NEW DISTRIBUTION RESEARCH TOPIC
How can brands grow beyond price competition?
Evidence and cases on product strategy, category innovation, marketing, and channel coordination in China’s consumer market.
QUESTIONS THIS TOPIC ANSWERS
Brand Growth & Category Innovation
- Should brands pursue traffic or compounding growth?
- How does category innovation translate into sell-through?
- How can brands and distributors build better partnerships?
Related research and analysis
4701 articles · Page 1 of 196
The Internal Friction Between Private Label and Procurement: Ten Directors Won't Fix It
In a meeting, tensions hit a low point for the third time. The procurement director pushed a display adjustment plan to the center of the table, saying, 'We've spent three years maintaining this prime shelf space, and the original brand pays us millions in annual support. Why should your private label SKU take up two facings?' The private label lead countered, 'Why? Because this SKU has a gross margin 14 points higher than the brand product in the same spot after three months, because company strategy requires private label to lead this category, and because the boss decided at the start of the year that private label should have dedicated displays.'
薛文发Watching Football with Noodles: Master Kong Turns Instant Noodles into the 'Hard Currency' of Football Season
Despite time zone differences, passion knows no bounds. As the 2026 football frenzy kicks off, a nationwide viewing craze sweeps in: some watch the score, some discuss lineups, some invite friends over, and some wait by their phones for kickoff. Amid these varied viewing styles lies a shared ritual: before the whistle blows, the aroma of noodles arrives—a bowl of Master Kong is the perfect companion for watching the game. The quadrennial football event is a battleground for brand marketing, but Master Kong's football season campaign this year takes a different path, rooting itself in the real viewing scenarios of Chinese fans, adopting a lightweight, high-conversion, and highly resonant brand marketing approach.
公关界的007The Fresh Snack Track Is Too Hot—Beware of Heatstroke!
If one were to pick the two hottest tracks in China's retail industry in 2026, one would be discount stores, and the other would definitely be fresh snacks. Facts have shown that fresh snacks have spread at a speed visible to the naked eye from regional experimental fields in Hunan and Jiangxi to commercial complexes nationwide. Recently, RT-Mart and Three Squirrels entered a strategic cooperation to enter the fresh snack track, with the first nine 'fresh snack store-in-store' locations set to land in East China in June.
楚勿留香Channel Co-creation in High-Trust Categories: From Brand Innovation to Retail Product Innovation
Amid nationwide consumption upgrades and rapid offline retail iteration, consumer demand is shifting from basic needs to experience, aesthetics, health, and emotional value, while store operations evolve from simple selling to refined user management and restructuring of people, goods, and scenes. However, the contraceptive products sector, characterized by high trust, faces industry-wide challenges of severe product homogenization, lack of innovation, and outdated terminal tactics. How to revitalize offline stores and tap new customers through brand innovation has become a shared concern. In June 2026, at the '2026 China Private Brand Industry Chain Conference' co-hosted by the 'Private Brand Production-Research Collaboration Platform' and 'New Distribution', the Daxiang brand delivered a keynote on channel co-creation in high-trust categories, sharing insights on integrating brand innovation with retail channels.
大象安全套 艾丹New Player in High-Protein Aisle: What Does Mengniu M-PLUS Daily Protein Signal?
As more people incorporate exercise into their daily routines, the question of how to supplement protein post-workout is gaining attention. Mengniu's new independent brand, M-PLUS Daily Protein, offers a professional, convenient, and clean solution with 15g native protein per bottle, signaling a strategic move into the sports nutrition segment.
冯瑶After 10,000 Stores, Franchisees Face Harder Times in Bulk Snack Retail
In the past three years, bulk snack retail has been the strongest trend in China's offline retail. At the peak, headquarters counted profits while franchisees queued up. But as Mingming Henmang listed and Wanchen Group filed again for Hong Kong IPO, both surpassing 20,000 stores, the narrative has shifted. Headquarters' financials look better, but franchisees' books are harder to balance. This is not a brand-specific issue but an inevitable stage of the model.
戚特Brands Shift in Droves, Making 'Tmall and Its Peers' Suddenly More Attractive
Ahead of this year's 618 shopping festival—an event originated by shelf-based e-commerce—merchants are once again voting with their feet, shifting their operational focus toward shelf platforms. A leading domestic channel distributor told reporters that brands have been signaling a clear pivot back to shelf-based e-commerce since the start of the year, with some profit-strained brands even publicly endorsing this shift.
侃见财经Premium Milk Sales Slump: Where Is the Next Growth Story for China's Dairy Industry?
Premium milk sales are declining as consumers realize the nutritional gap between expensive and cheap milk is minimal. The industry is shifting from marketing-driven premiumization to evidence-based value, with growth in functional, fresh, and deep-processed dairy products.
卜晚乔Misleading Trademarks Exposed: Brands Taking Shortcuts Are Being Blacklisted
Consumers are increasingly falling victim to misleading trademarks, such as "hand-rolled" noodles that are machine-made or "120W" chargers that underperform. These terms are registered as trademarks, not product claims, allowing brands to exploit loopholes. However, a regulatory crackdown is underway, with over 1,200 deceptive trademarks invalidated, signaling a shift toward accountability and the importance of genuine brand value.
李金津Emotional Eating Becomes a Necessity: In 2026, the Food and Beverage Industry Will No Longer Rely on Taste Buds
Competition in the food and beverage industry has moved beyond basic dimensions of taste, health, and nutrition. By 2026, the real consumption growth will come from emotional value provision: consumers are buying not just drinks, snacks, or meals, but instant emotional solutions for stress relief, healing, relaxation, and comfort. Products that fail to align with emotions will fall into price wars, while brands that anchor on emotional needs can escape the homogenized red ocean. Observing new product successes and failures in recent years reveals a disruptive pattern: many products with top-notch taste, clean ingredients, and high cost-performance remain obscure, while some with mild flavors and emotional appeal continue to thrive.
新食饮FMCG Industry: Big Hit Products Increasingly Hard to Create
Since the beginning of the year, distributors report that despite visiting trade shows and markets, few promising new products have emerged, while private label products from retail systems are taking away business. The market seems to have lost its innovative edge, making it increasingly difficult to create blockbuster products. This is a natural stage of market development, where the threshold and requirements for creating big hits are much higher, demanding comprehensive capabilities ten times greater than before.
张振宇How Can Supermarkets Crack the Homogenization Problem in Private Label?
From the perspective of modern commercial retail, the development of private labels in China's retail industry has spanned about 30 years. During this period, private labels have grown from nothing to something, and the issue of homogenization has become increasingly prominent, drawing widespread attention from retailers. The industry's development pattern has always been that leading benchmark products are imitated by peers, while all parties continue to break through and innovate in the process of benchmarking, competing and cooperating with each other, ultimately driving the entire industry forward. Innovation is the driving force of industry development and the core weapon to escape homogenized competition.
汤洋101 FMCG Listed Companies Release Q1 Reports: 71 See Revenue Growth, 37 See Net Profit Decline
In Q1 2026, FMCG listed companies' results were released, with growth quality more noteworthy than mere revenue changes. Consumer demand is in a mild recovery phase, with varying paces across categories, while raw material prices, channel structures, expense investments, and inventory cycles are reshaping profit performance. Thus, some companies show modest revenue growth but clear profit recovery, while others see scale recovery but need verification of cash flow and earnings quality.
New DistributionChina's Second-Largest Pet Food OEM Trapped Between Branding and Manufacturing
Shanghai Fubei Pet Products Co., Ltd. recently filed for a Hong Kong IPO, with Guojin Securities (Hong Kong) as sole sponsor. As China's second-largest third-party pet food manufacturer by 2025 revenue, Fubei also owns brands like Bile, but its brand business is shrinking while ODM revenue grows, highlighting a strategic tension.
田雨Starbucks and Mengniu Set Their Sights on Fitness-Oriented White-Collar Workers' Wallets
It's easy to notice that the drinks in workers' hands have recently become higher in protein. In April 2026, Starbucks China launched its high-protein latte Pro series, with a grande size containing 20 grams of protein, which quickly went viral on social media, making 'protein latte' a trendy item among fitness enthusiasts. Dairy companies focused on supermarket shelves are also seizing this new direction. In May, Mengniu introduced M-PLUS Daily Protein Milk, with 15 grams of native milk protein per 250ml bottle, marketed as 'open and drink, precise replenishment'. Mengniu...
博客作者Content Makes Waves, Channels Catch Them: Pepsi's "Alive" Closed-Loop Sales Activation
On a late-night subway after overtime, a lyric from "Alive" by Pepsi, Ashin of Mayday, and Jackson Wang stirs emotions, sparking a viral trend that extends beyond social media to drive offline sales. By embedding music-driven desire into products and campaigns, Pepsi creates a closed loop from content heat to channel sales, offering a fresh purchasing reason for young consumers.
何雯In-Depth Guide: Don't Blindly Add SKUs—Choosing the Wrong Category for Private Label Is a Waste of Effort
At an annual industry trade show, a private label manager from a regional supermarket collected over 70 supplier business cards in three days. Back at the office, he reviewed them all and proposed a project list of eight categories and over 20 SKUs from seven suppliers. His boss approved everything, but a year later, all eight categories were underperforming, with inventory turnover at the bottom of their categories and year-end losses in the millions. The problem wasn't the execution but the initial category selection—private label isn't about doing whatever you can find; it's about doing what you can do well.
薛文发Starbucks, Oatly, and Like Enter the Fray: How Lucrative Is the High-Protein Trend?
Starbucks' high-protein latte PRO has gone viral, with consumers clamoring for the same 6.0 high-protein milk; Greek yogurt leader Oatly has launched an ultrafiltered 6.0 high-protein fresh milk targeting children's dairy drinks, setting a new industry benchmark; "lululemon of beverages" Like's chocolate protein drink has achieved impressive trial sales in some channels; Yili has introduced Puritime transparent protein water, officially entering the high-protein water segment. Currently, freshly brewed coffee, dairy companies, and sports drink brands are accelerating their entry, collectively stirring up the market craze around the "high-protein" concept.
剁椒团队Special Channels Are Hot Again
The status of special channels (special distribution channels) has changed dramatically in the past two years. Previously, they were mainly handled by second-tier distributors, with first-tier distributors unwilling to participate. Now, top brands are establishing dedicated special channel departments, highlighting their growing importance. This article discusses the three key characteristics of special channels: they are social spaces for young people, they integrate sales and consumption scenarios (bC integration), and their true value lies in seeding products for later harvest in general circulation.
刘春雄Private Brands Without a Defined Role Will Eventually Be 'Cleared Out' of Their Category
Walking into the private brand section of most retail stores today, one often feels a strange sense: shelves are fully stocked, SKUs are numerous, but it's unclear why these products are there. This is the most common yet overlooked problem for Chinese private brands—having products without roles, quantity without division of labor.
薛文发After 30 Years of Selling 'Suan Le Nai', Jule Shares Finally Passes IPO Review on Its Fifth Attempt in Eight Years
Yesterday, the Beijing Stock Exchange Listing Committee's 53rd review meeting in 2025 concluded, and Sichuan Jule Food Co., Ltd. (hereinafter 'Jule Shares') successfully passed its initial public offering application. From its first prospectus submission to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange main board in 2017, through four setbacks, and finally pivoting to the Beijing Stock Exchange, Jule Shares' listing journey has spanned eight long years. During this period, the company faced a warning letter from the CSRC due to internal control deficiencies and the sudden death of its founder during the sprint. After five attempts in eight years, the capital market doors have finally opened, but for a regional dairy company highly tied to Sichuan and heavily reliant on a single product, the real storm is just beginning.
New DistributionNew Growth Paths for Beverage Brands Hidden in Billiard Halls, Gas Stations, and Bath Centers
The beverage market competition has reached the next level, but traditional channels are saturated, and brands are struggling to grow sales. The key lies in special channels like billiard halls, bath centers, and airline cabins, where scenario-based triggers and precise placement can unlock new growth.
新食饮FMCG Brands' Marketing Expenses Can No Longer Be Unclear
I recall a brand executive once told me that they invest over 400 million yuan annually in promotional expenses at retail stores. But the effectiveness is a mess. Stores report volumes as they please. Once the money goes in, the manufacturer doesn't know which stores responded and which didn't, nor which region yields the highest returns. ROI cannot be calculated clearly—this isn't a problem unique to one brand but a pain point for all brands' offline channels. Why is ROI so hard to calculate? Offline channels are an opaque 'black box.' From factory shipment to consumer purchase, the middle involves distributors, sub-distributors, and retail stores. The chain is too long, with too many links, and information gets lost at each level.
任文青The "Products" That Brands Can't Do Well, Hema and Walmart Are Competing to Do
In the spring of 2026, Hema and Walmart both went "green" simultaneously. Hema launched its "Matcha Season" in March, introducing over a dozen matcha bakery products and even setting up a dedicated matcha section. In April, Walmart's private brand, "Wolmart Fresh," quickly followed suit with more than 40 matcha items, covering everything from bakery and beverages to snacks and sauces. Both leading retailers are betting on the same flavor. What common judgment lies behind this? Both are selling matcha, but their strategies are completely different.
张雨薇