It's another year of Valentine's Day, showing affection in the circle of friends, showing gifts - all kinds of plush toys, cosmetics, electronic products, and ** products that have soared in popularity in the past two years, which are even hotter, and quickly seize the Valentine's Day gift market. But among the dazzling array of gifts, the former "lover.""Saving hard currency" - Ferrero, it seems that it is rarely seen. Not only are there very few people around you who buy it and give it as gifts, but on the purchase page of some platforms, you will also see people asking questions:"Isn't it too stingy to give me Ferrero on Valentine's Day? ”"Wouldn't it seem stingy to give your girlfriend this? ”Someone in the comment section replied: "If your girlfriend is an elementary school student, she won't look stingy." ”
Ferrero Tmall*** screenshot of the former "Valentine's Day top" Ferrero, how did he fall to this? 
I remember the first time I saw Ferrero in elementary school, and a classmate took a ** to the class in high spirits. In the golden square gift box, there are round, aluminum foil-wrapped chocolate balls, which instantly attract the attention of the whole class. "It was a Valentine's Day gift that my sister received. ”At that time, Ferrero seemed to be synonymous with romance and nobility, and it was also one of the "best gifts" for lovers on Valentine's Day. Whoever receives a ** Ferrero can become the object of envy of others. 
There is a long tradition of giving chocolates on Valentine's Day. In the 30s of the last century, a Japanese confectionery company called "Morozov" advertised its products: "Give our beautiful box of chocolates as a Valentine's Day gift to your loved one." ”This marketing that linked "chocolate" and "Valentine's Day" has led the way ever since. 
The major chocolate brands of the love movie "Love Chocolate" have played selling points related to "romantic love". Dove chocolate is an abbreviation of "Do You Love Me", and the difference between "dove" and "love" is only one letter. Legend has it that behind it, there is also a moving story about "first love". In the drop-shaped Hershey's chocolate, there is a small note with a confession of love written on it. Despite the many competitors, Ferrero managed to take his place on the chocolate circuit on his own. Data shows that for a long time, the market share of Mars (the parent company of Dove and Snickers), Ferrero, Nestle, Hershey, and Mondelēz has been close to 80%; Among them, Ferrero is second only to Mars in first place. Ferrero Rocher, born in Italy in 1946, has the same name as Dove, which carries the meaning of love. Ferrero means "I love you" in Italian, corresponding to its slogan: "Only for the people you love the most." ”Ferrero's appeal to consumers is largely due to its unique shape. Individually wrapped spherical chocolates dressed in gold foil paper, neatly arranged one by one, displayed in a transparent gift box. At a glance, the "golden light" is shining, revealing some elegance and nobility from the inside out. There is also a unique heart-shaped packaging that deepens its association with Valentine's Day. 
Source: Ferrero Weibo At the top of each Ferrero, there is an oval label, printed with the product name and the words "from Italy"; The corrugated multi-layer bottom at the bottom also adds a bit of delicacy to it. And under its design-filled packaging, rich layers and materials, it can also allow its consumers to taste "multiple tastes". A coat of crushed hazelnuts and milk chocolate, a layer of wafer biscuits, a layer of hazelnut-flavored chocolate sauce and a whole hazelnut kernel at the center. The first time you eat it, chances are you'll be amazed by the taste: "It's delicious!" "Some people like to bite down and feel the multiple textures and ingredients blend in the mouth. There are also people who like to eat it layer by layer, carefully savoring the different flavors of each layer. 
This ** is eating chocolate, and this eating is clearly a confession of "if you are willing to peel off my heart layer by layer". Therefore, when it comes to major festivals, Ferrero will become the "golden signboard" in the mall. Not only on Valentine's Day, but also during the Spring Festival, the "Ferrerota" piled high will also attract the attention of adults and children who come to prepare New Year's goods. 
In Guangdong, Ferrero is called "Jinsha", especially in Guangdong, Ferrero's sales are very good, and some netizens have statistics that the people of Guangdong hoard Ferrero during the Chinese New Year every year, at least hundreds of millions. And just like precious love, it is always extravagant and rare; The expensive pricing and positioning also rendered Ferrero a bit of valuable color. On the one hand, the price is high, and a casual box of gift boxes is usually hundreds of yuan. 
Source: Picture Worm Creative.
On the other hand, after Ferrero entered the Chinese market, it reached a cooperation with Watsons to display the latter as a window display. Through the combination of sales with cosmetics categories, Ferrero's "value" has also been invisibly raised. Some people love its not monotonous taste, some people love its gorgeous packaging, some people love its **expensive, gift-giving ...... faceIn short, in the minds of many people, Ferrero had some "high-end luxury" filters. 
In recent years, Ferrero's "golden light" seems to be a bit bleak. According to the index, between 2012 and 2015, before Valentine's Day on February 14 every year, Ferrero's index accelerated and soared, far surpassing Dove, Hershey and other peers, and the index reached twice that of Dove many times. By Valentine's Day 2016, Ferrero's index was only 3677, down 60 from 9294 in the previous year44%。Since then, Ferrero's index has been all the way down. 
Screenshot of the index.
The clues can also be seen in the changes in Ferrero's market share. In 2018, Ferrero's market share in China was 87%；In 2021, that number slipped to 76%。The reason for this is not unrelated to the frequent "rollover incidents" in Ferrero over the years. On April 15, 2022, the General Administration of Customs of China reminded consumers: "Please immediately stop buying and consuming the relevant chocolate products produced by Ferrero Group's factory in Arlon, Belgium. ”The reason is that more than 150 cases of salmonella epidemics occurred in many countries in Europe and the United States in the month. After investigation by the World Health Organization, it was found that the source of infection of this outbreak is the "Kinder brand chocolate" series products produced by Ferrero Group's Arlon factory in December 2021 and January 2022.
CCTV "First Time".
And these chocolates have been sold to at least 113 countries and regions. In June of the same year, a man in Shaanxi Province found maggots while eating Ferrero. From the ** he provided, you can see the maggots wriggling on the chocolate. And the expiration date of this box of Ferrero is until July 15 this year, ** shooting fashion is within the expiration date.
Weibo @Phoenix Weekly.
But in the face of consumer complaints, the solution given by Ferrero customer service is only:"You can apply to the company for some products and give them to consumers (as compensation). ”This has awakened the public's memories of the "Ferrero Incident", and this is not the first time that someone has eaten worms from Ferrero. In 2012, it was reported by **oneThe girl ate worms in the Ferrero given by her boyfriend Tanabata - 7 out of 9 had worms, and the most 1 had 4 worms. In 2018, Ms. Wang from Chongqing broke the news on the Internet that maggots were crawling on the Ferrero chocolates she bought, and this phenomenon was present in the remaining chocolates. The search found that many netizens had the experience of "eating Ferrero and eating bugs"; The same "fright" is repeated again and again at different times and places.
This makes consumers who like to eat Ferrero not only feel upset in their stomachs, but also doubt and disappointment in their hearts. "It's Ferrero's die-hard fan, and he can't continue to love it. ”The frequent occurrence of similar food safety and sanitation incidents has dissuaded a large number of customers; Ferrero has not innovated all year round, which also causes consumers to have aesthetic fatigue. In addition, over the years, some "new forces" on the chocolate track have made the competition more intense; There are also more options for gift-giving on Valentine's Day, and there is no need for lovers to use chocolate to express their love......The combination of various factors caused Ferrero to step down from the altar. The "Ferrerota", which used to be eye-catching in shopping malls, has become a "little transparent" in the corner of a convenience store or supermarket, often eating dust in the bottom row. Even if some ** activities are launched, it is no longer the best choice for people to express their romance.
It is worth mentioning that the decline of Ferrero is also a microcosm of the current state of the chocolate industry. Ferrero is not the only chocolate that has repeatedly "overturned", and peers are also "lowering the ceiling of the industry" one after another. In May 2022, the Japanese company of the "global candy giant" Mars Group suddenly announced that it would recall 3.01 million pieces of its "Snickers" products due to "mixed glass pieces". It turned out that some customers reported that their teeth fell out after consuming their products. After investigation, it was found that a piece of glass about 7 mm long was mixed into it, so it was decided to ** the goods produced by the same production line. Corresponding to the frequent problems is the stagnation of product innovation by chocolate brands in the face of changes in consumer demand.
Source: Picture Worm Creative.
On the one hand, people are expressing their love in an increasingly diverse way. It's no longer just chocolate that can express romance, a lipstick, a bottle of perfume, a set of cosmetics, a bag ......There are more and more alternative options as "Valentine's Day gifts". On the other hand, in recent years, as the public has become more and more health-conscious, the concept of "sugar-free" has emerged. At a time when sparkling water, milk tea, or yogurt are labeled as "no sucrose" and "0 added sugar", it is becoming more and more difficult for consumers to pay for "sweet and greasy" chocolate.
On Valentine's Day 2024, chocolate-related topics will be on the hot search Source: Weibo topic.
However, most international chocolate players did not react immediately and launched products that "keep pace with the times". On the contrary, some new brands, with their keen business sense, are waiting for an opportunity to tear a hole in the giants. For example, Founded in 2019, Daily Black Qiao, focusing on the selling point of "health", launched a chocolate product that claims "cocoa content up to 98% and uses inulin instead of white sugar". One year after the brand was launched, the turnover exceeded 100 million yuan, and it quickly became popular. But on the whole, since 2015, China's chocolate industry has begun to decline, and the overall sales volume has declined. Kantar Worldpanel's survey has found that since March 2015, the annual penetration rate and purchase frequency of chocolate products in the Chinese market have continued**. In 2020, the scale of China's chocolate retail market shrank by nearly 2 billion yuan compared with 2019, and the market share of the giants also declined to varying degrees.
On Valentine's Day just past, relevant surveys showed that nearly ninety percent of consumers did not send chocolates on Valentine's Day In the eyes of industry insiders, homogenization is a common dilemma faced by chocolate brands at present"Most of them focus on product raw materials, tastes, and textures to do publicity, or marketing limited scenes, but they have not found bright spots to attract young people. ”
In the past, festivals and weddings were the main consumption scenes of chocolate. During the holidays, the "giant" chocolate decorations and large-scale ** activities placed in supermarkets stimulate consumers' senses and desire to buy. In recent years, the reduction of large-scale marketing of offline supermarkets and the cold wedding market have affected people's desire to consume chocolate to a certain extent, and indirectly led to the decline in chocolate sales. Previously, a news that "Hershey is going to withdraw from China" circulated in the market. Although the rumors were later refuted, a former employee of Hershey revealed: "The employees of Hershey China have almost been dismissed" and "almost equivalent to going out of business".
Source: Hershey's Chocolate WeiboWhen the "sweetness" that once laid the foundation for the chocolate giants has become a "burden", I don't know where chocolate will go. What is certain is that products that are romantic to death, but that do not keep up with the times and do not meet the needs of consumers will eventually become obsolete. Perhaps, maintaining sincerity and reverence for consumers is the real way out for chocolate brands.