China Meal Replacements Market Report 2022
£ 3,695 (Excl.Tax)
Description
“With the target audience mainly being females, meal replacement brands need to provide age-specific solutions among females to sustain growth. In addition, the line between meal replacements and snack foods is increasingly blurred. Without compromising the taste, brands need to promote ‘plus’ nutrients while downplaying ‘minus’ claims to satisfy consumers’ most desired health functions – immunity enhancement and gut health management.”
– Joy Yin, Senior Research Analyst
This Report discusses the following key topics:
- Marketing activities and new product trends in the market.
- Consumers’ usage and consumption occasions of diverse meal replacement products.
- Consumers’ purchase channels of meal replacements.
- Triggers for consumers to try new products.
- Consumers’ interest in health functions.
- Strategies to improve consumer trust and repurchase rate of certain meal replacements.
Table of Contents
-
Overview
- What you need to know
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Covered in this Report
-
Executive Summary
- The market
- The impact of COVID-19 outbreak in 2022
- Companies and brands
- The consumer
- Traditional meal replacements further penetrate while niche options spring up
- Figure 1: Product usage, 2022
-
- Figure 2: Product usage – Penetration*, 2021 vs 2022
- Online buying still prevails, with DTC retailing stimulating new products trial
- Figure 3: Purchase channels, 2022
- Most meal replacement formats are suitable for all occasions
- Figure 4: Consumption occasion – Selected categories, 2022
-
- Figure 5: Consumption occasion – Selected categories, 2022
- Flavour and family/friends recommendations are top triggers
- Figure 6: New product trial, 2022
- Consumers demonstrate trust in claims, especially the ‘plus’ attributes
- Figure 7: Claim trust, 2022
- Immunity and gut health enhancement are the most desired functions
- Figure 8: Interest in health functions, 2022
- What we think
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Issues and Insights
- Promote ‘plus’ attributes rather than ‘minus’ ones
- The facts
- The implications
- Figure 9: PROBAR live probiotic nutrition bars, US, 2018
- Target females with age-specific solutions
- The facts
- The implications
- Figure 10: Tone bar protein bar, Japan, 2021
- Ways to stimulate repurchase of milkshake powder
- The facts
- The implications
- Figure 11: Nestlé’s Optifast milkshake powder, China, 2019
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Market Factors
- Pursuing a healthy lifestyle
- Strong awareness of weight management
- Rise of the ‘She Economy’
- Competition intensifies in the market
- Stricter regulatory environment is still needed
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COVID Influences
- COVID-19 China context
- COVID-19 impact on the market and consumer
- Drop in both financial status and spending confidence
- Accelerated spending on food and drink driven by stockpiling demand
- Figure 12: Change in spending nationwide – Spent more, 2020-22
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- Figure 13: Change in spending in Shanghai – Spent more, 2020-22
- Increased at-home time leads to demand for home fitness and convenient meal solutions
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Marketing Activities
- Cobrand with famous IPs to attract young consumers
- Figure 14: ffit8 x Minions protein bar, China, 2021
- Figure 15: Oatmeal products by Seamild x Wu Huang Wan Shui, China, 2021
- Leverage DTC retailing to provide customised services
- Figure 16: Examples of services provided by Boohee and Beast Life, China, 2022
- Ride the Guochao trend
- Figure 17: WonderLab ‘Silk Road’ gift set, China, 2021
- Cobrand with famous IPs to attract young consumers
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New Product Trends
- Increasing trend of ‘minus’ claims
- Figure 18: Percentage of new meal replacement launches with ‘minus’ claims, China, 2017-22
- Figure 19: Meal replacement product examples with ‘minus’ claims, China, 2021-22
- Fortified vitamins/minerals in meal replacement drinks
- Figure 20: Percentage of meal replacement drinks launches with ‘plus’ claims, China, 2017-22
- Figure 21: Meal replacement drinks product examples with ‘vitamin/mineral fortified’ claims, China, 2021-22
- Growing diversity in product formats and texture
- Figure 22: Tian Yuan Zhu Yi yam noodle product, China, 2021
- Figure 23: WonderLab ‘Yuan Qi’ soup, China, 2021
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- Figure 24: Heng Mei three-layer flow protein bar, China, 2022
- Figure 25: ffit8 oatmeal roll, China, 2022
- Add TCM ingredients to promote functionality
- Figure 26: Yuan Qi Shuo ejiao meal replacement milkshake, China, 2022
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- Figure 27: Wang Bao Bao black oatmeal product, China, 2021
- Figure 28: Yu He Ming bulletproof coffee product, China, 2021
- Increasing trend of ‘minus’ claims
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Product Usage
- Penetration of traditional formats increased over the past year…
- Figure 29: Product usage, 2022
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- Figure 30: Product usage – Penetration*, 2021 vs 2022
- …while niche options demonstrate growth potential
- Figure 31: Bulletproof coffee and milkshake by Ideal Fuel, China, 2022
- Females show more interest than males in all but one type
- Figure 32: Product usage – Interest in having again or trying all products*, by gender, 2022
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- Figure 33: Product usage – Interest in having again or trying certain products*, by gender and age, 2022
- Penetration of traditional formats increased over the past year…
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Purchase Channels
- Online purchasing prevails
- Figure 34: Purchase channels, 2022
- Target females via selected online channels
- Figure 35: Purchase channels, by gender, 2022
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- Figure 36: Purchase channels – Online channels, by gender and age, 2022
- Private channels are more effective in promoting new product formats
- Figure 37: Product usage – Have tried and are interested in having again, by online purchase channels, 2022
- Online purchasing prevails
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Consumption Occasion
- Most product formats are versatile
- Figure 38: Consumption occasion – Selected categories, 2022
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- Figure 39: Consumption occasion – Selected categories, 2022
- Daytime snacking is favoured over late-night occasions
- Females prefer dinnertime
- Figure 40: Consumption occasion – Dinner, by gender, 2022
- Most product formats are versatile
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New Product Trial
- Novel flavour and recommendations by acquaintances are the top triggers
- Figure 41: New product trial, 2022
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- Figure 42: New product trial – TURF analysis, 2022
- Specialisation is preferred by multi-generation families and consumers who are highly-educated
- Figure 43: New product trial – Designed for specific consumer groups (a), by living situation and education level, 2022
- Novel flavour and recommendations by acquaintances are the top triggers
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Claim Trust
- ‘Plus’ claims are more trustworthy than ‘minus’ ones
- Figure 44: Claim trust, 2022
- Gen Z and over-50s show higher levels of scepticism
- Figure 45: Claim trust – ‘Very credible’ or ‘somewhat credible’, by age, 2022
- Figure 46: Claim trust – ‘Hard to say’, by age, 2022
- Distrust of ‘minus’ claims hinders the usage of milkshake powder
- Figure 47: Claim trust – ‘Not credible’ or ‘not credible at all’, by product usage of milkshake powder, 2022
- ‘Plus’ claims are more trustworthy than ‘minus’ ones
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Interest in Health Functions
- Immunity and gut health management gain the most interest
- Figure 48: Interest in health functions, 2022
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- Figure 49: Interest in health functions, by gender, 2022
- Gen Z ask for energy replenishment and weight management
- Figure 50: Interest in health functions – Top five functions, by age, 2022
- Highlight slimming effects to improve repurchase rate of milkshake powder
- Figure 51: Interest in health functions, by product usage of milkshake powder, 2022
- Immunity and gut health management gain the most interest
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Food Persona
- Who are they?
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- Figure 52: Food persona, 2022
- Figure 53: Food persona, by generation, 2022
- Critical shoppers believe in authority endorsement and ‘no additive’ claims
- Figure 54: New product trial – ‘Endorsed by authorities (a)’, by food persona, 2022
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- Figure 55: Claim trust – ‘No additive’, by food persona, 2022
- Emotional eaters show preference for functions beneficial to gut health and slimming
- Figure 56: Interest in health functions – Top five functions, by food persona, 2022
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Appendix – Methodology and Abbreviations
- Methodology
- Abbreviations
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