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 5 of 196
200,000 Cases in Six Months: The Relaxed Player 'Bouncing to Dai Disco' at the Sugar & Wine Fair: What Makes Yunnuoshan Stand Out?
The old growth drivers of China's beverage industry—channel inventory pushing, flavoring with artificial essences, and price-war involution—have reached their end. Distributors are undergoing role reconstruction, and consumers' 'ingredient awakening' is intensifying. At this crossroads of old and new momentum, Yunnuoshan has chosen a harder but correct path: rooting downward and growing upward, building a brand grounded in core production areas and industrial depth, striving to become the 'Noah's Ark' of the next generation of beverages.
YvonneLee Kum Kee's Omnichannel Spring Festival Marketing System
Lee Kum Kee connected product use, auspicious New Year meanings, retail experience, instant delivery, e-commerce, social co-creation, and cross-category collaboration around one adaptable creative idea.
New DistributionScene Marketing: The Battlefield Shifts from Shelves to Life
FMCG is undergoing an invisible watershed—not of price or promotion, but of scenes that are redefining who can grow. On the morning of March 17, 2026, at Chengdu Century City International Convention Center, Crystal Hall 5+6, the 11th CFC China FMCG Conference's parallel forum, 'Scene Marketing: From Shelves to Life,' will explore how brands can win by becoming the answer to specific moments in consumers' lives.
陈思廷All Roads Lead to C: Building a C-End Command Center for Full-Scenario Reach
Modern marketing has established the principle of customer orientation (C-end orientation), making infinite proximity to or reach of the C-end the inevitable direction of marketing evolution. The evolution of marketing is the history of approaching the C-end, which has gone through four stages: brand department (indirect reach via mass media), marketing department (direct reach via terminal promotion), e-commerce (performance and branding integration via traffic investment), and bC integration (all-domain reach). Now, with multiple paths to C, enterprises need to build a C-end command center to coordinate strategy, unify messaging, and manage resources across channels.
刘春雄Biut Meng Fanzhong: If Supermarkets All Die, Do Brands Have a Better Position?
In a recent phone call, Meng Fanzhong, chairman of Biut Commercial Group and Zhenshimei Supply Chain, posed a striking question: 'If chain supermarkets all die, do brands have a better position?' Having just achieved Biut's 'Double Hundred Goal'—100 stores and 10 billion in sales by 2025—and managing Zhenshimei, a supply chain platform covering 50 billion in retail scale, he shared insights from six years of validation since 2019.
任文青AndyThe First Positioning Battle After the 2026 Spring Festival: Lay's 'Spring Harvest' Returns, Giving Channels a Firm Grip
This year's Spring Festival came late, leaving the market with almost no buffer before hitting the spring season. For frontline distributors and retailers, this means the pace has shifted forward—festive atmosphere just fades, and shelf structures need to be readjusted. Time is tight, and tasks are heavy. At this critical juncture, channels fear 'trial and error' the most. A snack distributor in East China said bluntly: 'Our requirement for new products is simple—no gimmicks, just guaranteed sell-through.' The consumer shift is equally rapid. After the holiday, consumption quickly returns to daily scenarios: office, home restocking, spring outings, etc.
冯瑶Instant Noodles Market Declines 6%, How Did This New Brand Grow 44.4% Against the Trend?
Entering 2026, growth in the FMCG industry is increasingly hard to find. In the instant food sector, Q4 2025 instant noodle sales fell over 6% year-on-year, while only four leading companies launched 887 new SKUs annually. Against this backdrop, Huaweifang achieved 44.4% annual growth by focusing on non-fried steamed noodles and implementing scene-based marketing in regional markets.
王军10 Days to Go! Unilever, Wilmar, Yili, Uni-President, Lee Kum Kee, Yanjing Beer, Panpan, C&S and More Gather at CFC for a Grand Event!
In 2026, the FMCG industry's most critical keyword is not involution or anxiety, but 'oversupply.' The industry has entered a new stage of comprehensive surplus, where traditional growth logic driven by channel push, distribution expansion, and promotional spending is failing. The CFC 2026 11th China FMCG Conference, themed 'Advance Toward the C-End,' brings together 100+ top practitioners and 3000+ FMCG elites over three days to systematically deconstruct the key paths from cognitive upgrade to operational implementation.
New DistributionWith Xinhua Net Culture on One Side and Dong Yuhui on the Other, the New Product Shanshanhai Is Becoming a Trump Card for Seasoning Distributors
In 2025, China's condiment industry experienced a prolonged and cold 'late spring chill.' Distributors on the front lines felt it acutely: traditional soy sauce, vinegar, chicken essence, and MSG fell into brutal price wars, once-proud hero products saw slowing sales and high inventory, while consumer preferences shifted quietly—they tightened their wallets but scrutinized ingredient lists for healthier, cleaner options. 'Business is getting harder, profits thinner, where is the next growth point?' Amid this market silence, the brand 'Xianzhihui' broke through with its core product 'Shanshanhai' in 2025, leveraging national media Xinhua Net Culture and top IP 'Yuhui Tongxing' to create a phenomenon online and signal to offline channels that in the healthy umami niche, Shanshanhai is becoming the most promising trump card for distributors.
陈思廷Don't Let Naming Ruin Your Private Brand!
Retailers invest heavily in developing private label products but often rush through the initial naming process. A random name lacks strategic direction and fails to build brand equity. This article explores the three common naming pitfalls, the three strategic brand architecture paths (parent, hybrid, independent), and emphasizes that systematic brand building, not just naming, determines success.
薛文发Retailers Without a Private Brand Strategy Have No Future
In recent years, competition in the retail industry has intensified, and the traditional 'rent-collecting' model is being phased out. For retailers, how to navigate the cycle and become the true 'survivor' or even 'winner'? Developing private brands is becoming the strategic direction and core weapon for more and more retail enterprises. Private brands: a century-old path, but also a strategic choice. As early as 1924, UK's Tesco began selling private label products, a century ago. On this path, there are both successful examples like Costco's 'Kirkland Signature' growing into a global brand, and countless failures that faded away.
薛文发In the Age of Social Media, Consumption Itself Is a Social Performance
Consumption is performance. It has two attributes: biological satisfaction (functional) and social satisfaction (symbolic). In the era of social media, social satisfaction takes precedence, and providing emotional value has become the dividing line between 'old-timers' and 'newcomers'. The drive for social priority in consumption stems from the possibilities offered by self-media, consumption as a variable in ecological competition, and the diminishing marginal utility of functional satisfaction.
刘春雄Why Can't Xiaohongshu, Which Helps Others Plant Grass, Sell Goods Well Itself?
In early 2025, after the operational models of the 'Zhengzhou gang' and 'Xiamen gang' on Xiaohongshu were exposed, some marketing professionals bluntly stated on social media that 'to some extent, planting grass is equivalent to fraud.' 'Planting grass' has been a unique label for Xiaohongshu between content and e-commerce over the past few years, giving it a distinctive niche in the marketing of consumer goods. However, a strange phenomenon has occurred: Xiaohongshu itself is not very good at selling goods. After attempting self-operated e-commerce, group buying, and other businesses, these projects eventually ended in closure.
周铭Palm-Sized Packaging: Why Mini Drinks Are the 'Traffic Password' for Snack Bulk Retailers?
The mini-packaging trend is sweeping through the snack bulk retail channel, with familiar snacks and beverages shrinking in size while maintaining their original flavors. This shift is driven by the channel's selection mechanism, which favors smaller packages to offer lower prices, richer displays, and faster product turnover, ultimately enhancing the shopping experience and driving repeat purchases.
FBIFBrand-oriented Distributors' Weakness: C-end Operational Capability
Brand-oriented distributors are those who have deep regional cooperation with one or two brands, treating them as core brands that account for over 80% of their business. In the era of shrinking volume, brand owners now require not only distribution capability (B-end) but also promotion capability (C-end). This article discusses the challenges these distributors face and provides strategies for C-end operations, including customer acquisition, repurchase, and increasing average order value.
高级研究员 海游Cotti Coffee Steps Back from All-Store 9.9 Yuan Deals
Cotti Coffee, which initiated the coffee price war, now wants to move away from its all-store 9.9 yuan deals. This doesn't mean low-priced coffee will disappear, but players in the coffee market are eager to tell new stories.
吴文武Brands Finding It Hard to Succeed in Instant Retail
Meituan's recent acquisition of Dingdong for $717 million signals that instant retail, as an efficient new retail format, is highly valuable. However, adapting to this efficiency shift is challenging for brands, from understanding to execution.
张振宇Pet Companies That Ignore 'User Assets' Will Have No Way Forward by 2026
The Chinese pet consumption market is undergoing a structural shift from 'explosive growth' to 'steady growth,' with consumers increasingly favoring brands that demonstrate strong brand equity and product quality. According to the CBI500 list, top-performing pet brands are those that have long-term invested in R&D and built clear consumer recognition, signaling that the era of traffic-driven, low-price white-label products is ending.
三亩From 'Meme Machine' to 'New Year Flavor Champion': What Did Master Kong Iced Tea Do Right?
As the 'atmosphere maker' of the Spring Festival, lanterns symbolize reunion and light up people's hopes for the new year. As the festival approaches, lanterns are being lit across the country, and the hashtag #彩灯一亮年味就有了# has surged to third place on Weibo's hot search list. Amid the festive atmosphere, giant 'cape-style' Master Kong Iced Tea lanterns that appeared in Harbin, Xi'an, and other cities stood out with their highly recognizable and majestic designs, quickly becoming a new favorite for young people to check in. Notably, this viral 'cape-style iced tea' image was not a brand fantasy but originated from an online meme.
张雨薇What Is True Long-Termism?
Li Zhilong, chairman of Hunan Sunshine Wine Co., Ltd., reflects on the baijiu industry's shift from 'capital carnival' to 'overcapacity,' advocating a return to quality and cultural value. He emphasizes building brands over selling products, fostering a community of shared interests among manufacturers, distributors, and consumers, and using social responsibility to sustain long-term brand growth.
思考派The Underestimated Women's Alcohol Market Is Redefining the Second Half of China's Alcohol Industry
In the grand narrative of Chinese business history, some changes are thunderous, like the impact of e-commerce on brick-and-mortar stores, while others are quiet and deep, such as the explosion of the women's alcohol market. For a long time, the industry's interpretation of this phenomenon has been filled with arrogance and prejudice, defining it as a supplementary market or a marketing gimmick. However, this shift represents a historic transfer of power in alcohol consumption, moving from patriarchal social tools to humanistic lifestyles, and signaling a second enlightenment for China's alcohol industry.
戚特2025 Consumption Review: 10,000 Stores No Longer Rare, 100 Billion Just Passing Grade
In 2025, China's consumer market saw moderate growth in total retail sales of consumer goods, while the baijiu industry underwent deep adjustment. Despite this, sectors like trendy toys, ancient gold jewelry, and 4-yuan lemonade attracted capital attention, with Pop Mart, Laopu Gold, and Mixue Bingcheng collectively surging in Hong Kong. Amidst this ice and fire, consumer companies are undergoing a quiet evolution.
杨硕2025: The Life-and-Death Trials of Ten Major Consumer Brands, from Xibei to Zhong Xue Gao to Juewei
In 2025, China's consumer market witnessed a stark contrast: while some companies thrived, many once-prominent brands faced collapse. This article examines ten major consumer brands that encountered severe difficulties, including Xibei, Helen's, Dingdong Maicai, Liangpin Shop, Juewei Food, Markor Home, Milkground, Zihaiguo, Zhong Xue Gao, and Globalegrow, highlighting their struggles and the broader industry challenges.
张二河Brand Listing: A Magnifying Glass on Manufacturer-Dealer Relations
As Dongpeng Beverage lists in Hong Kong and receives a warm reception from the capital market, many FMCG brands are also preparing to go public: Jinxing Beer filed an application on January 13, which, if successful, would make it the 'first Chinese craft beer stock' in Hong Kong; a few days later, Junlebao Dairy also filed an application, planning to raise funds for factory construction, capacity expansion, and brand marketing... Above the surface, this is a significant leap for brand owners toward capitalization and scale; beneath the surface, the businesses and future destinies of thousands of distributors are also stirring. The capital market...
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