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.
Related research and analysis
4701 articles · Page 14 of 196
China Resources Beer 2025 Interim Report: Premium Brands Flourish, Profits Hit New High
On August 19, 2025, China Resources Beer (Holdings) Company Limited (HKEX: 00291) released its interim results for the period ending June 30. Despite market fluctuations and industry restructuring, the beer giant, which just celebrated its 30th anniversary, delivered a steady and impressive performance, with revenue growing 0.8% to RMB 23.942 billion and gross margin reaching a record 48.9%.
New Distribution3 Days to Connect with Precision Resources + Learn Top Brand Methodologies! Industry Shakeout, Break Through Now!
The 2025 [New Demand · New Supply] 7th China FMCG Conference, 5th China FMCG Retail Innovation Conference, and 5th China FMCG Distributor Conference are 4 days away. Scheduled for August 19-21, 2025 in Shanghai, China, the event features 100+ expert speakers, 1000+ precise channel connections, 2500+ attendees, and the launch of 2 major industry reports plus a deep-dive distributor growth case collection.
New DistributionInstant Retail: A War FMCG Brands Must Win
The retail ecosystem is undergoing profound transformation. Facing fragmented channels and declining consumption, brands are under dual pressure. Even giants like P&G, Unilever, and Durex are reacting defensively. This article analyzes the underlying logic of the instant retail subsidy war, urging brands to move beyond short-term subsidies and build long-term capabilities in product strategy, system synergy, and scenario penetration to secure their place in the future of retail.
张宇90% of Private Labels Fail Due to Copycatting
In 2025, some say the era of private labels has arrived. Indeed, from last year to this year, more retailers have begun trying private labels, and more brands have started attempting to serve retail enterprises. However, unfortunately, based on current market feedback, very few companies have achieved systematic success. Research shows that most failures stem from: 1) attempting without sufficient scale and lacking upstream supply chain integration capabilities; 2) lacking systematic understanding of private labels, naively believing that copying competitors' products will lead to success...
戚特Is Chinese FMCG Going Global a Good Business?
The conclusion first: Chinese FMCG brands going global are still in the blue ocean stage, or early stage, and this stage has not yet become a period of rapid development, with enterprises generally lacking awareness. Therefore, from a trend perspective, the opportunities are significant. This article is written as an introduction to the 'FMCG Going Global Forum' in Shanghai in August, ahead of the China FMCG Shanghai Conference on August 21.
王军From Marketing Breakout to Cultural Going Global: JDB Tells More Than Just a Herbal Tea Story
In an era of marketing saturation, consumer attention is fragmented, making seasonal marketing for FMCG brands increasingly challenging. Single-point breakthroughs no longer work; users want complete narratives, natural brand expressions, and interactive experiences with real value. This summer, JDB, the 'talent scout' of the music world, delivered a powerful combination: using music as a medium and herbal tea as a friend, centered on the 'Asia New Voice' music variety IP, launching six music-themed JDB Asia New Voice cans, integrating AI interactions and terminal sales scenarios to build a closed-loop marketing ecosystem.
汪海The Trend of 'De-branding' Emerges in the FMCG Industry
A founder recently asked if I had seen any promising new FMCG brands this year. I replied that I hadn't seen a single one, but some white-label products seemed viable. Over the past year, branding in China has suffered a catastrophic setback, with the budding brand-building efforts of previous years not only extinguished but also giving way to a trend of 'de-branding'.
戚特Time Is Running Out for Manufacturers
As supermarkets undergo transformation, the traditional supply chain's share in these stores is shrinking to 20-40%, prompting manufacturers to adapt or risk losing their position. The key is to create national blockbuster products and embrace new marketing approaches like user operations and B2b platforms.
刘春雄Not Sugar, Not Fizz, Only Fine Tea Aroma: Mei Jiang's Exclusive Interpretation of Xiao Guan Tea's Logic in Entering the Sugar-Free Tea Market
China's tea industry has long faced the awkward reality of having culture and categories but lacking true brands. Against this backdrop, Xiao Guan Tea, founded in 2016, broke through with 'modernization of whole-leaf tea' and standardized small-can packaging. In May this year, it launched 'High-Aroma Sugar-Free Tea' beverages, sparking industry attention. In an exclusive interview with New Distribution, Mei Jiang, Vice President and General Manager of Marketing Center, explained the logic behind this move: not following beverage trends but applying 'tea logic' to create a modern expression of traditional tea culture, aiming to make good tea accessible to more people in daily life.
杨玉琳"Megabrands × Mega Platforms": In Times of Change, Budweiser China and Distributors Build a Resilient Growth Path
In the first half of 2025, New Distribution visited over a hundred distributors and observed that the distributor community is generally in a state of confusion. In the past, distributors built moats for local distribution networks through deep cultivation of regional markets. But today, channel fragmentation, declining offline store traffic, and low-price competition have brought increasing uncertainty to distributors' businesses. This trend is especially evident in the alcoholic beverage market, where market stratification and demographic segmentation are widening demand differences. In this context, Budweiser China's "Megabrands × Mega Platforms" strategy, which leverages brand power and platform resources to empower distributors, offers a systematic response and a sustainable growth path.
AsherBehind Sam's Club's 'Mistake': Retailers' Open Conspiracy, Brands' Helplessness
Sam's Club put Orion products on its shelves, got criticized on social media, and finally removed them—sounds unbelievable, but it really happened. What is truly being 'rejected' is not Sam's Club but a group of mass-market brands. Consumers' subtext is: 'I pay for membership to experience better choices, not to buy products I'm already tired of.' This incident, on the surface, is Sam's Club's 'mistake,' but it actually reflects that consumers are changing, perceptions are changing, and the logic of product appeal is changing too. In response, more and more retailers are increasing their focus on private labels.
任文青Andy"Hold on for two more years; if it really doesn't make money, I'll close the shop."
A small supermarket owner and his wife are struggling with declining foot traffic and profits, facing competition from convenience stores and snack shops. Distributors are also affected, but some are finding success by deeply integrating with small stores and offering category management and operational support.
何雯Scene Experience, Same-City Communication, UGC Ignition: Marketing Has Never Been So Simple and Efficient!
Ankang exploded! "Ankang exploded! It took only one month." On July 16, Teacher Fang Gang reported to me and Tian Dongjian, sales director of Mingren Soda Water, in a group chat. Teacher Fang Gang, an expert in scene marketing, guided Mingren's "Fire Dragon" scene, which refers to hotpot, barbecue, crayfish, and skewers. The strategy, combining local life, same-city communication, and UGC ignition, successfully promoted Mingren Lemon Soda Water in Ankang within a month.
刘春雄Price System Collapsed, Even Dogs Despise It!
In frontline research, distributors and terminal stores complain most about the price system, with top brands unable to find buyers due to price inversion. Why is the price system problem so severe now? White liquor marketing expert Niu Enkun says: policy escalation is poison. Overuse of tiered policies affects the price system. Combined with excessive inventory pressure, it leads to channel dumping, accumulating to a critical point and causing channel collapse. Policy escalation is poison, hitting the nail on the head. Scenario Research Institute Secretary-General Fang Gang says: online communication is fine, but chasing volume online is suicide. Short-term online volume chasing has a greater impact on the price system, even being the last straw for price collapse.
刘春雄Brand Owners, Stop Forcing Inventory on Distributors!
The FMCG market's dismal Q2 2024 performance has left many brand owners, especially those unprepared, in a growth dilemma: products aren't moving at the terminal, and sales teams are struggling to meet KPIs, leading to the counterproductive practice of pushing inventory onto distributors. This article analyzes the root causes—a fundamental shift in supply-demand dynamics—and offers both strategic and practical advice for brand owners to navigate the shrinking market, emphasizing product innovation, channel adaptation, and avoiding extreme inventory pressure.
张振宇Why Do “Better” Products from Brand Owners Fail to Sell?
Despite claims of superior quality and differentiation, many products fail to win consumers. The core issue is that differentiation is often done from the company's perspective, not the consumer's, leading to products that are perceived as homogeneous or irrelevant.
金名Why Young Talent Is Leaving Front-Line FMCG Sales
The talent problem in FMCG sales is not only about pay. It reflects an outdated field-sales system that monitors people instead of equipping them to sell with greater precision and productivity.
New DistributionHow a Bowl of Instant Noodles Defines the 'Standard of Good Noodles'? See Master Kong's Confidence and Know-how
In an era of abundant goods, consumers face a dizzying array of choices and have become more cautious. The nationwide rush for Pangdonglai's products and the sustained popularity of Hema's hits essentially stem from the trust they've built as 'safe to buy blindly.' So how can brands establish such consumer trust? The entire market is seeking answers. In the FMCG industry, especially in the instant noodle sector, products are highly similar and flavor competition is fierce, yet there has never been a clear standard for what truly constitutes good quality.
AmyIn the FMCG Industry, the Answers to Market Problems Are on the Frontline
A beer distributor with over 20 years of experience shared his journey, emphasizing that market opportunities and solutions are found on the frontline. By staying close to the market, he successfully launched a new product, but later lost momentum after delegating to managers. The article argues that true insights come from direct market engagement, citing examples like Wahaha and Feihe, and concludes that adapting to new cycles requires rebuilding frontline connections.
金名From Brand Promoter to Retail Buyer: 2025 Is the Golden Window for Distributor Transformation!
The 7th China FMCG Conference and the 5th China FMCG Retail Innovation Conference & the 5th China FMCG Distributor Conference, themed 'New Demand, New Supply', will be held in Shanghai from August 19-21, 2025. The event will gather key players in the FMCG industry to discuss the transformation of the supply system driven by shifting consumer demands.
New DistributionLiu Chunxiong: New Channel Players Align with Retailers—Who Are Brand Owners' Channel Allies?
Business has a stance, and so does business theory. Distributors and deep distribution align with brand owners, while B2b platforms and supply chains align with retailers. Shared stance makes allies. As more channel players side with retailers, who are brand owners' allies? Without allies, how can brand owners operate channels and users?
刘春雄On July 13, the 'National Benchmark Daily Chemical Distributor Deep Study Tour' visited Henan Shizhirui Trading, and the event was a complete success!
On July 13, the 'National Benchmark Daily Chemical Distributor Deep Study Tour' visited Henan Shizhirui Trading, and the event was a complete success! From announcement to execution in less than half a month, registrations far exceeded expectations, with over 150 on-site sign-ins and no empty seats, showing the high interest in 'how to do daily chemical whole-store output' well. The study tour focused on four core topics: business development guide for urban daily chemical distributors, breakdown of the daily chemical whole-store operation model, live-streaming operation logic for trading companies, and digital transformation solutions for distributors. More than 150 distributor owners from across the country gathered for in-depth exchanges with New Distribution's Chief Content Officer Yuan Lai, Henan Shizhirui Trading General Manager Zhang Wenhai, Henan Shizhirui Trading Live-streaming Head Yang Ning, Zhengzhou Jiahexin Supply Chain General Manager Zhang Yanjie, and the Zhoupu Data team, with non-stop insights and inspiration.
New DistributionPrice Wars and Channel Wars Are Outdated: What Is the Way Forward for FMCG Brands?
The 7th China FMCG Conference, themed 'New Demand, New Supply,' will be held in Shanghai from August 19-21, 2025, bringing together key players in the FMCG industry to discuss the transformation of supply systems and the repositioning of retailers, distributors, and brands under new production relations.
New DistributionThe FMCG Industry Is in Chaos Right Now
Recent visits to multiple regional markets reveal widespread anxiety across the FMCG industry, affecting brand owners, retailers, and distributors alike. Since 2024, over half of listed food and beverage companies have seen declining revenues, while retail is being reshaped by new formats and online channels, forcing a fundamental redefinition of roles and collaboration.
周群