Significantly more Chinese consumers are buying baking materials, tools and equipment as they bake at home during the coronavirus crisis, says a report on the purchase data of a key online platform.
Dr Lynn Lin, General Manager of Bakery China 2020 (15-17 October), expounded on the report based on sales data on Tmall of Alibaba. She said that Tmall consumption of baking ingredients, raw materials, tools and equipment have increased visibly year by year, largely because more people are baking, boosting the average ticket size of purchase and enlarging the overall consumption, in addition to the impact of the coronavirus.
Purchase of cheese, butter, cream led sales of the overall baking materials, followed by frozen dough, and yeast and custard powder, she said of the report compiled by Shanghai-based market research company CBN.
Baking materials sales rose 36 and 33 times in February and March over a year ago respectively, she said, adding that yeast, custard powder and cheese shot up in February, the worst month of the coronavirus crisis, by 10,7 and 5 times on a year-on-year basis.
Nearly 80 per cent of online baking material consumers are female. Tier-4 cities such as Yancheng and Suqian are showing the fastest growth in online consumption of baking materials and also account nearly as much as Tier-2 cities have bought, suggesting that in the digital times, traditionally economically backward cities are being exposed to the same level of digital information and are quickly taking on lifestyles of Shanghai and Beijing.
Retired and other senior citizens in cities trailed behind all other consumer segments in buying baking materials from Tmall in terms of volume, but have shown the highest speed of growth in the number of buyers.
The number of baking materials increased three folds over 2018, with baking materials getting ever more complicated in making, ie., premixes and frozen dough enjoy the fastest growth compared with wheat flour, butter and yeast, suggesting consumers prefer products that provide them the biggest convenience. The average ticket size of frozen dough (such as egg tart bases and pizza bases) on Tmall went up by some 40 per cent over a year ago.
Shredded cheese is the most sought after item on Tmall, followed by yeast, cream, egg tart bases, butter, bread crumb and pizza bases. Swissmooh, Miao Ke Lan Duo, Basiron, Anchor, Arla Foods and President were the top six brands in cheese. Miao Ke Lan Duo is the only Chinese brand in the top six.
It is note-worthy that that Mengniu and Yili have made giant strides in the niche market of cheese, butter and whipping cream. Combined, the two dairy giants' sales of whipping cream and butter were more than ten folds faster than the average speed of the sector of cheese, whipping cream and butter on Tmall.
The data show that Chinese brands are quickly catching up foreign brands such as Anchord, Kiri, Wilton, Smithfield, President, Hormel and EnbiCole. In terms of frozen dough, most of the top brands are Chinese brands.
In the top eight baking tools and equipment, baking ovens ranks next to moulds, paper, bags and measuring spoons and measuring cups.
The German bakery appliances company of Hauswirt reported also brisk sales in 2020, adding that during 2012-2019, sales have grown at a CAGR of 30 per cent, said Hai Shi, the company's marketing manager. Hauswirt is the top brand in baking ovens and whisks and some other baking devices and equipment in Tmall.
She said that demand is enjoying great prospect as China lags far behind advanced countries, but consumers are very demanding as baking electric appliances have to be convenient to use, look nice and that they are "becoming art pieces" to some consumers.
The equipment must have a vast types of varieties and styles and are also cheap while the company is compelled to produce an ever growing number of menus to consumers, she said.
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