This report looks at the following areas:
- Market size and outlook for the sugar confectionery and gum segments
- Marketing activities and product innovations in local and global markets
- The penetration of different types of confectionery products
- Consumer purchase channels, purchase motivations and purposes for buying sugar confectionery
- The texture experiences and functional benefits that interest consumers
- Consumer attitudes towards sugar confectionery consumption
Amid multiple challenges, the growth momentum of sugar confectionery is yet to be fully explored. Brands should actively investigate the commercial potential of sugar confectionery in terms of emotional value and focus on innovation in health benefits to achieve breakthroughs in segmented markets. Brands can also consider and tap into the potential influence of male consumers in the gum and mint market, which still has room for growth.
Daisy Li, Associate Director, China Insights
Market Definitions
This report follows the same definition as Sugar Confectionery – China – 2023.
The analysis and forecast data in this Report cover all imported and domestically produced sugar and gum confectionery sold in China. The market size and market forecast in this Report cover all confectionery sold through retail channels in the China market –both bricks-and-mortar stores and business-to-consumer (B2C) retailers such as official websites and Tmall.
The confectionery and gum confectionery market includes the following segments:
- Sugar confectionery includes:
- Soft fruit sweets – including pastilles, gum, jellies and chews
- Other flavours – including liquorice, marshmallows, fudge, toffee, caramel, nougat, Turkish delight, halva and other sweets such as éclairs and marzipan
- Mints – including regular mints and breath fresheners
- Hard – including boiled sweets and lollipops
- Functional – including medicated and energy-boosting products
- Other – including mixed assortments and other sugar confectionery
- Gum confectionery includes regular chewing gum, sugar-free chewing gum and bubble gum.
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Executive summary
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Definition
- What you need to know
- The market
- The overall sugar confectionery market (sugar confectionery + gum) sees weak growth
- The gum market maintains steady growth
- Confectionery market growth is weak, the market wants more functional innovations
- Market factors
- Companies and brands
- Market share remains relatively stable, Nestlé continues to grow
- Marketing activities
- New product trends
- Graph 1: share of 'seasonal' claims in new sugar confectionery launches, 2019-24
- Graph 2: share of 'low/no/reduced fat' and 'sugar-free' claims in sugar confectionery launches, 2019-24
- Examples of products reflecting these trends
- Consumers
- Mints and crisp candy have growth potential, while chewing gum and bubble gum are consumed more frequently
- Graph 3: confectionery category penetration rate, 2023-24
- Graph 4: sugar confectionery consumption frequency – "eat more" minus "eat less", 2024
- Emerging online channels rise in popularity, but traditional channels remain important
- Graph 5: sugar confectionery purchase channels, 2024
- Freshening breath is the primary consumption purpose for mints/gum
- Graph 6: sugar confectionery consumption purpose – select categories, 2024
- Purchase occasions are stable, while the importance of travel souvenirs increases
- Graph 7: sugar confectionery purchase occasions, 2023-24
- Chewy is the most popular texture among consumers
- Graph 8: sugar confectionery texture preferences, 2024
- Vitamin supplementation remains the most commonly desired benefit
- Graph 9: desired sugar confectionery features/benefits, 2024
- Consumers want health benefits, but novel flavours cannot be neglected
- Graph 10: sugar confectionery consumption attitude – selected attitudes, by gender, 2024
- Issues and insights
- What we think
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The market
- Market size and forecast
- The overall sugar confectionery market (sugar confectionery + gum) sees weak growth, growth drivers need to be explored
- Market segmentation
- The gum market maintains steady growth
- The sugar confectionery market sees weak growth, market expects more functional innovations
- Market factors
- Multiple official dietary guidelines advocate sugar reduction
- Declining marriage and birth rates challenge the sugar confectionery market
- Graph 11: marriage registrations and birth rate, 2018-23
- With social occasions remaining popular, social confectionery products have growth potential
- The rising demand for emotional health management creates market space for related products
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Companies and brands
- Market share
- Market share remains stable, Nestlé continues to grow
- Marketing activities
- Games and anime become important partners for collaboration
- Examples of marketing to children
- Brands attempt to expand into sports and fitness occasions
- Celebrity endorsements help refresh brand images
- New product trends
- Sugar free becomes a mainstream claim
- Graph 12: share of 'sugar free' claims in chewing gum launches, 2019-24
- Graph 13: share of 'low/no/reduced fat' and 'sugar free' claims in sugar confectionery launches, 2019-24
- Examples of sugar free claims in chewing gum and sugar confectionery launches
- The seasonal claim is gaining popularity
- Graph 14: share of 'seasonal' claims in sugar confectionery launches, 2019-24
- Graph 15: share of 'seasonal' claims in chewing gum launches, 2019-24
- Examples of festive claims in gum and sugar confectionery launches
- Examples of seasonal claims in new product launches
- Functional innovation continues to grow in the sugar confectionery category
- Graph 16: share of select functional claims in sugar confectionery launches, 2019-24
- Examples of functional innovation claims in sugar confectionery launches
- The chewy texture retains its dominant position in new products, while crunchy and soft textures gain share
- Graph 17: share of textures in sugar confectionery launches, 2019-24
- Examples of sugar confectionery launches with different textures
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The consumer
- Consumption frequency
- Mints and crisp candy have potential to grow, while chewing gum/bubble gum see increased consumption frequency
- Graph 18: sugar confectionery category consumption frequency – "eat more" minus "eat less", 2024
- Graph 19: sugar confectionery category penetration rate, 2023-24
- Functional confectionery, mints and chewing gum/bubble gum are similarly appealing to men and women
- Graph 20: sugar confectionery category penetration rate difference (female minus male), by gender and age, 2024
- Graph 21: sugar confectionery category penetration rate, by gender, 2024
- Post-1990s are the main consumer group, post-1980s are gradually shifting to functional sweets
- Graph 22: sugar confectionery category penetration rate, by generation, 2024
- New mothers consume more sugar confectionery, and with increasing frequency
- Graph 23: sugar confectionery consumption frequency – "eat more" minus "eat less", by family structure, 2024
- Graph 24: sugar confectionery penetration rate, by family structure, 2024
- The eastern region prefers sweets, chewing gum/bubble gum is more influential in the south
- Graph 25: sugar confectionery penetration rate, by region, 2024
- Purchase channels
- Emerging online channels rise in popularity, but traditional channels remain important
- Graph 26: sugar confectionery purchase channels, 2022-24
- Lower-tier cities rely more on offline channels but are also keen on social ecommerce
- Graph 27: sugar confectionery purchase channels, by city tier, 2024
- New mothers use a wider range of channels and particularly favour emerging online channels
- Graph 28: sugar confectionery purchase channels, by family structure, 2024
- Graph 29: number of sugar confectionery purchase channels, by family structure, 2024
- Corner shops/grocery stores have potential to expand among Gen Z
- Consumption purposes
- Freshening breath is the primary consumption purpose for mints/gum
- Graph 30: sugar confectionery consumption purpose – select categories, 2024
- Post-1980s have more diverse reasons for consuming functional confectionery, new products can tap into the potential of the post-1960s/70s
- Graph 31: sugar confectionery consumption purposes – functional candy (a), by generation, 2024
- Graph 32: sugar confectionery consumption purposes – functional candy (a), 2024
- The emotional value of hard and jelly sweets is widely recognised
- Graph 33: sugar confectionery consumption purposes, by sugar confectionery segment, 2024
- Purchase occasions
- Purchase occasions are stable, while the importance of travel souvenirs increase…
- Graph 34: sugar confectionery purchase occasions, 2023-24
- …particularly among younger consumers
- Graph 35: sugar confectionery purchase occasions – "as a travel souvenir", by generation, 2023-24
- Young consumers' festive demand needs revitalising
- Graph 36: sugar confectionery purchasing occasions – "to share with friends/family during festivals" (a), by generation, 2023-24
- Graph 37: sugar confectionery purchasing occasions – "as a gift for special occasions" (b), by generation, 2023-24
- Texture preferences
- Chewy is the most popular texture among consumers
- Graph 38: sugar confectionery texture preferences, 2024
- Smooth textures are more popular with office workers and its emotional value is worth exploring
- Graph 39: sugar confectionery texture preferences – silky/smooth, by occupation, 2024
- Higher income groups seek more diverse textures
- Graph 40: sugar confectionery texture preferences, by monthly household income, 2024
- Graph 41: number of sugar confectionery textures of interest, by monthly household income, 2024
- Layered textures are favoured by southern consumers
- Graph 42: confectionery texture preferences – layered, by region, 2024
- Desired features/benefits
- Vitamin supplementation remains the most commonly desired benefit
- Graph 43: desired sugar confectionery features/benefits, 2024
- Graph 44: sugar confectionery features/benefits – select features/benefits, 2023-24
- Fatigue relief products have potential in the silver economy
- Graph 45: sugar confectionery features/benefits – "relieving fatigue", by generation, 2024
- New mothers seek gut health benefits
- Graph 46: sugar confectionery features/benefits – "improving gut health", by family structure, 2024
- Throat soothing/cough relief is more attractive to higher income groups
- Graph 47: sugar confectionery features/benefits – "soothing the throat and suppressing a cough", by monthly household income, 2024
- Men are keener on fatigue relief and energy replenishment benefits
- Graph 48: sugar confectionery features/benefits, by gender, 2024
- Consumer attitudes
- Consumers want health benefits, but novel flavours cannot be neglected
- Graph 49: sugar confectionery consumption attitudes – select attitudes, by gender, 2024
- Small pack products are more popular and have premium potential
- Graph 50: share of small packs in new confectionery launches, 2019-24
- Graph 51: sugar confectionery consumption attitudes – select attitudes, by monthly household income, 2024
- Less guilt more pleasure as traditionally sweetened treats offer more emotional value
- Graph 52: sugar confectionery consumption attitudes – select attitudes by consumption attitude, 2024
- Graph 53: sugar confectionery consumption attitudes – select attitudes, by gender and monthly household income, 2024
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Issues and insights
- Fully tap into the commercial potential of sugar confectionery's emotional value
- The emotional wellbeing management market has potential and the confectionery category is poised to benefit first
- The sugar confectionery category has advantages in emotional value during low mood, loneliness and anxiety
- Brands need to focus on maximising the taste experience of sugar confectionery…
- …and convey emotional value through multi-sensory experiences
- Marketing can create space for emotional freedom
- Focus on more targeted health benefit innovation
- Health benefits innovation has become a focus of the market, but potential niche markets are yet to be identified
- Entering the 'fatigue relief' space via the silver economy
- Focus on developing sweets with health benefits for new mothers
- Create high-end traditional Chinese throat soothing and cough suppressing products
- Graph 54: attitudes towards select traditional Chinese healthcare methods – "have taken and will try it again", by household monthly income, 2024
- Men are a market force in the gum/mint category
- Gum/mint has further growth potential
- Men cannot be overlooked
- Add energy benefits to gain an edge
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Appendix – market size and forecast, methodology and abbreviations
- Market size and forecast
- Methodology
- Abbreviations
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