The light exercise habits of Chinese consumers are a double-edged sword for brands. It will not only affect the sales of hard core professional performance nutrition in the short term, but also provide new ideas for the development of the brand as an overall healthy lifestyle companion.
Pepper Peng, Senior Research Analyst, Food and Drink, Foodservice, China
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Executive Summary
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Covered in this Report
- Overview
- Market highlights
- Market factors
- Highlights in marketing activities
- New product trends
- Product examples illustrating these trends
- The consumer
- Overall low activity level alarms brands to invest more in holistic active lifestyle
- Graph 1: exercise frequency, 2023
- Running is the most popular and worthy of investment
- Graph 2: top 5 exercise types, by exercise frequency, 2023
- Professional performance nutrition needs more market education
- Graph 3: supplements usage, 2023
- Protein powder should be partner of an active lifestyle
- Graph 4: consumption barrier of protein powder, 2023
- Consumption for nutrition purpose rather than fitness purpose
- Graph 5: consumption reason of protein products, 2023
- Guide consumers how to intake at different stages of exercise
- Graph 6: needs of sports nutrition at different times, 2023
- Issues and insights
- What we think
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The market
- Market factors
- National Fitness Program to promote better accessibility for all
- Unstable supply chain in the international context benefits domestic producers
- Marketing activities
- Ffit8 launches “High Calcium Protein Powder” in collaboration with a pharmaceutical company
- CPT keeps focusing on marathon race
- New product trends
- Nutritional & meal replacement drinks saw decrease in the past five years
- Graph 7: share of high/added protein claim in new launches of food and drinks, 2019-23
- Graph 8: share of top 10 categories in new launches of food and drinks with high/added protein claims, 2019-23
- High-protein sports and fitness-related products have more fruity and sweet flavour components
- Examples of flora, rice & cereal and savoury flavoured high-protein products, China
- Fortified vitamins/protein and functional claims dominate the performance nutrition category
- Free-from claims are fast growing in the performance nutrition category
- Examples with fastest-growing claims, China
- Milk protein remains commonplace while soy protein is rising
- Examples of performance nutrition with plant-based protein, China and Global
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The consumer
- Exercise frequency
- Overall activity level is low
- Graph 9: exercise frequency, 2023
- High cost possibly blocking consumers out
- Graph 10: exercise frequency – within 30 minutes, by monthly personal income, 2023
- Example of combining muscle and mental health
- Lacking intense exercise harms the sports nutrition business now
- Graph 11: exercise frequency – within 30 minutes, by exercise frequency – more than 30 minutes, 2023
- Females are worthy of attention
- Graph 12: exercise frequency – more than 30 minutes, by age and gender, 2023
- Exercise type
- Running and ball games are popular…
- Graph 13: exercise type, 2023
- …more sports fields may be the reason for the popularity
- Graph 14: year-on-year growth of different ballgame venues, 2021-22
- Age has a say in exercising
- Graph 15: selected exercise types, by age group, 2023
- Seniors are pursuing active lifestyles via exercising
- Running occasion is worthy of investment
- Graph 16: top five exercise types, by exercise frequency, 2023
- Graph 17: top five exercise types, by personal monthly income, 2023
- Supplements usage
- Consumers prefer sports-ish food and drink to professional sports nutrition
- Graph 18: awarenss and penetration map of supplements, 2023
- Graph 19: supplements usage, 2023
- Heavy exercisers show more interest in sports nutrition
- Graph 20: supplements usage – haven’t bought and not interested in buying or I don’t know/never heard of it*, by exercise frequency – more than 30 minutes, 2023
- Protein products are more popular…
- Graph 21: supplements usage – have bought and will continue to buy, by if exercised in the last six months*, 2023
- …but less necessary among consumers who exercise at least once a week
- Graph 22: supplements usage – have bought and will continue to buy, by exercise frequency – more than 30 minutes, 2023
- More convenient packages are needed
- Consumption barrier
- It’s not a distrust of protein
- Graph 23: consumption barrier of protein powder, 2023
- Isolated whey protein powder has a better perception
- Graph 24: consumption barrier of protein powder*, by product type, 2023
- Consumer pursue holistic wellbeing
- Graph 25: consumption barrier of normal protein powder*, by if consumers have exercised in the last six months, 2023
- Help consumers achieve a healthier lifestyle
- Graph 26: consumption barrier – normal protein powder*, by exercise frequency – more than 30 minutes , 2023
- Consumption reason of protein products
- Consumption is mainly nutrition-driven
- Graph 27: consumption reason of protein-based products, 2023
- Reasons vary by gender and age
- Graph 28: selected consumption reason of protein-based products, by age and gender, 2023
- Graph 29: consumption reason of protein-based products, by gender, 2023
- Isolated whey protein powder has its own charm
- Graph 30: selected consumption reason of protein-based products , by product type – have bought, 2023
- Graph 31: selected consumption reason of protein-based products, by product type – have bought and will continue to buy, 2023
- Needs of sports nutrition at different times
- Hydrating is the highest priority
- Graph 32: needs of sports nutrition at different stages, 2023
- Guide consumers how to intake at different stages of exercise
- Everyday-exercisers especially care about replenishing electrolytes
- Pay more attention to pre/post-workout needs when targeting everyday-exercisers
- Graph 33: difference of interests in function between who exercise every day and who exercise once a month or less*, by stages, 2023
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issues and insights
- Make protein powder a partner of holistic healthy lifestyles
- Protein powder needs to be more than merely sports nutrition
- Fitter outside as well as inside
- Leverage protein plus formula to target immunity health
- Pay attention to gut health and remove indigestion concern
- Consumers are concerned about gut condition even when it comes to performance nutrition
- Unify gut health and performance
- Graph 34: selected gut health-related claims of performance nutrition with high/added protein claim, 2019-23
- Global examples of combining gut health and performance nutrition
- Performance nutrition for women
- Quite a few females exercise at high frequency
- Innovation is far behind and blank
- Graph 35: share of female claims in performance nutrition new launches, by region, 2019-23
- Graph 36: share of female claims in performance nutrition new launches, 2019-23
- More benefits for females beyond protein
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Appendix – methodology and abbreviations
- Methodology
- Abbreviations
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