---
title: "A 10-Billion-Yuan Market: How Can Distributors Grab a Share of the Surging Soy Milk Market?"
description: "This article discusses how distributors can operate in the soy milk market during its early stages, focusing on consumer behavior, channel selection, and communication strategies. It emphasizes targeting young consumers, focusing on specific consumption occasions like small restaurants, and avoiding generic nutritional claims."
author: "袁来如此"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2017-08-14"
language: "en"
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# A 10-Billion-Yuan Market: How Can Distributors Grab a Share of the Surging Soy Milk Market?

> This article discusses how distributors can operate in the soy milk market during its early stages, focusing on consumer behavior, channel selection, and communication strategies. It emphasizes targeting young consumers, focusing on specific consumption occasions like small restaurants, and avoiding generic nutritional claims.

Introduction:
1. This soy milk operation guide is not a universal template; any market operation that doesn't consider category characteristics is nonsense. This guide applies only to the early stages of soy milk operations.
2. This guide approaches operations from the perspective of consumer behavior, focusing on channels and communication. Other aspects like pricing policies and terminal promotions are not covered due to differences in resource allocation between manufacturers and distributors.

I. Face Problems, Avoid Them, and Set Direction
Currently, the primary issues in operating the soy milk market are: where are the users, and why don't they drink soy milk? There are three main points:
First: Consumer base: Traditional family consumption, which is declining as it's replaced by milk.
Second: Consumption occasions: There are no representative consumption occasions, so proactive purchases cannot be formed.
Third: Category consumption: Soy milk is made from soybeans, which have weak scarcity and perceived value.
These three issues are key obstacles in launching a soy milk product. How can distributors avoid them from a market operation perspective?
1. Avoid diverse consumer groups; find those most likely to consume frequently.
Currently, the consumer base for soy milk is vague, mainly traditional family breakfast consumption, and the trend is declining. As a distributor in a regional market, regardless of the manufacturer's promotion or target group, we must be clear: we distribute soy milk to make money, not to hoard inventory. To achieve quick sales, our consumer base must be those who can consume frequently.
Undoubtedly, young consumers are the ones who can achieve rapid, high-frequency consumption of soy milk drinks.
Once you've identified young consumers, don't think about KA supermarkets or gift box markets in the early stages of market operations.
2. Avoid the "if it doesn't work here, it'll work there" mentality; focus on specific occasions.
Herbal tea's consumption occasion is "when preventing heatiness," walnut milk's is "when nourishing the brain," energy drinks' is "when replenishing energy"... What about soy milk?
Although this is something brand owners need to do, as a distributor, you must also determine a typical consumption occasion because you don't have as much money as brand owners to "if it doesn't work here, it'll work there."
In the early stages of category development, distributors must focus on one consumption occasion, as this is crucial for guiding resource investment and personnel allocation.
Determine a focused consumption occasion, and through a single occasion, ignite the regional market. In the early stages, don't think about multi-occasion, multi-channel, or diversified distribution; "more" means "messy."
3. Weak category value; emphasizing nutritional value is the brand owner's job.
"Soy milk is made from soybeans, so its value is weak... Yes, that's true, so I should quickly promote the high nutritional value of soy milk to change consumer perception." This might be a thinking trap for most distributors.
But is emphasizing soy milk's nutritional value your job? That's the brand owner's job. You might say, "I want to help the brand owner promote it, so we can grow together..."
I object. Distributors distribute soy milk to make money, not to be subordinates! Therefore, your promotion should directly drive sales, not cultivate or educate consumers.
Once you've determined that emphasizing nutritional value is the brand owner's job, don't think about slogans like "national drink, good soy milk" in the early stages.

II. "Three Points in a Line": Establish a Market Operation Outline
We've just clarified the obstacles in the soy milk market and how distributors should face them. Next, we'll focus on the operational direction. Of course, I'll still extend from the above issues and attitudes to explain why you should do this.
1. People, occasions, and pain points: "not one less"
1) Soy milk for young consumers;
2) Don't think about KA supermarkets or gift box channels; focus channels;
3) Don't promote slogans like "national drink, good soy milk"; think about how to convince them to buy this bottle of soy milk.
Combine young people with channels: think about which occasion they consume in?
Combine young people with communication: think about how to convince them to make a purchase?
2. "Three Points in a Line": Activate Channels, Prompt Consumption
Combine points 1) and 2) to determine the channel.
For FMCG distributors, the channels for young people to consume soy milk are dining, circulation, and KA. We've ruled out KA. So how to choose between dining and circulation? Before choosing, let's look at how young people consume in these two channels.
In circulation channels (small supermarkets, mom-and-pop stores), young people have already decided what category or brand to buy before entering. The time from entering to leaving is usually no more than 2 minutes. This is not suitable for soy milk because the category is not mature. How can you influence a young person's consumption decision in 2 minutes? Even with brand owners' online communication, it's risky for you, and the education cycle is too long.
In dining channels, there are A/B/C/D class restaurants. Today, we'll simply divide them into small restaurants (places to satisfy hunger) and large restaurants (places for hunger + gatherings).
First, look at large restaurants: consumption time is long, but competition for beverage consumption is fierce, such as juice, cola, herbal tea, and coconut milk. It's difficult to compete in the existing beverage market.
Next, look at small restaurants: consumption time is within 15 minutes, just for eating. Beverage options include juice, cola, and mineral water, but competition is not too intense. It mainly depends on whether consumers choose to buy or not; what they drink doesn't seem important.
It's worth noting: the biggest advantage of small restaurants is their small space, where all information can be seen at a glance, which is beneficial for soy milk promotion and reminders. In large restaurants, the space is too large to notice all information.
From the above analysis, you should understand which channel to use.
Combine points 1) and 3) to determine communication.
Why should young people consume soy milk? Because it's nutritious? There are many nutritious things; why choose you? Because soy milk is more cost-effective than milk? 2-3 yuan doesn't seem to matter. Because soy milk is rich in lecithin and vitamin E? 3-4 yuan for something that high? Unbelievable...
To convince consumers to buy a bottle of soy milk, don't limit yourself to product features; also consider the consumption occasion. Since we've identified the small restaurant occasion, how do we convince young people to buy soy milk? Due to space limitations, I won't beat around the bush; let's go straight to the advertising slogans.
"Hot-selling combo: staple food + soy milk"
"Nutritional pairing: staple food + soy milk"
"Must-have for spicy/heavy flavor lovers"
...
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