In the fast-paced modern life, leisure snacks have become an indispensable part of People's Daily life. They are not only simple oral desires, but also the sustenance of emotions, the embodiment of culture and the symbol of life quality. The casual snack market is booming at an unprecedented rate, becoming one of the fastest growing segments of the food industry.

According to relevant data, China's leisure snack industry has formed a huge market system, the market size of China's leisure snack industry in 2022 is about 1.16 trillion yuan, an increase of 0.8%. In 2024, the market is expected to reach 1009.3 billion yuan, which fully proves the important position and huge potential of the leisure snack industry in China's market.

From the perspective of growth rate, the market size of China's leisure snack industry has maintained a steady growth in recent years. From 2013 to 2022, the market size has increased from 590 billion yuan to 1.16 trillion yuan, with an annual compound growth rate of about 7.9%. This growth rate not only reflects the rapid development of the casual snack industry, but also indicates that the industry still has huge room for development in the future.

First, interpret the development trend of the four dimensions of today's casual snack market

01 To meet consumer demand with high cost performance

In the highly competitive casual snack market, high cost performance has become one of the key factors for brands to attract consumers. Consumers are increasingly opting for products that satisfy their tastes and are reasonably priced. Therefore, casual snack manufacturers and retailers have reduced costs by optimizing product formulations, improving production processes, and purchasing raw materials in bulk, while ensuring product quality, in order to provide cost-effective snack options. In addition, the brand also through accurate market positioning and effective marketing strategies to strengthen its cost-effective advantage, so as to occupy a favorable position in the competition.

According to the relevant data, when consumers buy snacks, the amount of a single consumption usually does not exceed 70 yuan. They are more likely to buy snacks frequently, rather than buying large quantities at once. According to IIMedia Consulting data, consumers' snack purchase amount is mainly concentrated in 70 yuan and below.

In the specific consumption range, the proportion of single snack consumption between 30 yuan and 50 yuan is high, reaching 36.4%. This indicates that consumers are willing to buy snacks in this price range. The proportion of people who spend 10 yuan to 30 yuan and 50 yuan to 70 yuan is 20.8% and 20.4%, respectively, and the willingness to spend in these two areas is relatively weak.

It can be seen from these data that consumers are more inclined to choose a moderate price range when buying snacks, which will not cost too much and can meet their snack needs. This behavior pattern of high-frequency multiple purchases reflects that consumers' demand for snacks is continuous and stable, but they do not pursue one-time large purchases.

Taking Yijiaren leisure snack brand as an example, in order to fully meet the needs of consumers, Yijiaren has adopted a variety of strategies to expand its product categories. It uses market research and data analysis to gain insight into consumers' taste preferences and buying habits to determine which categories of snacks are more popular. Based on this information, we are constantly introducing new product lines covering various flavors and types of snacks such as nuts, confectionery, puffed foods, etc., ensuring that consumers can find the products they like when looking for casual snacks. At the same time, in order to improve the cost performance of its products, Yijiaren is committed to controlling costs while maintaining product quality to ensure that its products are competitively priced in the market.

02 The number of stores increased rapidly, and the sales scale showed a blowout growth

With the continuous expansion of the casual snack market, brand owners have accelerated the expansion of offline stores in order to get close to consumers. These stores are not only distributed in large shopping malls and shopping streets, but also deep into communities and campuses to reach a wider consumer base. This expansion strategy has made the sales scale of casual snacks show a blowout growth. The increase in stores has also led to brand awareness and consumer convenience, further stimulating the growth of consumer demand.

From 2017 to 2023, the number of food intake stores in China has achieved significant growth, increasing from 1,250 to between 22,000 and 25,000, with an annual compound growth rate of an astonishing 108%. This growth rate not only reflects the rapid development of the snack industry, but also reflects the increasing demand of consumers for snacks.

At the same time that the number of stores has surged, the sales scale of China's zero-food vendors has also shown a blowout growth trend. By 2023, the sales scale of zero-food vendors has exceeded 70 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth rate of about 150%. This growth rate far exceeds that of many other industries, fully demonstrating the prosperity and vitality of the snack food market.

Looking back at the development process from 2017 to 2023, the sales scale of China's food intake vending started from 3.7 billion yuan, and after just a few years, it rapidly increased to 70 billion to 80 billion yuan. The compound annual growth rate is about 112%, which once again proves the rapid development and huge potential of the snack industry.

03 Simplify supply routes and strengthen supply chains

In the rapid development of leisure snacks market, the importance of supply chain management has become increasingly prominent. Brands are starting to focus on simplifying supply routes and cutting out intermediaries to reduce costs and improve efficiency. By establishing direct partnerships with raw material suppliers and utilizing advanced logistics and information technology, snack food companies are able to respond quickly to market changes, ensuring product freshness and supply stability. At the same time, strengthening supply chain management also includes accurate control of inventory, optimization of production processes and rapid response to market demand, which are key factors to ensure that enterprises maintain a leading position in the fierce market competition.

04 Casual snack channels are mainly offline

In China's snack industry, the structure of sales channels is mainly offline. Specifically, the data from 2023 shows that hypermarkets occupy the largest share in China's snack channel structure, more than 40%. This means that when consumers want to buy snacks, there is a high probability that they will choose to go to the supermarket.

In addition to hypermarkets, convenience stores and mom-and-pop stores are also important channels for snack sales. Together, they account for about 24%. Convenience stores have become the first choice for many people to buy snacks because of their convenience and fast service. Mom-and-pop stores, on the other hand, attract a large number of consumers with their affordable prices and rich varieties.

In addition, online channels also occupy a place in snack sales, accounting for about 19.6%. With the development of the Internet, more and more people choose to buy snacks online, which also makes the status of online channels in snack sales gradually rise.

At present, casual snack brands are facing more competition than ever before. In this challenging market, casual snack brands represented by Yijiaren need to constantly adapt to changes in the market and formulate corresponding development strategies to lead the casual snack industry forward.

See how leisure snack brands and companies such as Yijiaren make strategic choices and further development

Product innovation and diversification

In today's increasingly competitive market, casual snack brands must constantly carry out product innovation and research and development to meet consumers' growing new demands for taste and health. With the improvement of people's living standards, the requirements for food are becoming higher and higher, no longer just meet the traditional taste and nutrition, but pay attention to the health of food, nutritional value and taste diversity.

In order to meet these new consumer demands, casual snack brands need to invest a lot of resources and energy in product research and development. This includes research on market trends to understand consumers' taste preferences and health concerns in order to develop new products that meet market needs. At the same time, brands also need to cooperate with scientific research institutions and nutrition experts to introduce advanced technologies and concepts to ensure the nutritional value and health of products.

In addition to the research and development of the product itself, casual snack brands also need to focus on innovation in packaging design. An attractive packaging design can not only increase the attractiveness of the product, but also enhance the brand awareness and image. Therefore, brands need to invest creativity and resources in packaging design to create packaging that is both beautiful and practical to attract consumers. Taking stuffed nori as an example, Yi Jia Ren leisure snacks innovated and developed the pumpkin seed stuffed flavor, and added a unique design to the outside packaging, attracting the attention of consumers.

Channel optimization and online and offline integration

Brands should strengthen online channel construction, use big data and artificial intelligence technology to optimize user experience and improve conversion rates. Offline channels can enhance interaction with consumers through ways such as experiential marketing and community stores.

Taking Yijiaren as an example, it has not only built a strong online channel, but also focused on offline experiential marketing and the construction of community stores. We collect consumer data through online channels and launch personalized products and services based on consumers' preferences and needs. At the same time, it is also opening experience areas and stores in malls and communities to allow consumers to experience the advantages of products and build a closer connection with consumers. This combination of online and offline marketing strategy enables Yijiaren to meet consumer needs and improve brand awareness and loyalty.

Brand differentiation and clear positioning

The key to standing out from many competitors is brand differentiation. Casual snack brands need to clarify their market positioning and attract target consumer groups through unique brand image and values. Like Yijia Ren to create a unique image IP cute doll, Zhao Yiming to "Ming treasure" to attract young people.

At present, the casual snack industry is in a golden period of vitality and growth. The booming of this industry is not only reflected in its broad consumer base, but also in its ability to meet the needs of consumers with cost-effective products. This trend profoundly reveals people's relentless pursuit of food, but also reflects the market's huge demand for casual snacks.

While the casual snack industry is showing strong momentum, it is also inevitably facing a series of challenges. One of the more significant is the intensification of market competition. In this variable market environment, differentiated competition between brands has become the key to win market share. In order to stand out from many competitors, casual snack brands must constantly innovate, introduce distinctive products, while providing personalized consumption experiences to attract consumers' attention and interest.

For snack food enterprises, in order to achieve a leading position in this competition, they must constantly carry out market innovation and improve their own strength. This is not only to meet the growing needs of consumers, but also to maintain their competitive advantage in the fierce market competition. As a leading brand in the industry, such as Yijiaren and other enterprises, they have always been unremitting in innovation and enhance their own strength. These enterprises know that only by constantly innovating can they ensure that they are invincible in the fierce market competition.

In general, although the casual snack industry faces many challenges, as long as enterprises can keep up with the pace of the market, continue to innovate and improve their own strength, they can stand out in this competition and achieve sustainable development and prosperity.