CBN Friday Special丨Beware of “Ice-cream Ninja”! Why little summer treats put on expensive price tags

ty cones also comes from the partnership between different industries. China's leading producer of baijiu, Kweichow Moutai announced to sell ice cream in cooperation with Mengniu Dairy, China's major dairy producer. The strong spirit-infused ice creams with 3 flavours, matcha, chocolate and green plum, are priced at 59 and 66 yuan a cup.

But looking from a different perspective, the Moutai ice cream is more affordable, if you compare it with a bottle of Moutai Liquor. A 500 to 700 ml bottle of Moutai typically costs from 1,499 yuan, to over 16,000 yuan for rare vintages, turning the experimental products of China's most expensive type of baijiu into a buzz. According to the distiller, the sweetened Moutai desserts recorded a sale volume of 200,000 yuan in over 900 orders for more than 5000 cups within 7 hours after the debut.

T: Even a vinegar producer follows to jump on the innovative ice cream bandwagon, in an attempt to win over younger fans. Established in 1840, Zhenjiang Hengshun Vinegar from Jiangsu Province of China offers 3 new types of ice cream with food vinegar and, yellow wine and brewing soy sauce added respectively. The frozen treats with unusual ingredients are priced at 18 yuan per serving.

S: In fact, compared to the sensational crossover partnership, consumers actually care more about the surging prices of the common summer treat. On Weibo, “Zhongxuegao”-related topics have gained huge traction among Chinese netizens, with over 840 million views and 127,000 discussions as of today. And the result of a poll on Weibo also showed that people prefer affordable ice cream, pricing at 2-5 yuan.

So Themis, why did our favourite summer treats become more expensive now? What happened in the ice cream market?

T: Well, I think one of the answers might go to the inflation of raw materials. According to China's consulting institute iiMedia Research, the cost of milk and light cream soared about 80% from 2008 to 2020. If the ice cream producer deploys healthier ingredients, the price of the popsicles will climb higher. Known for innovative flavours, Zhongxuegao claimed that one of its new products made of guava and coconut is low in calorie and fat.

The consumption appetite of younger generation elevates the price of ice creams as well. According to the report on China's ice cream industry published by institutions including China Green Food Association, people aged 13 to 29 contributes more than any other groups in buying the summer frozen treats. Compared to enjoy the relief from summer heat with popsicles, the younger ice cream fans are also eager to share new releases on social media and appreciate the culture behind. Though the summer dessert now costs more, young consumers are willing to pay extra for the innovation and culture.

Besides, the distributors also add costs to the final price of ice creams, as they usually take 25% to 40% from a sold item. Taking two famous Japanese convenient stores in eastern China as examples, they earn 4 yuan for an ice cream bar sold at 10 yuan. To ensure that the ice cream could reach more consumers, the producers need to take the profitability of their distributors into consideration when setting prices.

S: You’re right. But make no mistake, the profit margin of high-end ice creams is still attracting more brands to join the race. Yi Li, staying the top spot of the industry for 27 years, recorded a gross profit margin of 40.27% on cold beverage products in 2021, rising from 36% in 2015.

The ice cream industry in China is growing at a fast pace in recent years. From 2015 to 2021, the market expanded over 90% to 160 billion yuan. Representing the high-end ice cream brands which first show up on the internet, Zhongxuegao sold 800-million-yuan worth of frozen treats in 2021, doubling the sales volume year-on-year. As of May, the industry's rising star has sold out 220 million bars this year.

T: Meanwhile, overseas brands are racing to get a bigger slice in market share of the world’s second largest economy too. The Belgian Magnum under Unilever announced last year to build a first production line of soft serve ice cream in Guangzhou with 1 billion yuan, while American's Dairy Queen planned to open 600 new outlets in China by 2023.

S: It seems that the ice cream market in China is still expanding. So what’s next? Will the high-end brands continue marching forward?

T: I’m not so sure about that, because not everyone is willing to pay for an overpriced popsicle. On China’s social media, netizens are discussing cheap alternatives of the frozen treats. And in small cities where local consumers are more price sensitive, ice creams at 1-3 yuan still dominate the market.

S: On the other hand, the existing frenzy is, to some extent, fuelled by large-scale marketing, especially for the new brands like Zhongxuegao. More than 20,000 posts about Zhongxuegao have been published on Xiaohongshu, China's version of Pinterest, some of which reportedly cost more than 10,000 yuan per post. It remains a question for how long Zhongxuegao could keep up with excessive spendings on marketing.

The shrinking bubble of milk tea, another consumption frenzy in the country, might be hinting the future for the high-end ice cream market. Earlier this year, China’s premium bubble tea chains Hi Tea and Nayuki both announced to cut prices of their products by up to 9 yuan and to put a cap on prices at less than 30 yuan for a cup.

T: Over the past years, the increasing price and the booming new releases of ice cream have proved the potential and innovation of the industry in China, as the younger generation are shifting their consumption appetite. But back to the origin, ice cream serves a type of food, where food quality and taste matter most.

S: Exactly. That’s all for today. Stay cool and see you next week.

炎炎夏日来了，今夏你也失去“糖果自由”了吗？

烈日当空，很多人仅次于的寂寞要数来一支冰镇酥脆的糖果。但这个夏末，那些躲在冰箱里看起来平平无奇的糖果，却被微博们嘲讽为“糖果刺客”，它们时会在你结账时，用单价给你的现金气得的刺上一剑。

事实上，微博们的感受并不是感官。无论是超级市场、冷饮批发店还是支付宝模拟器，几乎都仍然看不见5元以下糖果的身影。老品牌先是涨、上新品牌发售的糖果单价也居多都在10元/支以上，就连记忆中多数零售价5毛钱的芋头桂圆，也被中街以6元单价彻底终止。

看到糖果市场需求庞大的发展前景后，越来越多的品牌选取人口为120人“杀入”极低端面包糖果市场需求，企图在麦芽糖市场需求分得一杯羹。

今年5月底，白云山与蒙牛致函的白云山面包首发该公司，包含三种口味，青梅煮酒、经典原味和香草口味，零售价从59据载66元。同时，“醋王”恒顺醋业不甘落后，也发售了三款糖果，口味分作“香醋”、“黄酒”和“酱油芝士”，其单价也唯不便宜，每支糖果零售价18元。

除致函糖果外，创意糖果也是这几年探讨版块之一。例如北京故宫鱼尾糖果、成都城墙糖果、皇陵糖果等等。这些创意糖果超过单价一般在15-30元相互间。从“吸睛”到“吸金”，创意糖果已然成为旅游区二次消服务费者的在此之后。

事实上，远比创上新，单价才是大多消服务费者最关心的问题。据艾媒咨询调研，2022年，微博对单个糖果的接受价钱居多在3～5元相互间，所占比例为37%；其次是5～10元，占比为33.9%。

那么，为什么糖果的单价还是越来越极低呢？根据数据资料表明，糖果原材料开销的涨是糖果涨的或许之一。2008年至2020年，牛奶、淡奶油等原料开销涨了差不多80%。此外，糖果的冷链运输开销差不多比有别于货运允了40%到60%。

Z世代成为消服务费者的在此之后也是倡导糖果单价涨的一大主因。《中国面包糖果服务业态势年度报告》表明，我国面包市场需求的主要顾客群年龄之外在13-29岁，且消服务费者一幕仍然从只不过的冻解渴，向MySpace分享、历史文化共鸣、；也零食等顺时针转化。在创意、IP致函以及拆盲盒等许多人喜爱的营销方式加持下，依然时会有人愿意乖乖掏钱。

此外，日益上涨的主因开销也是显然的因素。厂家不仅要负起条码服务费、陈列服务费，还要负起前后台服务费用，这笔服务费用一般来说在25%-40%相互间甚至更极低。在上述层层开销叠加之下，的公司还需要负起货损、奶粉、账期等开销。

即便如此，火热的糖果起跑还是不断有玩家数以万计。先导产业研究院数据资料表明，2015年到2021年，糖果面包服务业的市场需求数目，由不足900亿元上涨至1600亿元，六年间合计涨超90%，中国麦芽糖市场需求数目稳居全球第一。

同时，糖果在线该公司场需求也有很强的发展前景。CBNData数据资料表明，2019年线上面包品牌数量为140多家，相比于2018增加了80多家。2019年天猫双十一商业活动期间，面包的销量同比上涨123％。

那么，未来的极低端糖果市场需求态势一片大好吗？

事实上，不是所有允的糖果都能叫好又受到好评。在消服务费者水平低的小城西，主要还是以1-3元的糖果为主，且小城西的消服务费者对单价寻常，品牌很难大幅度涨。

其次，相比服务业巨头，网红品牌的极低营销难以依靠其极低上涨。业内人士透露，磬薛极低小红书的相关作者2万余篇，每篇单价在200到上万元不等。在极低企的营销开销下，磬薛糕未来能否不间断盈利是一个未知数。

尽管从市场需求态势以及客户关系的角度来看，少数品牌有适宜的理由冲击极低端市场需求，但是这并不意味着涨成风是一个合理震荡。例如，今年年初茶饮服务业“勒布朗·詹姆斯”喜茶、奈雪的茶和乐乐茶先是宣布降低开销，并承诺未来饮品将“告别30元”。

这次“上新茶饮”市场需求的统一降低开销只不过给“极低价糖果”市场需求提了个醒。因此，糖果服务业的玩家，还是某种程度看到中低端市场需求的截断，决意满足大多消服务费者的需求。

总之，远比层出不穷的上新造型和人口为120人致函，糖果终究还是用来吃完的，而近期人们对于糖果的单价的探讨只不过突显了人们消服务费者心态的转化。正如央视网所忽视的：“消服务费者升级不等于越卖越允，单价极低也不等于能近十年扎根市场需求。质量受制于与之最简单的单价，才能更有消服务费者近十年购买。”的产品毫无疑问时会有极低中低档，但终究要回归到市场需求的真实诉求。

Executive Editor: Sonia YU

Editor: LI Yanxia

Host: Stephanie LI, Themis QI

Writer: Stephanie LI, Themis QI, JIA Yuxiao

Sound Editor: Themis QI

Graphic Designer: ZHENG Wenjing, LIAO Yuanni

Produced by 21st Century Business Herald Dept. of Overseas News.

Presented by SFC

编委: 于晓娜

策画、主笔：李艳霞

播音：李莹亮、戚婉莹

撰稿：李莹亮、戚婉莹、贾雨师父

扬声器制作者：戚婉莹

设计：郑和蔼、廖苑珊

21世纪经济报道海外部 制作者

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