.

  iiMedia Research said that the traditional road of small profits but quick turnover is becoming more and more difficult to take.

If ice cream brands want to survive, they must innovate, and the layout of high-end products seems to be the road of change for many brands.

From product design, packaging, the use of raw materials, to curious flavors and brand co-branding, ice cream manufacturers have extraordinary methods.

In the era of traffic, it is inevitable that some businesses will attract consumers through celebrity endorsements and other methods.

  A reporter from Shell Finance learned from an ice cream brand that its sales model is not only online and offline, but also sold to distributors. The first-level distributors sell to the second-level distributors, and the second-level distributors then sell to supermarkets and convenience stores. Stores and so on, and then the product will be sold to consumers.

Each level of sales in these links will earn a profit ranging from 10% to 30%.

  "Fancy" cross-border, ice cream into a mobile billboard

  Jiang Han, a senior researcher at Pangu Think Tank, believes that for the entire market, high-priced ice cream is actually a normal phenomenon, but the risk is also very high, because high-priced products often have a shorter life cycle, and more rely on traffic and marketing to enhance market competitiveness .

Therefore, under such a background, high-priced ice cream is likely to belong to the type of ice cream that is rapidly rising and declining.

  At the moment when ice cream brands are fighting across borders, the Chinese ice cream market continues to grow.

According to the data of the Prospective Industry Research Institute, from 2015 to 2021, the market size of the ice cream industry will increase from less than 90 billion to 160 billion, with a cumulative increase of more than 90% in 6 years.

  With the concept of "Having never eaten cultural and creative ice cream, you have never been to scenic spots", the product attributes of ice cream are also changing. It is no longer a single way to relieve the heat and cool down, but has been endowed with more cultural attributes, social attributes or even emotional attributes.

At the same time, the consumption scene of ice cream is also changing, which provides more space for merchants to display in marketing.

  A senior player in the ice cream industry told the Shell Finance reporter that the current industry has shown three major development trends, healthy sense, enhanced experience and category cross-border.

Among them, the category cross-border refers to the ice cream industry has shown a cross-border joint dessert baking, street drinks, candy and chocolate.

  On May 29, the day of the first launch of Moutai ice cream jointly launched by Moutai and Mengniu, the "i Moutai" APP sold more than 40,000 pre-packaged ice creams in 51 minutes, with sales of about 2.5 million yuan.

Shell Finance reporter learned from the relevant person in charge of Mengniu Group that this cooperation is intended to actively meet consumption upgrades and provide consumers with more diversified product choices.

  A reporter from Shell Finance noticed that Mengniu Ice Cream has opened up a cross-border situation, and its fields are diverse, ranging from drinks (Jiang Xiaobai, Maotai), tea (small pot of tea) to snack nuts (three squirrels), and gradually extended to games (Yuanshen) .

  After cross-border products are launched, brands often conduct matrix content marketing on social platforms and grow grass in a fancy way to create a single product that young people love.

  Zhou Bing told the Shell Finance reporter that the properties of ice cream began to be extended slowly, and it became snacks and desserts. By meeting the needs of different scenarios, it has already broken through the restrictions of seasons.

In recent years, new products in the ice cream and ice cream market have continued to emerge, from the main flavor to the innovation of the shape, to the healthy low-sugar and low-fat products, all of which came into being with the development of the market.

  With the change of consumption scenarios, Zhang Nan believes that ice cream will compete with snacks in the future to seize its market share.

  "The gross profit of ice cream is about 50%, which gives players and capital enough profit margins, and it is still a huge incremental market." In Zhang Nan's view, cross-border players enter the ice cream for various purposes. It has strong plasticity, can have different shapes, IP images, and can tell many different stories.

The overall customer unit price is not high, the audience is very wide, and for marketing, the cost performance is very high.

  "Each product is a moving billboard. For consumers, it is eating an ice cream, and for merchants, it allows consumers to understand the brand and even other products." Zhang Nan said.

  Many interviewees told Shell Finance reporters that many brands of cross-border ice cream are not selling the product itself, but using low cost across borders to shift the focus to the brand to attract young consumers.

  Beijing News Shell Finance reporter Yan Xia