The dumpling category has entered a stage of refined development, and the brand seeks innovation in various directions.
This article was originally published by Red Meal Think Tank (ID: Hongcanzk), author: Red Meal Industry Research Institute.
As a non-negligible member of the snack fast food track, dumplings have obvious regional differences. Due to the different roles of entrants, the dumpling market presents different development prospects in different regions.
So, what is the overall development of the dumpling track?In what ways has the brand launched a new round of competition?Recently,The Red Meal Industry Research Institute released the "Dumpling Category Development Report 2024".to take you together in search of answers.
Fresh take-out dumpling shops have become the "darling of the times".
The dumpling track is hot
Dumplings have a history of thousands of years in China, according to the observation of the Red Meal Industry Research Institute, the development process of dumplings can be divided intoEmbryonic period, growth period, acceleration period, and refined operation periodand other four stages.
Today, the dumpling category has entered the stage of refined operation, and dumpling brands pay more attention to refined operation, and consumers are willing to pay for "freshly packed and cooked" fresh take-out dumplings. The subjects of this report, unless otherwise specified, refer to:Freshly made dumplings that are not quick-frozen
In the past year, the popularity of the dumpling track has shown a fluctuating upward trend, and its Douyin single-day search index is on the day of the winter solstice in 2023It exceeded 8.3 million, a new high in the past five years。According to the huge calculation, in the past year (as of January 2024), among the people searching for dumpling keywords, the proportion of people in Guangdong, Henan, Jiangsu and other places ranked high.
According to the observation of the Red Meal Industry Research Institute, the peak of the popularity of dumplings generally occurs in winter, especially on important festivals and solar terms, which shows that it is not only a dish, but also a link of emotional connection between Chinese people.
The degree of scale is low,The dumpling brand is mainly based on regional development
According to the calculation of the Red Meal Industry Research Institute,In 2023, the market size of China's dumpling category will be about 65 billion yuan. According to the big data of red meals, as of January 2024, the total number of operating stores of dumplings in China exceeds 100,000. As the dumpling brand continues to penetrate into the community fresh market, the dumpling track is expected to explode with more potential.
According to Red Meal Big Data, as of January 2024, 940% of the dumpling brand stores have less than 3 stores, and the proportion of brands with more than 50 stores is 03%。
Specifically, among the dumpling brands, there are not only players such as Yuan Jiyun dumplings, Xijiade shrimp dumplings, Uncle Xiong, and Cantonese dumpling emperors, but also brands such as Dumpling Xianshuo, which were incubated from the quick-frozen dumpling track.
At present, the overall scale of dumplings is not high, with some brands having more than 100 stores, and only a few brands such as Yuan Ji Yun Dumplings have exceeded 1,000 stores. In order to speed up the pace of expansion, some brands from:Franchise and listingand other levels, such as the opening of a number of franchise areas in 2023The founder of Uncle Xiong said that he would consider entering the listing preparation period in 2024 and is expected to have an IPO in 2027.
According to Red Meal Big Data, as of January 2024, 356% of dumpling brands spend 16 25 yuan per capita, followed by 216% of dumpling brands spend 25 35 yuan per capita.
In addition, there are also some brands in the high-end ** belt of more than 50 yuan, such as boat song fish dumplings, Xiding sea urchin dumplings, etc.
Filling innovation targets niche ingredients, and the community has become a popular location
Currently, the dumpling brand is inProducts, store models, models, chains, channels, and communicationand other aspects of competition, market competition has intensified. In this article, we will excerpt some of the key points.
1.The product structure is diversified, and porridge, barbecue, desserts and other products are among the brand menus
In addition to dumplings, the products of most dumpling chain brands will also cover products such as noodles, snacks, and beverages, such as mixed noodles, peanuts, corn juice, etc.
In addition, some brands have launchedRavioli, such as Yuan Ji Yunjiao's shrimp and crab roe wonton, Uncle Xiong's corn fresh meat wonton, Cantonese dumpling Huanghuang's camellia wonton, etc. There are also some brands towardsDinnerdevelopment, for example, Xijiade shrimp dumplings have launched a fresh vegetable pot series, which has improved the richness of products and the repurchase rate;Boat song fish dumplings with spicy fried abalone;Daqinghua dumplings have pot-wrapped meat, etc. The product structure of Da Niang dumplings is also very rich and launchedMeals, fast food, soups, porridgesand other products, such as braised lion's head rice, spicy beef offal soup, white porridge, etc.
2.The filling innovation has come up with new tricks, and the dumplings are integrated with the wine reproduction
According to the Red Meal Industry Research Institute, the main fillings of dumpling brands can be divided into four categories:Vegetables, meat, poultry and eggs, aquatic products, mushrooms。In addition,FruitsIt's also an element that some brands will add. According to reports, as of January 2024, among the dumpling dishes recommended by dumpling consumers, corn fresh meat dumplings, cabbage fresh meat dumplings, leek fresh meat dumplings, mushroom and horseshoe fresh meat dumplings, celery fresh meat dumplings and other products ranked the top five.
For nearly a year,Some niche ingredients are added to the filling by dumpling brands, such as scallops, black truffles, crayfish, oysters, scallops, etc. In October 2023, Boat Song Fish Dumplings also cooperated with Longting Winery to jointly launch a wine dumpling feast. "Dumplings are wine, the more you eat, the more you have", following the opening of the dumpling tavern by the dumpling brand, the integration of dumplings and wine is still deepening.
3."Striving for freshness and locking freshness" has become an important part of the brand competition for fresh dumplings
Dumpling brands have invariably strengthened the construction of the first chain, especially for chain fresh dumpling brandsThe fillings are delivered on the same day, and the dumplings can be freshly packed and cooked, and then to establish a certain product "moat".
In order to enhance the competitiveness of the brand and win the opportunity in the "battle for freshness", brands such as Yuan Ji Yun Dumplings, Uncle Xiong, Xijiade Shrimp Dumplings, and Yue Dumpling Emperor have made their own achievements in strengthening the ability of the first chain.
4.Create a "four-fold" sales model integrating dine-in, take-out, take-out and retail
In order to retain the offline market and embrace online traffic, the dumpling brand is hereDine-in, takeaway, takeaway, retailand other multiple channels have made efforts to form a "four-dimensional" sales model.
Set up a variety of store models, enter different online platforms, and adopt brand matrix operationand other ways are the main ways for dumpling brands to develop channels. For example, Yuan Ji Yun Dumpling has set up a raw food take-out store and a raw and cooked integrated store, and will also enter the Tmall platform in 2023Boat song fish dumplings are also making efforts in the retail channel, and the two brands of Xiaoxian and Xiaoge dumplings launched in recent years are mainly engaged in the quick-frozen dumpling track.
Conclusion
To this day, there are still a considerable number of dumpling brands that have failed to achieve national expansion, which is related to three factors: prominent homogenization problems, large regional differences, and high requirements for the first chain.
In addition, the definition of "ready-to-pack" has caused some controversy among consumers, who are concerned about the ready-made fillings and dough and the integration of the store's ready-to-pack process, which puts forward higher requirements for the brand's back-end ** chain and management operations.
In order to speed up the upgrading and development of the dumpling brand, the Red Meal Industry Research Institute has put forward two major aspects for the dumpling brandRecommendationsFirst, product innovation to achieve brand matrix;Second, strengthen the construction of the first chain and lock the fresh and flavor. I believe that the dumpling brand can seize the "fireworks" that catering consumers like and achieve more breakthroughs!List of high-quality authors