--- title: "Old and New Beverage Market Showdown: Freshly Made Drinks Become the New Market Highlight" description: "As summer approaches, the beverage market sees a surge of new product launches. With the rise of Generation Y and Z as mainstream consumers, freshly made drinks are rapidly growing and becoming a new market highlight, while traditional beverage companies are striving to innovate with health and youth-oriented products to stay competitive." author: "白周峰" publisher: "New Distribution" email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com" telephone: "+8615854817671" published: "2017-08-05" language: "en" canonical: "https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/old-and-new-beverage-market-showdown-freshly-made-drinks-become-the-new-4283659d/" markdown: "https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/old-and-new-beverage-market-showdown-freshly-made-drinks-become-the-new-4283659d.md" original_source: "https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/rubPCcu46LrRE0paTzZOOg" translation: "https://xinjignxiao.com/zh/articles/%E6%96%B0%E6%97%A7%E9%A5%AE%E5%93%81%E5%B8%82%E5%9C%BA%E5%AF%B9%E5%86%B3-%E7%8E%B0%E5%88%B6%E9%A5%AE%E5%93%81%E6%88%90%E4%B8%BA%E5%B8%82%E5%9C%BA%E6%96%B0%E4%BA%AE%E7%82%B9-4283659d.md" attribution: "New Distribution — https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/old-and-new-beverage-market-showdown-freshly-made-drinks-become-the-new-4283659d/" usage_policy: "https://xinjignxiao.com/ai-policy.txt" --- # Old and New Beverage Market Showdown: Freshly Made Drinks Become the New Market Highlight > As summer approaches, the beverage market sees a surge of new product launches. With the rise of Generation Y and Z as mainstream consumers, freshly made drinks are rapidly growing and becoming a new market highlight, while traditional beverage companies are striving to innovate with health and youth-oriented products to stay competitive. "Are there any new flavored drinks recently?" When young people who love trying new things see new beverage products on the market, they can't resist buying and tasting them. This has led to a popular saying in the industry: capturing the taste buds of young people means capturing half of the beverage market. The summer season, favored by the beverage market, has arrived, and new beverage products are entering the market during this "golden period." However, with consumption upgrades and the generational shift in consumer groups, the post-90s and post-00s generations are gradually becoming the mainstream consumer groups. Influenced by new cultural environments and consumption habits, the beverage market is quietly undergoing transformation. New consumption scenarios and production methods are jointly creating emerging consumption formats, which are gradually becoming the new highlight of the beverage market. **Rapid Growth: Freshly Made Drinks Become the New Consumer Favorite** "Are there any new flavored drinks recently?" When young people who love trying new things see new beverage products on the market, they can't resist buying and tasting them. This has led to a popular saying in the industry: capturing the taste buds of young people means capturing half of the beverage market. According to the "2017 China Beverage and Cold Drink Industry Report," freshly made drinks, as a new consumption scenario, are growing rapidly. From January to April 2017, the growth rate of China's beverage industry slowed down. The production and sales of soft drinks increased by 4%, while beer production and sales slightly decreased. Due to rising prices of major raw materials such as sugar and PET particles, and increased transportation costs due to traffic regulation, gross margins declined. In a weak market, the traditional beverage industry began to pursue stability. According to the report, in 2017, the number of new beverage products launched by major beverage companies was significantly lower than in previous years, a decrease of more than 30% compared to the same period last year. Against this backdrop, freshly made drinks rose strongly. According to data released by CTR Market Research, last year, freshly made drinks contributed 45% of the market value and reached a penetration rate of 66%, meaning that two-thirds of consumers purchased freshly made drinks at least once in 2016. However, the average price of freshly made drinks is much higher than that of packaged traditional beverages. For example, freshly made drinks represented by DQ Ice Cream, CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice, and Thai Mango have an average price of around 15 yuan, while packaged beverages average 3.8 yuan per bottle. It is evident that price is no longer the main factor for young consumers. The reporter visited several freshly made drink shops in Zhengzhou and found that they all promote the concept of "tailor-made" for consumers. Many shops offer more than ten flavors to satisfy young consumers' desire for novelty and uniqueness. According to incomplete statistics, there are currently over 80 brands of freshly made drinks in Zhengzhou, with CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice alone having more than 40 stores. Furthermore, the reporter observed that whenever a new drink shop opens, it is not an exaggeration to describe the scene as bustling. For instance, Juan Cha, which recently opened in Xidigang Mall, has relatively high prices, but during peak weekend hours, customers have to queue for at least 15 minutes to buy a cup of tea. "The beverage market in Henan, like in other provinces, is gradually maturing, and the space for innovation is shrinking. Freshly made drinks have, to some extent, driven the innovation of the entire beverage market," said an industry insider. According to industry rules, the survival rate of new beverage products is generally around 10%. Nowadays, the consumer base is gradually shifting to younger demographics, but young consumers are not loyal to products, which directly makes it difficult for beverage companies to turn new products into major bestsellers. However, the cost of launching new products for freshly made drinks is significantly lower than for traditional beverages, which forces traditional beverage companies to maintain a steady pace when introducing new products. **Traditional Beverages Seek Market Breakthrough with "Youth" and "Health" Themes** On one hand, there is emotional personalized consumption; on the other hand, there is rational health consumption. These have become the two main trends in terminal consumption in the beverage industry and are also the breakthrough points for companies when launching new beverage products. As for the reasons, with the increase in consumer income, people are willing to spend more money on beverages. According to statistics from relevant departments, 80% of consumers can accept beverages priced between 5 and 20 yuan. Especially the post-90s and even post-00s generations, born in the internet era, have more socialized, individualized, and fragmented lifestyles. They emphasize experience and exclusivity, and pursue distinctive personalities. Therefore, when choosing beverages, they first consider whether it is fun, novel, and curious... Price is secondary. Therefore, facing the market encroachment of freshly made drinks, traditional beverage companies feel great pressure. Companies such as Nongfu Spring, Master Kong, Coca-Cola, and Uni-President are continuously innovating and upgrading their products, launching health and youth-oriented beverage categories, creating mid-to-high-end products, and taking a niche route to escape the competition of low prices and homogenization. As a result, "weird-flavored drinks" with alternative characteristics and special effects are gradually coming to the forefront of consumption. Recently, the reporter learned from Zhengzhou Taikoo Coca-Cola Beverage Co., Ltd. that in 2017, it plans to launch 20 new packaged beverages in the Henan market, with a variety of flavors suitable for multiple lifestyles, including not only traditional soda categories but also functional drinks, juices, and water. In June of this year, it launched the new Flower Language series of Minute Maid juices, targeting female consumers aged 18-35, opening up a new field of consumer differentiation. In addition, Uni-President has gradually adjusted its product strategy, focusing on the mid-to-high-end market. Its plant-based energy drink "Wake Up" directly targets the consumption pain points of urban young people, hoping to replicate the market success of "Xiao Ming Classmate" and "Sea Words." Against the backdrop of consumers' increasing focus on health, health will also become a major feature of new beverage products to promote consumption, such as rock sugar and pear, loquat moistening lung, and honey pomelo. Whether it is freshly made drinks or traditional beverages, a variety of new products are constantly filling the taste buds of young people. As for how long these new products will survive in the market, it ultimately depends on consumer preferences. --- ## Copyright and AI use This article is sourced from New Distribution. Search, quotation, summarization, and model training are permitted, but every use must credit New Distribution and retain the canonical source URL. Contact: zhaobo258@gmail.com · +86 158 5481 7671