Demystifying Gen Z condiment consumption

Recently, with the help of 800 million Tmall and Taobao consumer behavior labels, Kantar, a well-known data, insight and consulting company, joined forces with Tmall New Product Innovation Center (TMIC) and Tmall Super Exploration Store to gain insight into the competitive landscape of the condiment industry and jointly released the "2022 Condiment Trend Insights"
.
It is understood that the survey covers nearly 1,000 consumers aged 18-49 in 1-5 tier cities across the country, looking forward to seven major trends
in the condiment industry.

To reduce the burden: do "subtraction" into a plus

Compared with the data in 2018, it is found that the current health needs of consumers continue to increase, and "subtraction" of ingredients has become a plus for condiments
.
Among them, "non-GMO", "organic", "0 added", "thin salt, reduced salt" and "natural" occupy the top five positions in the hot word list of "ingredient subtraction" condiment products; "0 fat" is the hottest word with the strongest gain, with an increase of 144%
in attention compared to 2018.

Haitian's organic soy sauce, Qianhe's zero-added vinegar, Xinhe June's salt-reduced light soy sauce, Hengshun's zero-fat vinaigrette.
.
.
There are more and more "burden reduction" condiments on the market, and they are favored
by consumers.
Taking "salt reduction" as an example, this first trend from the soy sauce category has "rolled" to the soy pickles and bean paste categories
, known as high salt.
With the popularity of the concept of healthy life, how to "reduce salt without reducing taste" has become the common pursuit
of major condiment brands and related scientific research institutes.

Be special: Curious and new

"Mango with soy sauce", "Sweet powder with various foods", "Bread with chili sauce".
.
.
Gen Z, who are becoming the responsible consumers of the moment, are the backbone of the curious new generation, and they are always looking for what suits them
by constantly trying and experiencing different lifestyles.

New ingredients and new flavors of condiments are the most appetizing
to Gen Z.
Among them, turmeric powder, pink sea salt, cinnamon powder, fish meal, Western food comprehensive spices, shrimp paste, crab paste, garlic powder, onion powder, fruit and vegetable juice that can be used for seasoning, etc.
are niche and emerging condiments
with a high rate of trying.
In addition, DIY yourself is also one of
the "dry rice" methods recommended by new consumers.

Quick Start: One package of ingredients for a dish

The rib soup base, which used to be simmered for nearly 10 hours, can be easily solved in just 5 minutes with the compound seasoning, and the flavor is no worse
than that of expensive restaurants.
Compound seasonings not only meet the needs of young consumers for lower time costs, but also allow them to have a higher quality of life
on a limited budget.
The main audience of compound seasonings is kitchen whites or young workers
in the new era.
In addition to households, compound seasonings are used more frequently in offices and school
cafeterias.

With the advantage of solving a dish with one package, the number of buyers and search popularity of compound seasoning categories have grown steadily in recent years, among which hot pot base has reached the top
.
Make boiled meat with a spicy base, cook noodles with a tomato base, cook soup with a mushroom soup base.
.
.
In real life, in addition to being used in family hot pot, more and more people are using hot pot base as a "universal" condiment for cooking, and the hot pot base industry has also ushered in rapid growth
under the stimulation of growing household consumption.

Be dexterous: promising small packages

150ml of aged vinegar, 115ml of soy sauce, 25g of pepper, 3g of spicy dip.
.
.
The "mini wind" brought by young consumers has also blown into the field of
condiments.
Under the new consumption economy of "one-person food", more and more small packages of condiments have appeared on the market
.

The sales of small package condiments have grown rapidly, and the consumer groups mainly include the post-90s, cutting-edge white-collar workers, college students, newlyweds, high-educated and high-income people, etc
.
Fresher and more convenient are the main reasons why
condiments in small packages are favored.
First of all, compared to large packages of condiments that may be eaten after a long time of opening, small packages are more hygienic and fresher
.
Secondly, the small package is also more portable, suitable for going out to accompany meals
.
In addition, small packages of condiments invisibly play a quantitative role, which can help consumers to control their diet
to some extent.

Be delicate: Dry rice should also have a sense of ritual

More and more young people are entering the kitchen, they are both cooks and cooks, this group of people pursue a sense of ritual, willing to pay for the experience, they demand that the condiment not only "use it easily", but also "get it in hand"
.
Among them, post-00s, students, and couples are more willing to pay
for appearance and ritual.

Haitian pink packaging of snow sugar white sugar, Haoji Guochao packaging of organic soy sauce, Ji Xiangju manga style of stormy rice chili sauce.
.
.
In response to the characteristics of young consumers' preference for "eye-catching", condiment brands have "rolled" up in product appearance, and national tide style, co-branded models, animation IP, etc.
are all "good helpers"
to improve their appearance.

Be social: Focus on portability and sharing

"To socialize" is an important motivation for Gen Z, and they are also more willing to socialize
face-to-face.
Sichuan, with its party culture, is a gathering place
for social cooks.

In addition to eating together in regular places such as restaurants and cafes (63%), the new way of socializing camping (56%) has become a good choice
for Gen Z to share the light of "food".
Small packets of sauce with Western-style semi-finished products such as steak, and mini Korean hot sauce with quick-frozen meatloaf, quick-frozen meat skewers and other quick-frozen dishes are the choice of more than half of social rice cookers when camping, and they prefer easy-to-carry, shareable condiments
.

Be excellent: healthy, nutritious and delicious

With the popularity of Liu Genghong's dancing exercises, national fitness has moved from behind the scenes to the front of the stage, and more consumers are willing to pay attention to fitness projects, while light condiments have gradually become a fashion
.

At present, more and more brands have launched light condiments, including giants such as Haitian, Xinhe, Lee Kum Kee and Hengshun, as well as new consumer brands such as Taste Full, Add Taste, Yunshan Ban, Bandong, etc.
, covering soy sauce, oyster sauce, squeezed vegetables, salad dressings, vinaigrette, seared sauces, sauces and many other categories
.

(Gao Jiaodi)

China Food News(Version 04, December 01, 2022)

(Responsible editor: Gao Jiaodi).