Look at the face value, spell the inside story, compare the quality … What do you eat with cold drinks？
For many people, summer begins with a bottle of iced soda and an ice cream. Bingfeng, Nongfu Spring, Yili, Mattel, Zhong Xuegao … … Today’s cold drink market is very lively, with endless new brands and innovative old brands; There are both local ice products and national famous products.
With the general trend of consumption upgrading, the cold drink industry has ushered in a new revolution. In this wave, who can be the guardian of consumers’ cool summer? What do people eat when they eat cold drinks nowadays?
"online celebrity" appears frequently
New and old brands lay out high-end markets.
On a hot summer day, Feng Chenxi, a post-90s worker working in Chaoyang District, Beijing, walked into a convenience bee shop next to the company, looking for a cold drink to cool off. However, when he entered the store, he was a little confused, with ice cream, iced drinks and yogurt. After a cursory glance, I was attracted by a "small fresh" package in the freezer. This is a "boiled leaf" ice cream, which was jointly produced by Zhong Xuegao and Wufangzhai. "I didn’t eat zongzi during the Dragon Boat Festival, so just try this!" Without looking at the price, I directly deducted the payment code, and only after this deduction did I know that one wanted 15 yuan, which was a little expensive.
"Fortunately, it tastes good, the fragrant leaves are mixed with milk, and there is a sticky feeling of glutinous rice." Feng Chenxi said.
In Feng Chenxi’s impression, domestic cold drinks are mostly cheap, and only a few foreign brands can sell at this price. Recalling the midsummer when I was a child, a bag of "ice packs" with a dime could make him smile. The packaging of an ice pack is extremely simple, just an icicle wrapped in plastic. When he and his friends were sweating, they went to the grocery store to buy an ice pack. First, they put it on their faces and foreheads, which made them instantly cool. Then, when they were full of handfuls, they began to suck eagerly, and the coolness went straight to their foreheads … …
This simple cold drink blended with pigment and sweetener has accompanied many people’s childhood. "That’s the coolest taste in summer." Feng Chenxi said.
In recent years, driven by some cutting-edge brands, domestic ice products have continuously raised their price ceiling. There are more and more domestic ice creams above 10 yuan, but those below 10 yuan are rare. The unit price of Zhongjie 1946 and Zhong Xue’s high-quality ice cream is above that of 10 yuan, and the price of an "Ecuadorian pink diamond Ice Cream" that makes Zhong Xue’s high fire "out of the circle" is as high as that of 66 yuan.
Seeing the cutting-edge forces overtaking in corners, the old players are also actively laying out the mid-to high-end market, and the cold drink market has entered the "10 yuan era".
Yili has held the top spot in the domestic cold drink market for many years, and its ice factory, Qiaolezi and other products are deeply loved by consumers, but it needs new faces to open up the situation in the middle and high-end market. "With the rise of ice cream rookie brands, more innovative brands have entered the market with mid-to high-end products, which has led to fierce market competition. The brand side provides healthier and more unique products through continuous product and marketing innovation. " The relevant person in charge of Yili Group said. On the basis of affordable models, Yili launched new products such as rare and rare products, which successfully helped the brand to stabilize its market position.
"Ice cream is the most eye-catching consumer product in midsummer. The sales of ice cream in convenience bees, Yili, Menglong and other places around 10 yuan are very high. In addition, online celebrity products with high prices are mostly the favorite of white-collar workers in business districts, such as Zhong Xuegao and Xicha ice cream." The person in charge of the convenience bee said.
Not just to relieve summer heat.
Full of creativity, attracting people to punch in
Nowadays, domestic cold drink brands have gradually gained a foothold in the mid-to-high-end market and have the ability to wrestle with international brands, whether in couples shops on the street, convenience chains or large supermarkets. Behind the ever-increasing price is the all-round change of products by manufacturers. Raw materials, modeling, technology and packaging … … All aspects of cold drink production and research and development are constantly changing, which stems from manufacturers’ accurate grasp of the changes in consumption concepts.
Ice cream brands frequently arouse consumers’ curiosity with richer flavors: durian flavor, toffee flavor, AD calcium milk flavor and salted egg yolk flavor … … "The new generation of consumers who seek novelty and novelty are more willing to pay for early adopters. They are less sensitive to price and pay more attention to factors such as product quality, taste, packaging and freshness. The rise of differentiated demand has promoted the growth of consumption of quality products. " Insiders analyzed.
The popularity of Wenchuang ice cream this year is an example.
Before going to Wuhan for the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, Wang Qi saw someone sharing "Yes ‘ Eat ’ The Yellow Crane Tower was planted with grass in an instant. "The ice cream has fine texture, realistic shape and good taste. It’s one from 15 yuan, and the price is not too expensive. It’s cool to take pictures in front of the Yellow Crane Tower!"
Well-known scenic spots such as the Forbidden City, West Lake, Leshan Giant Buddha, etc., are all combining their own characteristics to launch a unique style of cultural and creative ice cream, and taking pictures in front of the "deity" with ice cream in the shape of landmark buildings or cultural relics has become a new fashion for tourists to punch in.
Taking advantage of the popularity of cultural relics, Sanxingdui introduced two bronze masks "doll head" ice cream, which was robbed that morning. According to Feng Shixiong, an ice cream designer, there will also be a variety of products with different shapes and flavors, such as bronze giants and bronze birds, so that visitors to Sanxingdui can see, eat and bask in their circle of friends.
Nine-story pagoda in Mogao Grottoes, Horse Head in Yuanmingyuan, Yungang Grottoes … … Wenchuang ice cream in various scenic spots attracts tourists’ attention, and some prices reach tens of yuan, and many consumers are still willing to queue up.
The new "online celebrity" attracts attention by creating a sense of topic, while the old brand wins by virtue of tradition.
Founded in 1906, Mattel can sell more than 10,000 ice creams every day, regardless of the cold and heat. In the crowded central street of Harbin, it is almost a standard action to buy a Mattel popsicle to take pictures — — Not to quench your thirst, just to make a card.
"The function of cold drinks is changing, and it gradually carries more cultural and social attributes. At present, the products of the head ice cream brand in the market may have little difference if they only compare their tastes. For young people, choosing a fast-moving consumer product is largely to express their personality. " Sun Zubin, general manager of Maddie Group, said, "Maddie is the earliest popsicle brand in China, and has always adhered to the old technology and several traditional tastes. This inheritance is the core competitiveness of the brand. What was the taste of popsicles that people ate more than 100 years ago? For consumers, it is a rare cultural experience. "
Return to quality
Cold drinks grow red only when they are delicious
Novelty tastes are refurbished, and the styles are exquisitely crafted. In the cold drink market where product upgrading is accelerating, there are always new products and ways of playing. However, no matter how it changes, cold drinks are food after all, and what goes into the stomach is its root. The key to changing from "online celebrity" to long red lies in whether the products can go from mouth to heart.
"Yili cold drink has a history of 29 years. Walking in the streets, wherever there is a freezer, there will be Yili ice cream. " The relevant person in charge of Yili Cold Drink Division said that the word-of-mouth accumulated over the years is the greatest wealth of the brand. Taste, product line and channel are changing, but the insistence on quality makes the brand ride the wind and waves in the fierce market competition.
"Health has gradually become an important dimension to measure the quality of cold drinks." The relevant person in charge of Yili Cold Drink Division said that Yili’s "Have some oatmeal" ice cream uses milk with natural oatmeal particles, and milk protein and plant protein collide to create delicious and healthy. Another ice cream brand "Must Be Happy" focuses on providing consumers with high-quality ice cream with advanced liquid nitrogen extraction technology and patented live bacteria without artificial colors, flavors and preservatives.
"Consumers are increasingly demanding the quality of beverages, which requires enterprises to work hard on products, constantly improve quality, and truly make ‘ Online celebrity ’ The product becomes long red. " The relevant person in charge of Nongfu Spring said.
Recently, it was discovered that the oriental leaf "Jasmine Tea" tastes different. "The floral fragrance is more full, natural and refreshing, and it is more suitable for drinking in summer."
"Consumers’ demand for sugar-free tea is not just sugar-free, but a comprehensive experience based on taste, which is an invisible competition for brands ‘ Barriers ’ 。”
Quality is the lifeline of the brand. This is true for Nongfu Spring in the twenties, and it is also true for Xi ‘an Bingfeng in the seventies. In the 1990s, Coca-Cola entered the Xi ‘an market in a big way, and tried its best to defeat the ice peak. The glass bottle was filled with 50ml more, and the wholesale price was 5 cents cheaper. Even so, it failed to make the ice peak fall.
"This is certainly not just feelings. Guangxi’s high-quality white sugar, multi-channel purified water, glass bottles that have undergone four procedures of soaking, cleaning, disinfection and drying for 40 minutes, and the consistent craftsman spirit ensure the quality of Bingfeng soda, which makes us win the recognition of Xi’ an citizens and tourists from all over the world. " The head of the brand department of Xi’ an Bingfeng Beverage Co., Ltd. said.
Nowadays, as the tourism market in Xi ‘an continues to be hot, Bingfeng goes out of Xi ‘an with the help of the Internet and pushes products to the whole country through new retail. In addition to sticking to the taste, Bingfeng also followed the footsteps of the times to create diversified products. New packaging and new tastes enriched the product matrix and accelerated the pace of Bingfeng’s stepping out of the land of Sanqin.
Cold drink consumption will usher in more and faster changes. In the past, an ice cream and a bottle of soda accompanied several generations to grow up, but now the same generation is witnessing the changes and upgrading of different cold drink brands. What can stay is a brand that is more adaptable and innovative on the basis of excellent quality. (Kang Pu Han Xin)