The demand for pre-made meals among Chinese consumers is on the rise

• Since its entry into the Chinese market, most of the demand for pre-made meals came from merchants, like canteens and restaurants. But the demand for pre-made meals from ordinary consumers is booming.
• During this year’s Spring Festival, the sales of pre-made meals increased by 45.9% among all online shopping platforms. In Dingdong Maicai¹, sales increased by 400% year-on-year, and some pre-made meals saw an increase of more than 980% month-on-month. In Taobao², the sales increased by 100% year-on-year, and in HEMA³, the sales increased by 345% year-on-year.
• It is estimated that the pre-made meals’ market value will reach 515.6 billion RMB in 2023, and will exceed one trillion RMB by 2027.

Read more on the topic here.

Low-alcohol drinks are becoming popular as they meet Gen Z’s demands for a healthy and spirited experience

• Young consumers in China no longer see alcoholic drinks as a special beverage, seeing it as just any other drink. Instead, they pursue drinks that are healthier while also letting them let loose. 
• Traditionally, Chinese people believe that drinks with high alcohol content are bad for their health. Drinks with low alcohol content are attractive due to have lower negative effects while still being able provide the spirited experience consumers are seeking.
• The market value for low-alcohol drinks is expected to reach 500 billion RMB in 2022.

Read more on the topic here.

Gen Z are loving premium hair care and shampoo products, with its sales volume increasing by more than 90% from 2020

• GenZ are no longer satisfied with ordinary shampoo and hair care products.

• According to a report from Jingdong Supermarket⁴  in February 2022, the turnover of premium shampoo and hair care products increased by 111.6% compared to February 2021.

• The growth of Gen Z consumers in this particular market reached 59%, with the Gen Z sales volume of premium shampoo and hair care products increasing by 77% from February 2021.

Read more on the topic here.

The demand for water jugs is exploding with market volume expected to reach hundreds of billions RMB in 2022

• Due to the pandemic, households have started to purchase water in large jugs for daily use. In addition to regular drinking consumption, Chinese consumers are using water from jugs for cooking, washing, watering, and other household needs.

• Well-known brands like Nongfu Spring⁵, C'estbon, Ganteng⁵, and COFCO are beginning to launch their own version of water jugs to increase their market share.

Read more on the topic here.

¹ Dingdong Maicai is a shopping app that mainly provides fresh foods, such as vegetables, fruits, meat, seafood, etc. Placing an order online will get food delivered to the consumer’s home.
² Taobao is a comprehensive e-commerce platform that includes C2C, distribution, auction, direct supply, crowdfunding, customization, etc.
³ HEMA is both a canteen and a fresh food market. Consumers can choose the ingredients themselves and hand them over to a chef for cooking. This whole process is transparent and can be seen by the consumer. Payments can be settled through self-service, with no salesperson in the HEMA locations. Customers can choose to eat in the store or take it home. HEMA also provides automatic packaging and take-out service. Consumers are also able to place an online order through the HEMA App if they do not want to go to the physical location. As long as it is within 3 kilometers near the store, HEMA is able to give rapid 30-minute door-to-door delivery.
⁴ Jingdong Supermarket is an online supermarket where consumers can place orders online and have it directly delivered to their home.
⁵ Nongfu Spring and Ganteng are well-known mineral water brands in China.