Gen Z Consumers Driving the Growth of China’s Meal Replacement Industry
According to the report 功能营养代餐市场消费趋势 from CBNData, China’s meal replacement industry sales as well as the number of consumers purchasing meal replacement products both grew more than 50% in 2020. This is largely due to COVID 19 which caused many consumers to pay more attention to their health.
The majority of consumers purchasing meal replacement products are females under the age of 35, and the largest consumer segment are those aged 25 and under, also known in China as post-95s. Most of these consumers are located in 1st and 2nd tier cities. Post-95 females are very willing to try out new products that will help them improve their appearance and control their weight.
The number of brands in the meal replacement and weight loss market has more than doubled since 2018 and is a mix of Western and Chinese brands, with some of the popular Chinese meal replacement brands being Miss Zero, Dongchi, Wonderlab, and Easy Fun and brands such as ChocDay and Yuanqi Senlin who are known for their sugar free products.
When it comes to choosing meal replacement and weight loss products, the report identifies four key trends of popular brands:
- Low sugar, low carb
- Packed with superfoods
- Trendy, convenient packaging and localized flavors
- Provide professional meal plan consultation
Sugar Free and Low Carb
Low sugar and low carb diets have been a very popular trend in China in 2020. A search for “low sugar” on popular social media platform Xiaohongshu has over 120K results and low carb has over 60K results. Consumers are interested in low sugar diets not only to lose weight but because a low sugar diet is believed to help with anti-aging.
According to the report, the top 3 best-selling sugar free meal replacement products in China in 2020 were Miss Zero’s three-day calorie burn meal plan (三日燃卡餐), Slimfast shakes, and Dongchi’s 21-day sugar free meal plan.
High Nutrition Foods
Top foods and ingredients that consumers are seeking out include oats, inulin, marine collagen peptides, white kidney beans, chicken breast, and red dates.
Chicken breast has become very popular among health-conscious post-95s, especially those into fitness who are looking to have a more defined body shape. Protein bars have also become popular among these young consumers in 1st tier cities.
Trendy, convenient packaging and localized flavors
Young consumers want it all – healthy, low calorie, and delicious. But their definition of delicious is different than western consumers and many Chinese brands that are catering to local tastes are finding success. For example, while the traditional chocolate meal replacement shake is a best-seller, flavors such as milk tea, red bean, and matcha are also very popular among post-95 consumers.
For pre-packaged meals, products inspired by Chinese food tend to do well, such as pepper chicken, pickled vegetable soup, mapo tofu, etc.
When it comes to packaging, consumers definitely care about design. They want it to look good, and be convenient. Single serving, easy to grab and go packaging is attractive.
Professional Meal Plans and Meal Plan Consultants
Consumers want results, and as such, purchasing meal plan sets has become very common. Three-day meals sets are the most popular.
Additionally, brands that offer professional meal plan and weight loss consultants to customers are seeing an impact on repurchase rate and positive reviews. For example, Chinese meal plan brand Miss Zero offers professional nutrition consultants that can help consumers figure out the best meal plan to meet their goals.
Among online reviews, around 80% of those that mention “nutrition consultants” are positive.
Where the Industry is Headed
The meal plan and diet product industry is expected to continue experiencing rapid growth in 2021. Brands will continue to develop products that meet the key concerns of Chinese consumers. Besides weight loss, some of the top needs include: aid sleep, women’s health, improve Qi and blood, healthy skin and hair, help with digestion.
Read more: Z世代的餐盘新“食”尚：要好吃、要曲线、也要健康
