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Mondelēz International Reports 2021 Annual Results: Full-Year Net Revenue of $28.72 Billion, Up 8% Year-Over-Year
On January 28, 2022, at 5:00 AM Beijing time, Mondelēz International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDLZ) announced its fourth-quarter and full-year 2021 financial results. Full-year net revenue was $28.72 billion, up 8.0% year-over-year, with organic net revenue growth of 5.2%, driven by favorable currency and foreign exchange factors and several acquisitions.
FBIFFrozen Food: On the Eve of an Explosion?
China's frozen food industry may be on the verge of a decade of explosive growth. Despite historical challenges such as underdeveloped cold chain infrastructure, low household appliance penetration, and consumer perceptions of low quality, improvements in infrastructure, technology, and shifting market dynamics are positioning the sector for significant expansion, potentially rivaling mature markets like Japan and the US.
FBIFTop 10 Figures in China's Food & Beverage Industry 2021: Challengers, Billionaires, and the Disappointed
In 2021, China's food and beverage industry witnessed dramatic changes, from challenger Tang Binsen's aggressive expansion to Zhong Shanshan becoming Asia's richest person, and from early entrepreneurs like Niu Gensheng retiring to others like Zhu Xinli struggling. This article profiles key figures to reveal the industry's transformation.
FBIFA Positioning Story Worth 30 Billion: Not All Milk Is Telunsu
In 2005, Telunsu was launched, starting the battle for the high-end white milk category. By 2021, Telunsu had nearly secured victory in this segment, with sales approaching 30 billion yuan, driven by a strategy of premium positioning, product innovation, and brand building around the concept of 'better'.
FBIF300 Prefecture-Level Cities, 3000 Counties, and Countless Local Food Brands That Are Disappearing
Local food and beverage brands in China are disappearing from shelves as they face competition from national giants and new consumer brands. Despite a nostalgic online trend giving some a temporary boost, these brands struggle with limited reach, lack of innovation, and the challenge of going national in a changed market.
FBIFHaitian Forced to Raise Prices by Macro Environment, How Can New Players in the Condiment Industry Survive?
The condiment market is becoming less profitable. On October 12, 2021, Haitian announced price increases of 3%-7% for some products, effective October 25. The price hike is attributed to rising costs and channel disruptions from community group buying, while new entrants face challenges in a competitive market.
FBIFAs the Food Track Continues to Subdivide, How to Create the Next Super Brand?
This article discusses how food and beverage brands can stand out in an increasingly subdivided market by creating new categories and establishing strong consumer perceptions, drawing on insights from positioning theory and examples like Genki Forest and Xiaoguan Tea.
FBIFSugar Reduction Products Are Increasingly Competitive; How Long Will the Salt Reduction Track Stay 'Flat'?
While sugar reduction has become a pervasive trend in the food industry, salt reduction remains relatively overlooked despite high consumer awareness. This article explores why salt reduction hasn't gained the same momentum, the challenges it faces, and potential strategies for brands to capitalize on this emerging opportunity.
FBIFThe Advanced "Health Preservation 2.0" Era: How Can Food Brands Leverage a Trillion-Yuan Market?
The once-popular "punk health preservation" among young people, characterized by behaviors like staying up late while applying face masks and drinking cola with goji berries, reflected their self-deprecation and helplessness. Now, young consumers are embracing a more advanced "Health Preservation 2.0" era, focusing on healthier diets, lifestyle choices, and brand preferences, presenting new opportunities and challenges for brands.
FBIFThe 'Worst-Tasting Drink': The Next Decade of Unsweetened Tea
Tea is familiar to Chinese people. According to Ries's 'Global Strategic Positioning Report: Trillion-Dollar Opportunities in National Mind Resources,' China inherently possesses the national mind resource of tea. In recent years, new categories such as ready-to-drink unsweetened tea, new-style tea drinks, and new-style bagged tea have expanded the concept of 'tea,' making it more beverage-like, youthful, and casual. This article discusses the development of ready-to-drink unsweetened tea in China, its current stage, and its future prospects, drawing comparisons with the Japanese market.
FBIFRivalry Heats Up in the Braised Snack Market: With Tencent and Challenger Capital Entering, How Can Brands Win in the 100-Billion-Yuan Sector?
In 2020, the leisure braised snack food market exceeded 100 billion yuan in size. According to Frost & Sullivan, from 2015 to 2020, the compound annual growth rate of leisure braised products reached 24.1%, making it the fastest-growing category in the snack food sector. With a history of over 2,000 years, braised food is often called by netizens as 'the taste that best represents China' for its lingering flavor that appeals across generations and regions. Due to the special preparation methods, Chinese consumers previously could only enjoy fresh braised food at home or in stores.
FBIFHow Can Increasingly Expensive Yogurt Support Young People's 'Yogurt Freedom'?
Yogurt seems to be getting more expensive. More consumers are finding that the era of yogurt under two yuan is gone, replaced by higher-priced options in the fridge's prime spots. Young people's 'yogurt freedom' is becoming harder to achieve, yet consumers are not shying away from premium yogurts.
FBIFUnilever Invests 1.3 Billion Yuan, Genki Forest and Heytea Are Also Doing It: How Attractive Is the DTC Model?
Behind the boom of new consumer brands lie hidden issues, such as increasingly expensive traffic and marketing costs accounting for over half, or even 60%, of revenue for many brands. Amid brands' lamentations, the DTC (Direct-to-Consumer) concept is gaining traction. Originating in the U.S., DTC refers to brands interacting with consumers directly through their own official channels (websites or apps abroad, WeChat mini-programs or Moments in China) without intermediaries or third-party platforms.
FBIFSurge 156% in Tea Bags, Yet They Look Increasingly Alike
The Chinese tea bag market is booming, with online sales expected to surge 156% in 2020, but products are becoming increasingly homogeneous. This article explores the reasons behind this trend and suggests opportunities for differentiation, such as targeting specific consumer segments, emphasizing functionality, and embracing cultural trends.
FBIFAfter the Sugar-Reduction Trend, Will the Food Industry See a Low-Salt Version of 'Genki Forest'?
China has long had the world's highest per capita salt intake, but excessive salt consumption poses health risks. As consumer awareness and national policies push for salt reduction, food companies are innovating with low-salt products, yet these have not become as popular as sugar-free alternatives due to challenges in replicating salty taste and less immediate health benefits.
FBIFCan Viya Convert Traffic into Sales with a New 1.8 Million Yuan Food Company?
Viya, a top Chinese livestream e-commerce host, has established a new food company, Hangzhou Fengweipai Food Co., Ltd., with a registered capital of 1.8 million yuan, fully owned by her affiliated company Qianxun. This move highlights the trend of influencers entering the food industry, leveraging personal influence, consumer insight, and supply chain capabilities, though challenges remain in a competitive market.
FBIFWill Vending Machines, Eyed by Zhong Xue Gao and Nongfu Spring, Be Key to Winning Offline Channels?
Vending machines for drinks are common, but have you seen one selling ice cream? At the end of 2020, netizens spotted a vending machine for the trendy ice cream brand Zhong Xue Gao in Hangzhou. This article explores why online brands like Zhong Xue Gao and Genki Forest are expanding offline, and how FMCG brands can effectively use vending machines to grow their offline channels.
FBIFAfter 11 Years, Bright Dairy Launches a New Ambient Yogurt Brand! We Also See the Industry Opportunities Behind the Launch
Bright Dairy has launched a new ambient yogurt brand, Yanjian, featuring a 0 sucrose, 0 additive product, marking its first new ambient yogurt brand in 11 years. This move addresses product homogenization in the ambient yogurt market and aligns with the broader food and beverage industry trend toward sugar reduction.
FBIFFrozen Food Sales Surge 431%, Making Their Way to Young People's Tables
Affected by the pandemic this year, frozen food has seen astonishing yet expected growth. According to Tmall, frozen food sales on the platform exploded, with a 4x year-on-year increase (April-November 2020). Data from ECdataway shows that from February to November 2020, categories such as seafood balls, pancakes, buns, rice cakes, dumplings, and tangyuan (mostly frozen food) saw average sales growth of 431% year-on-year, with average volume growth of 332%.
FBIFBreaking | 2020 Global Dairy Top 20 Released: Yili Rises to 5th, Mengniu to 8th
Recently, Rabobank released its 2020 'Global Dairy Top 20' ranking. Overall, revenue growth for the top 20 global dairy companies slowed, with a 1.3% year-on-year increase in 2019 (in USD), compared to 2.5% in 2018. Notably, Nestle ($22.1B) and Lactalis ($21.0B) retained the top two positions, while Chinese dairy companies Yili and Mengniu made significant strides, ranking 5th and 8th respectively.
FBIFThe Next Decade of NFC Juice: What Can It Learn from Milk?
As consumer spending rises, dietary habits are becoming more internationalized, yet NFC juice remains niche in China with only 1% market share compared to over 30% abroad. This article analyzes the current state, challenges, and growth strategies for NFC juice, drawing lessons from the milk industry's success.
FBIFHow Are Jane, Three Squirrels, and Bestore Using Private Traffic to Drive Sales?
Ten years ago, Wang Li drove to a hypermarket to stock up on snacks, where buy-one-get-one-free promotions were her battleground. Five years ago, her son set up a Taobao account for her, and she sat by the router waiting for the 11.11 countdown. Today, Wang Li opens a WeChat group, collects a coupon from customer service, and places another order via a mini-program. In her eyes, shopping has become more convenient—one WeChat is enough, saving the hassle of comparing options. Her son, who works in the internet industry, calls this 'private traffic.'
FBIF“There Are Categories but No Brands”: Why Is There No Leader in the Fruit Wine Market?
Fruit wine, which has long struggled to find its place in the Chinese market, has suddenly become popular. Compared with baijiu and beer, fruit wine (excluding wine) has been overlooked, but in recent years its visibility has soared, maintaining an annual growth rate of 15%. According to ECdataway, sales of premixed wine/fruit wine on Alibaba's platforms (Tmall + Taobao) increased by 154% in 2018 and 45% in 2019. However, the industry still faces the problem of "having categories but no brands," with no clear leader emerging.
FBIFPrivate Labels Are Coming on Strong: How Should Traditional Brands Respond?
In February 2019, Warren Buffett admitted his mistakes regarding Kraft Heinz, acknowledging he overpaid and misjudged the battle between retail and brands. This article explores the rise of private labels, their threat to traditional brands, and strategies for traditional brands to respond, including building brand moats, leveraging the internet, diversifying channels, and seeking win-win cooperation.
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