It’s no secret that China’s Post 90 and Post 95 consumers are turning towards healthier snacking. Healthy snacking in China represents a desire to treat oneself, minus the guilt of becoming a couch potato.
So, which brands deliver best on China’s healthy snack trend? We asked our e-commerce data insights manager, Teddy Wang, to give his top three picks. If you’d like to get more insights, book a free consultation with one of our experts here.
Trending Healthy Snack in China #1: Sugar-Free Yoghurt
The first trending healthy snack is sugar-free yoghurt. Last year, amid the pandemic, dairy products rose to prominence after local dairy lobbies put dairy products’ immunity benefits up in headlights.
Simple Love, a diary brand hailing from Guangzhou-based Honest Dairy, is a beneficiary of this trend. It produces a high-protein spoonable yoghurt, a classic plain spoonable yohgurt and a drinking yogurt. The name – Simple Love – comes from the fact the brands ingredient profile is exceptionally simple. The dairy range contains only high-quality milk and probiotics from Finland-based dairy company Valio.
Trending Healthy Snack in China #2: Cereal and Muesli
The next trending healthy snack is cereal and muesli. China’s consumers have been warming to cereals and muesli for a little while now, with names like Quaker, Calbee and Wangbaobao making their way into kitchen cupboards across China.
While cereals and muesli may seem old hat to overseas readers, for Chinese consumers the appeal lies in versatility – cereal can be eaten dry, combined with yoghurt, combined with fruit, added to warm milk or even used as part of DIY desserts.
If you’re thinking about bringing a cereal or muesli into China, you’ll need to understand and cater to what consumers appreciate – low sugar, baked oats with chunky pieces of dried fruit.
Trending Healthy Snack in China #3: Fortified Gummies
Fortified gummies, as typified by BUFFX, are Teddy’s third pick for trending healthy snack.
You might have noticed that we’ve previously written about BUFFX, as a challenger in the fortified foods and health supplements category.
By way of back story, BUFFX recognized that Chinese consumers are daunted by imported vitamin and supplement pill sizes. If you compare pills and caplets in China to overseas, you’ll find there is a demonstrable size difference. BUFFX understood this and designed a gummy supplement – the type that you might typically find for children.
These gummies have a taste and texture profile which is far more palatable to local consumers, and far closer to a snack than a supplement. Indeed, most consumers we’ve come across treat them as a snack – which is why they make this list.
What can you take away from this?
The biggest takeaway here is Chinese consumers want it all – the indulgence of snacking, high-quality ingredients, great taste, and low-calorific content. That sounds like a high bar, and it is.
The good news?
Chinese consumers are happy to pay a premium for brands that can deliver against their high expectations.
Speak to one of our experts to understand whether your brand meets the bar.
