"Ten miles of green hills are beautiful and the sun is growing, and the delicate red baskets reflect the spring light." In 2024, as the temperature gradually rises, spring tea will be mined and put on the market in various production areas across the country. Driven by the dual wheels of high-quality production capacity and diversified consumer demand, the spring tea market this year will Show vitality.
The overall market is improving, spring tea is of high quality and stable price
Looking back at China's tea industry in 2023, relying on the huge domestic market demand and favorable policies, it has completed the adjustment of the consumption structure amid stable growth, and the overall development continues to improve.
Zhu Danpeng, a Chinese food industry analyst, said: "Affected by favorable policy factors in 2023, population mobility will increase, business demand will recover, and the gift market will further recover. This has very good macro implications for the overall recovery of China's tea market. Soil dividend.”
At the same time, the structural problems that plagued the development of the tea industry last year are also worthy of attention. On the one hand, with the expansion of the industry scale, the problem of overcapacity still exists; on the other hand, under the strong domestic demand, there are people who only focus on famous and high-quality tea. The phenomenon of blindly following the trend to expand production.
In 2024, as the basic tea situation changes and favorable factors continue to release momentum, structural problems will be resolved, and the spring tea market consumption will recover strongly.
According to data from the China Meteorological Administration, from January to March 2024, the temperature across the country was lower than the same period, the temperature fluctuated greatly, and rain and snow weather occurred in some areas, resulting in late mining of tea gardens in some areas and a longer picking period. The overall tea production is reduced, but it is also affected by this climate factor. The negative impact of pests is reduced, the synthesis and accumulation of nitrogen-containing compounds are increased, and the aroma of tea is more intense. As a result, the production is reduced and the tea quality is better on average, which to a certain extent is beneficial to solving the problem of tea. Industrial structural problems.
According to the "National Tea Situation in February 2024" report released by the China Tea Circulation Association, the prices of spring tea, green tea, and dry tea in various places have increased slightly compared with previous years. For example, in Sichuan, Guizhou, Zhejiang and other places, the price of early spring tea has been higher than in previous years. Prices generally rose by 10%-20%, with single-bud tea seeing a larger increase of more than 20%. However, market prices in northern sales areas basically remained the same as in previous years. Sales peaked in late March, and various regions entered the spring tea production and sales season in an orderly manner.
Green tea continues to lead the symbiosis of diverse needs
In 2024, with consumers' increasing demand for healthy and natural drinks, green tea and other categories will show a significant growth trend in search volume and consumption in the spring tea market due to their unique taste and nutritional ingredients.
From the perspective of consumption trends, consumers aged 30 to 40 have become the absolute main buyers of spring tea. This group has strong and stable demand for spring tea, and their consumption habits are more modern and convenient. Compared with traditional consumers, they are more inclined to make frequent purchases and prefer more convenient packaging forms. At the same time, the planting and strategy notes and short videos on the content platform have also deeply influenced the purchasing decisions of this consumer group, making them pay more attention to the quality, taste and brewing method of tea when purchasing spring tea.
Also with great market development potential is the new tea market. The Beijing Evening News' Food and Drink Weekly learned from Taobao search data that since March, the search volume for green tea has increased across the board, with an increase of more than 300% compared with the same period last year. Young people are interested in Interest in drinking tea continues to increase and consumption habits are becoming increasingly stable; in addition, influenced by the personalized tea drinking needs of young consumer groups, niche teas are gradually emerging in the spring tea market. For example, niche teas such as Fenghuang Dancong and Zhangping Shuixian are enthusiastically sought after by tea drinkers born in the 1990s, and their sales are showing a growth trend.
Driven by the three major purchase factors of collection, self-drinking and gift-giving, collectible tea products still have large profit margins and market potential. For Chinese people who nourish their hearts with tea, their demand for tea is not only about its taste, but also about spiritual and cultural enjoyment. Major well-known brands have seized on the consumer boom in the spring tea market and launched tea gift boxes to meet consumers' gift needs. Among them, Wu Yutai absorbed the essence of traditional culture and integrated elements of ancient poetry to launch the green tea sub-brand "Chunhe Jingming", and integrated the elements of Peking opera to launch the black tea sub-brand "Jingcui Hongyun" to satisfy consumers of high-grade tea. Product gift needs.
Traditional consumption is steadily upgrading and coexisting with normalcy
While brands are embracing young consumer groups, consumers over the age of 40 are still the mainstay of tea consumption, and the needs of the elderly need to be paid attention to.
Mr. Zhang, who lives in Chaoyang District, Beijing, said in an interview with Beijing Evening News Food and Drink Weekly: "I can drink tea, but I can't buy tea. I drink whatever tea my parents give me."
In the long run, the consumption habits and purchasing power of middle-aged and elderly people are relatively stable. They usually have a fixed source of income and a relatively ample consumption budget, so they are more willing to pay for high-quality tea. At the same time, they often have clear plans and goals for tea purchases, and are not easily affected by market fluctuations and trend changes.
Mr. Zhang said: "My parents like to buy some 'high broken', which is the remaining parts of various tea barrels mixed together. The taste is very complex. Wu Yutai can sometimes buy one or two kilograms, and it is not expensive. It costs dozens. Block; speaking for myself, I like to drink green tea in summer and jasmine tea in winter.”
Many people in the traditional consumer group have been drinking tea since they were young and have in-depth knowledge and unique preferences for the quality, taste and efficacy of tea. As they age, their physical functions gradually decline, and they are more and more concerned about health. Therefore, they are more inclined to choose tea with health benefits, such as green tea, black tea, oolong tea, etc.
"Beijing people have sentiments about some time-honored brands. This habit of taste is very deep-rooted. If you can taste a restaurant after many years of changing chefs, you may not go there." Mr. Zhang continued to add.
Zhu Danpeng believes that "the high-end trend of new trends is the future development trend. How to achieve high-end, branding, and specialization is an important focus for the high-quality development of many brand innovations." Differentiation, upgrading and innovation are imperative; but At the same time, maintaining a sense of normalcy is the key for a time-honored and well-known brand to not forget its original intention. It is also the company's responsibility to use ingenuity to adhere to quality, not to disappoint old tea customers, and to meet the needs of the elderly under the company's ambition to expand the market—— Wu Yutai has done a good job in adhering to quality. "Adhere to quality, innovate varieties and improve taste" is the quality creed that Wu Yutai has long adhered to.
At the same time, in response to the demand for "high crushing", optimizing the product structure of enterprises is also a subdivided area worthy of attention, worthy of exploration and attention.
For middle-aged and elderly people, "discussing Taoism with tea" is their way of life. Drinking tea, tasting tea, and talking about tea are an important way of socializing for them. Middle-aged and elderly people are also an important force in the tradition and promotion of Chinese tea culture. Under their leadership, young people can further understand the essence of tea culture. Therefore, in order to meet the needs of middle-aged and elderly consumer groups, tea companies need to continue to innovate in products and services. For example, we develop healthier and more nutritious tea products based on the physical conditions and needs of middle-aged and elderly people; at the same time, we provide more convenient and comfortable purchasing and experience services, so that middle-aged and elderly people can feel the care and respect of the company, thus forming a positive Only through circulation can China's tea industry develop in a long-term and healthy manner. Text/Shu Qing