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 36 of 196
How to Truly Understand Moutai's Youth-Oriented Strategy
Moutai's youth-oriented strategy has sparked controversy on social media. From the co-branded coffee 'Sauce Aroma Latte' with Luckin Coffee on September 4th, to the liquor-filled chocolate with Dove on September 14th, and even earlier the Moutai ice cream, these moves have triggered multiple waves of discussion. It wasn't until September 16th, when Moutai's chairman Ding Xiongjun announced that co-branded products would be paused, that the热度 truly subsided. In these efforts to connect with young people, who truly benefits, and what does Moutai gain from partnering with emerging brands? If viewed from the perspective of young people, Luckin and similar brands are more scarce; arguably, Moutai needs Luckin more than the reverse.
杨泽 品牌分析师Multiple Hit Products Ignite Autumn Sugar Fair, Xiangpiaopiao Becomes Distributors' 'Best Partner'
On October 14, the 109th National Sugar and Wine Fair concluded, showcasing new products, trends, and injecting vitality into the consumer market. Xiangpiaopiao's participation was a resounding success, with its high-quality products earning unanimous praise from visitors and distributors, shining as the 'popularity king' throughout the event.
月河Private Brands: The Unspoken Woes of Gaoxin Retail, Yonghui, and Jiajiayue
On the evening of July 6, 2021, Zhang Jingyi, the 63-year-old former board secretary of Yonghui Superstores, posted a poignant WeChat Moment after leaving the company, lamenting 'We are going downhill.' This phrase not only captured Yonghui's struggles but also highlighted the broader challenges facing Chinese supermarket chains, which, after fierce competition with foreign giants and a golden era of expansion, now face store closures and a new period of pain. Despite efforts in new formats and private brands, most Chinese supermarket operators still struggle to achieve profitability, unlike their foreign counterparts who have thrived with robust private label programs.
抛砖Mini Cans of Beer: Who's Buying Them?
Despite summer winding down, beer remains a staple in many fridges. Traditionally, beer is meant for chugging, with large bottles, cans, or even kegs being the norm, and 330ml cans being the smallest common size. However, consumers now demand not only better beer but also smaller portions. In July, Taobao released its "2023 Small Can Alcohol Report," showing that during the 618 shopping festival, "small can alcohol" (drinks under 330ml) saw strong growth, with imported mini can beer leading at a 202% increase. So who is buying these tiny cans that are downed in one gulp?
孙奕然30 Years of Turmoil: The Untold Story of Chinese Iced Black Tea
Iced black tea, now popular again as 'diaosi drink' (large bottles), has a nearly 30-year history in China and was once among the most beloved beverages. Although Taiwan brands Master Kong and Uni-President now dominate the category, few know that a small factory in Hebei first ignited the market.
池小雨“Richest Men” Enter the Pre-Made Food Market, the Scent of Money in the Air
A fragrant Buddha Jumps Over the Wall can be ready in just 10 minutes, making it a popular choice for young people to solve their Mid-Autumn Festival family dinners. Investment and financing events in the pre-made food sector rose from 12 in 2020 to 31 in 2022, attracting internet giants and tycoons, while companies like Hema Fresh, Laoniangjiu, and Ririxian are rushing to IPO. However, consumer concerns about food safety and quality persist, creating a 'fire and ice' situation for the industry.
刘钦文Jiangxiaobai's Tao Shiquan: What Should Brands and Distributors Do Amid Unprecedented Market Adjustments?
At the 5th China FMCG Conference and 1st China FMCG Distributor Conference held in Shenzhen on October 9, Jiangxiaobai founder Tao Shiquan addressed the unprecedented market adjustments, urging operators to abandon habitual illusions and recognize that current difficulties are part of a long cycle. He outlined Jiangxiaobai's strategy of high-quality operational improvement and its pursuit to become a 'rising star' in the new alcoholic beverage market.
东南重磅丨新经销独家发布《中国零食硬折扣白皮书（快消行业洞察2023）》
On October 9, the 5th China FMCG Conference officially opened in Shenzhen. On the morning of October 10, at the 'Snacks and Discount Stores' sub-forum, Ren Wenqing, COO of New Distribution, Dean of the New Distribution Digital Research Institute, and Chief Expert on Hard Discount Industry, released the 'China Snack Hard Discount White Paper (FMCG Industry Insights 2023)'. The following are the key points of the speech.
任文青AndyWhy Dayao Soda Wants to Nationalize an Old Soda Brand
Dayao Soda, a traditional Chinese soda brand from Inner Mongolia, is aggressively expanding nationwide with heavy advertising and a focus on the foodservice channel. By creating the 'big soda' category and leveraging a cost advantage, it aims to become the first truly national old soda brand in China, with plans to complete its national foodservice layout within five years.
柳大方Snack discount stores surge: What should brands like Bestore do?
The fierce battle between traditional snack specialty stores and snack discount stores is unfolding across the country. During market research in Chengdu in July, I witnessed a real scene: on a street, a Bestore and a Snack Youming, only 10 meters apart, had vastly different foot traffic at the same time. A rough count showed that during peak hours, Snack Youming maintained about 15-20 customers in-store, while Bestore had only a few. With high cost-performance snack discount stores pressing hard, where should high-end brands like Bestore and Three Squirrels go? Snack discount stores are booming...
赵胜男Peak Season Sales Cool Again: High Inventory Plagues Baijiu Despite Mid-Autumn and National Day
As Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day approach, the baijiu industry's September is unusually busy, with online sales booming (e.g., JD.com's liquor sales up 180% year-on-year) but offline channels facing sluggish demand, high inventory, and price inversions, leading to a cold peak season.
杨欢Prepared Dishes on the Hot Seat
Prepared dishes have sparked controversy again. Since the start of the school year in September, the topic of 'prepared dishes entering campuses' has drawn widespread attention. The issue began when a central kitchen in Jiangxi delivered prepared dishes to local public kindergartens, leading to poor food quality, taste, and delivery delays, causing some students to fall ill and triggering parental outrage and complaints. This has fueled public concerns about campus food safety and centralized meal distribution, with prepared dishes now under intense scrutiny.
定焦团队Rethinking the Logic of the Shelf
The article discusses how the logic of shelves differs between online and offline retail, emphasizing that offline shelves must be adjusted by time and customer group, while online platforms use algorithms to offer personalized product combinations. It introduces the concept of three generations of retail models in China and argues that the emergence of the third generation (e.g., community group buying, discount stores, interest e-commerce) has fundamentally changed the value chain, transaction logic, and the importance of scenarios, requiring brands and distributors to adopt a three-dimensional channel perspective.
赵波重磅 | 中国零食硬折扣白皮书（快消行业洞察2023）
In recent months, more brand owners have been adding my WeChat via the official account, mostly discussing snack discount stores. They ask about shifting from distributor supply to direct supply, or want to understand the model and development of this channel. The white paper systematically analyzes the background, model, landscape, impact, and trends of snack hard discount, providing insights for brand owners and distributors.
任文青AndySaying Goodbye to the 'Big Single Product' Dependency, Dongpeng Beverage Still Needs to 'Stay Awake and Fight'
On the afternoon of September 21, 2023, Dongpeng Beverage (Group) Co., Ltd. (605499.SH, hereinafter referred to as 'Dongpeng Beverage') held its 2023 semi-annual performance briefing. According to its semi-annual report, Dongpeng Beverage achieved operating revenue of 5.46 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 27.24%; net profit was 1.108 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 46.84%. Notably, sales revenue from Dongpeng Special Drink reached 5.135 billion yuan, accounting for 94.13% of total revenue. From the financial reports of the past two years, the revenue of Dongpeng Special Drink series products accounted for 94.66% and 96.24% of the company's total revenue respectively.
foodatalinkReplacement Bottle Liquor, Opened Bottle Liquor, Bare Bottle Liquor... What Lies Behind the Chaos in the Baijiu Industry?
Amid the reality of inventory backlog, quick shipment is a common goal for baijiu manufacturers and distributors, but their approaches diverge in practice. Manufacturers focus on strengthening consumer guidance to drive channel sales, while distributors, pressured by costs and cash flow, resort to cross-regional selling, leading to price inversions and various market irregularities.
吴哲Mass Store Closures and Vicious Price Wars Haven't Occurred; Snack Stores Still Have 80-90% Market Space to Unlock
Last Monday, I had a live-streamed conversation with Mr. Tan. Tan Zhiwang, a seasoned consumer investor with over 10 years of experience, witnessed the development of the tea beverage industry from 2016 to 2021, participated in fresh food chain investments in 2017, and entered the snack discount store track in 2021. He has invested in projects such as Guming, Yipin, Snack Cabin, and Aotle. Why invite him? Recently, New Distribution has published numerous articles on hard discount snacks and held multiple live streams. We hope to help everyone understand hard discount snacks more deeply and comprehensively from different perspectives.
任文青AndyLaunch of 'Nongli' Marks a Historic Breakthrough in Chinese Beer Cultural Confidence
On September 25, China Resources Beer held the launch event for its new ultra-premium strong beer 'Nongli' in Sanmenxia, Henan, aiming to pass on China's millennia-old brewing culture to consumers and continue to lead Chinese beer cultural confidence.
陈思廷Sales Up 547% Year-on-Year: Annual Hit Product in Lemon Tea Track to Debut at Shenzhen Sugar & Wine Fair
Lan Fong Yuen's frozen lemon tea made a splash at the Autumn Sugar & Wine Fair, igniting opportunities in the ready-to-drink sector. As a dark horse in the lemon tea category, it has become the year's hit product, with sales surging 547% year-on-year in the first half of 2023.
月河Fresh-made Snacks and Discount Snacks: A Head-on Clash
Unlike snack discount stores that sell long-shelf-life pre-packaged products, the fresh-made snack track, which has risen rapidly with features such as short shelf life and fresh and healthy attributes, has become a new force that cannot be ignored. In this regard, a snack brand CEO once mentioned in an internal speech, 'Three snack business models—offline specialty stores, fresh-made snacks, and bulk snacks—have fully blossomed.' The author notes that in recent years, besides hot snack discount brands such as Snacks Busy, Zhao Yiming Snacks, and Snacks Youming, fresh-roasted snack brands led by Xueji Roasted Goods and Panda Momo have successively attracted capital favor.
阳子154 FMCG Listed Companies' 2023 Interim Reports: Covering Food, Beverages, Condiments, and More
As of now, New Distribution has compiled the 2023 interim reports of 154 listed FMCG companies, sorted by revenue. Among them, 52 food and beverage companies (61.18%) saw net profit growth; 9 condiment companies (47.37%) saw positive growth; 8 personal care companies (53.3%) saw positive growth; and 28 liquor companies (80%) saw positive growth. In the first half of 2023...
杨玉琳A Brand Positioned as 'Dad's Daily Drink' Creates a 'Father's Day'
On September 22, 2023, the eighth day of the eighth lunar month, the bottled liquor brand 'Liangduoduo', positioned as 'Dad's daily drink', held the 'Liangduoduo Father's Day' and brand launch event in Wuhan, also signing brand ambassador Liu Yiwei. The brand has designated the eighth day of the eighth lunar month each year as 'Liangduoduo Father's Day' to honor fathers.
陈思廷Lai Yifen Enters the Coffee Arena: Can the Snack Giant's Side Hustle Succeed?
The battle for the coffee throne never ends. After Luckin's surprise attack on Starbucks made it the first domestic chain to reach 10,000 stores, Cotti and Lucky Cup are seizing lower-tier markets, while specialty brands like Manner, SeaSaw, and % Arabica are also formidable. Lai Yifen, known as 'China's first listed snack stock,' has now entered this fiercely competitive arena, launching its coffee brand 'Laika' with products like coconut coffee and lattes, available in over 400 stores across East China.
乐乐Dual Empowerment of Beer and Baijiu: An Important Step for China Resources Beer in Exploring the New World of Baijiu
China Resources Beer has made significant progress in exploring the baijiu industry through its 'beer + baijiu' dual empowerment strategy, leveraging its resources and experience to support its three baijiu subsidiaries in achieving market breakthroughs and operational improvements.
陈思廷