Lead
From exotic species to popular tracks, the bullfrog category has entered a stage of steady development.
In order to better present the development of the bullfrog track, the Red Meal Industry Research Institute and the head brand of Bullfrog Laida jointly launched the "Bullfrog Category Development Report 2023"
This article was originally published by Red Meal Think Tank (ID: hongcanzk), author: Red Meal Industry Research Institute.
In 2023, the Bullfrog Track is really lively.
In May 2023, the first store of Frog 6.0 in Guangzhou achieved a high queue of more than 2,600 tables during its opening. In June 2023, Frog Laida obtained three authoritative certifications authorized by Frost & Sullivan, a global corporate growth consulting company, as "China's Pioneer of Perilla Bullfrog Meals", "No. 1 in China's Bullfrog Restaurant Chain Enterprise in 2022", and "No. 1 in Frog Pot Sales in China's Bullfrog Catering Industry in 2022".
At the same time, brands in other tracks have also launched new bullfrog-related dishes. For example, Haidilao in the hot pot track has launched the "Frog Frog Pot", KFC in the Western-style fast food track has launched the legendary Hong Kong-style bullfrog Taco, some barbecue restaurants in the barbecue track have launched roast bullfrogs, and some lo-mei restaurants in the lo-mei track have launched spicy braised bullfrogs......
In this context, what are the new changes in the bullfrog category? How can the bullfrog brand achieve a differentiated breakthrough in terms of products, channels, supply chains, and brand building? Recently, the Red Meal Industry Research Institute and the head brand of Bullfrog Laida jointly released the "Bullfrog Category Development Report 2023", which will take you to find out.
01
The bullfrog track continues to expand,
The market size is expected to reach 68 billion yuan in 2023
Bullfrogs are native to North America and have the characteristics of delicious meat, high nutritional value and strong plasticity of ingredients. In the 80s of the 20th century, it was introduced to the mainland for breeding and breeding, and after the excavation of bullfrog dishes in Sichuan, Hunan, Cantonese and other restaurants, it gradually became popular in some restaurants.
In 2011, the first store of frog food brand Frog Laida opened in Changsha, creating a precedent for bullfrog specialty stores. Subsequently, after years of development, bullfrog has gradually developed from a dish to a popular track.
Especially after the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs clarified the identity of new bullfrog aquatic varieties in March 2020, the development speed of bullfrog categories has been further accelerated, and the track has been continuously expanded. According to the big data of Red Meal, as of December 2023, the number of domestic bullfrog catering stores has exceeded 50,000 (including bullfrog specialty stores and bullfrog-related catering stores). Among them, the number of bullfrog stores increased by 15% year-on-year, and the national bullfrog market size is expected to reach 68 billion yuan in 2023.
At the same time, the number of entrants to the bullfrog track is also increasing. According to Qichacha data, as of December 2023, the number of bullfrog-related enterprises registered in 2023 has exceeded 670, a year-on-year increase of 45.4%, and the number of bullfrog-related enterprises in China has exceeded 2,070, a year-on-year increase of 30%, an increase of 123.4% compared with 2019, doubling in five years.
At present, the bullfrog track mainly presents the following characteristics:
1. The regional distribution of bullfrog stores is uneven, and the number of bullfrog stores in East China is the largest
From the perspective of regional distribution, Bullfrog stores are mainly concentrated in East China, South China and Southwest China, accounting for more than 77% of the total number of stores. From the perspective of provincial-level administrative regions, Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Sichuan provinces ranked the top three in terms of the number of stores, accounting for more than 10%. Secondly, Zhejiang, Hunan, Yunnan, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and other provincial-level administrative regions also have a high proportion.
The Red Meal Industry Research Institute believes that Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan, Fujian and other provinces have rich experience in raising frogs, and Sichuan, Hunan, Guangdong and Zhejiang cuisine have fully tapped the delicacy of bullfrogs, or provide a certain foundation for the development of bullfrog brands in these provinces.
From the perspective of the distribution of Bullfrog stores in tier-level cities, the number of stores in second-tier cities accounted for the highest proportion, at 28.2%. Except for fifth-tier cities and below, the number of bullfrog stores in other first-tier cities accounted for more than 10%. Overall, the number of stores in second-tier and above cities accounts for more than 60%, while the number of stores in fourth-tier cities and below accounts for less than 20%, which shows that the bullfrog category still has some room for development in the sinking market.
From the perspective of urban distribution, among the top 10 cities in the country in terms of the number of bullfrog stores, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Ningbo rank among the top three in terms of the number of stores, accounting for more than 4% of the total number of stores.
2. The scale advantage of the head brand is obvious, and the process of nationalization is accelerated
At present, the entrants of the Bullfrog Track are mainly divided into four categories, namely Bullfrog Specialty Stores, Frog Fish Hot Pot, other catering brands and catering upstream enterprises.
In recent years, the development momentum of bullfrog specialty stores and beautiful frog fish hot pot brands has been strong, and the number of stores of brands such as Frog Laida and Weizhi Wonderful Frog Fish Head has exceeded 300.
After more than ten years of development, the bullfrog head brand led by Frog Laida has gradually become a scale. Red meal big data shows that the number of bullfrog brands with more than 100 stores accounts for about 8%. In addition to head strength, the backbone of the bullfrog cannot be ignored. The number of bullfrog brands with 11~100 stores accounts for more than half of the total. In recent years, the bullfrog waist brand team has been growing, accumulating strength for the development of the bullfrog category.
In recent years, the nationalization process of the Bullfrog brand has been accelerating, and the number of stores of multiple brands in more than 50 cities has been stationed. As the first brand of bullfrog, Frog Laida occupies the market opportunity. According to the big data of Red Meal, as of December 2023, Frog has entered more than 100 cities across the country, and its stores in first-tier cities and new first-tier cities account for about 60% of the total number of stores, far exceeding other brands.
In addition to the head brands, most of the bullfrog brands are still mainly in the region, and the number of cities stationed in them is less than 10.
3. The per capita consumption of more than ninety percent of brand stores is 60~90 yuan, and the track is further subdivided and broadened the price band
From the perspective of per capita consumption distribution, the per capita consumption of bullfrog brand stores is relatively concentrated, with the mainstream per capita consumption price at 60~90 yuan, accounting for more than ninety percent, and the proportion of this price segment in 2023 will increase by 3.4 percentage points compared with 2022.
In the past two years, small shops with roasted bullfrogs and spicy braised bullfrogs as their main products have gradually emerged, and their per capita consumption is about 30 yuan. The emergence of roasted bullfrog and spicy marinated bullfrog further enriches the consumption scene of bullfrog and provides ideas for the further subdivision of the bullfrog track.
02
The innovation of the bullfrog category is accelerating, and the breakthrough of differentiation is imminent
In 2023, with the popularity of the bullfrog track, the competition between brands is also intensifying.
1. "Bullfrog +" has become a trend, and some brands use "live frog cooking" to create differentiation
In recent years, in order to further attract consumers, the Bullfrog brand has broadened its product line through the "Bullfrog+" approach. For example, the flavor type is no longer limited to spicy, spicy and other flavors, and begins to add cheese, tomato flavor, snail powder flavor and other flavor types, and in the cooking method, we also try spicy marinade, charcoal grilling and other methods to make the bullfrog dishes more abundant.
In addition to the innovation in flavor and cooking methods, the bullfrog brand is also actively exploring the cross-border integration of products. For example, some bullfrog brands add Hunan cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, Cantonese cuisine, Xinjiang cuisine, snacks, barbecue, tea, desserts and other products to the menu to meet the diversified needs of consumers. In addition to the main frog pot series, there are also snacks, barbecue, steamed dishes, special dishes, staple foods, desserts, special drinks and other products.
In addition, in order to achieve differentiation and breakthrough, some bullfrog brands use "live frog cooking" in ingredients to enhance consumers' dining experience.
2. There is a sinking trend in brand stores, and the decoration style focuses on "fireworks"
Previously, the location of the Bullfrog brand stores was mostly selected in large shopping malls and shopping malls in first- and second-tier cities, but in the past two years, the stores of Bullfrog have gradually sunk. Compared with 2022, the proportion of bullfrog stores in third-tier cities and below will increase to varying degrees in 2023, and the proportion of bullfrog stores in third-tier cities will increase by nearly 2 percentage points.
The Bullfrog brand is not only actively expanding the market in third-tier cities and below, but also trying to lay out community stores. For example, although most of the current stores are shopping mall stores, in 2022, it will start to develop community stores in Dongguan, Beijing and other places, among which the Dongguan community store has already begun to open.
Continuously upgrading and iterating the store style is an effective strategy for the brand to maintain a younger image, enhance consumer stickiness and increase the repurchase rate.
In order to keep younger, in terms of store decoration style, the store style of the Bullfrog brand is updating faster and faster, and the style is becoming younger and younger. Taking Frog Laida as an example, its store style has been updated and iterated from "1.0 Industrial Style", "2.0 Neon Fantasy Wind", "3.0 Black Gold Wind", "4.0 Lightning Wind" and "5.0 Planet Technology Style" to "6.0 Super Night Market Style".
△ Image source: Courtesy of Frog Laida
The Red Meal Industry Research Institute learned that the Frog Lai Da 6.0 Super Night Market style store, on the basis of retaining the high-quality style of the previous stores, integrates the elements of the night market, such as retro tiles, dazzling block lighting, food stall-style space design and fireworks elements that can be seen everywhere, etc., to perfectly integrate the shopping mall and the night market, so that consumers can feel the strong atmosphere of fireworks. In May 2023, the Frog Lai Da 6.0 Super Night Market Style Store officially opened in Guangzhou Grandview Plaza, with more than 1,000 tables queuing up on the opening day.
3. Actively explore new "battlefields", and online channels have become a must for the bullfrog brand
With the increasing influence of online traffic platforms on catering brands, Bullfrog brands have also begun to actively embrace online traffic, attract new customers through short videos, live broadcasts and other methods, enhance brand attention, and broaden revenue channels.
Taking Frog Laida as an example, in 2022, Frog Laida will start a pilot Douyin live broadcast in Changsha, attracting new users through live broadcast, spreading bullfrog food culture, and gaining a large number of new fans. It is understood that in 2023, Frog Laida will sell about 200,000 copies of frog pot through the live broadcast room, with live broadcast sales exceeding 20 million yuan and an increase of 4.6w fans, of which 86% are new customers.
In addition to live broadcasting, takeaway is also the main battlefield of Bullfrog's online channels. Red meal big data shows that from December 2022 to November 2023, the takeaway volume of the bullfrog category on the takeaway platform exceeded 100 million, and the average monthly sales of a single store exceeded 500.
Among them, the performance of the head brand frog Laida in the takeaway business is very bright. The Red Meal Industry Research Institute has learned that more than 270 stores have opened online takeaway business, and the average monthly sales of a single store have exceeded 2,000 orders. Among them, the maximum monthly sales volume of a single store can reach 8,000 orders. It is understood that at present, the turnover of frog takeaway accounts for 10%~20% of the store's turnover. From the consumer side, consumers are generally satisfied with the taste, quantity, price and packaging of frog takeaway products.
△ Image source: Frog Laida's official Weibo
4. The brand has built its own "ecological farming" base in the upstream, and the standardized construction of the supply chain has achieved initial results
As the bullfrog brand pays more and more attention to the health and safety of ingredients, the bullfrog brand gradually strictly controls every link of the bullfrog from the pond to the table. For example, in 2016, Frog Laida began to take the lead in piloting the "three-level detection" mode of bullfrogs, which was tested at three levels of Tangtou, warehouse and store, and the safety and health of bullfrog ingredients were controlled throughout the process.
In addition, Frog Laida also adopts label management for bullfrogs, and gradually establishes a supply chain traceability system to ensure that each batch of bullfrogs is a product that has passed strict testing.
In order to establish a stable bullfrog supply chain system, many bullfrog brands have also begun to go upstream, build their own ecological breeding bases, and promote the standardization of the bullfrog breeding industry. For example, since 2018, Frog Laida has built its own breeding base, and the current breeding base exceeds 1,000 acres, mainly concentrated in Anhui, Hunan, Guangdong and other places. Through the training of breeding demonstration bases and order-based cooperation, frog Laida further promotes the standardization of the upstream aquaculture industry.
5. Brand communication has been paid more and more attention, and co-branding and festival have become a new fashion
As the Bullfrog brand pays more and more attention to the value of brand communication. Many bullfrog brands have built brand images from the aspects of IP image, cultural and creative peripherals, co-branding, and brand days.
Taking Frog Lai Da as an example, Frog Lai Da co-created the image of "Da Da" with fans, and also launched a series of peripheral products, such as playing cards, mobile phone holders, fans, environmental bags, etc. Since 2020, Frog has held Super Brand Days for four consecutive years, including the Super Brand Day in 2023 and Jaw Horse Drama to create an immersive stage play "Player The Life" for frog fans. On the basis of "immersion", the Claw Horse Drama adds the idea of "interactive interpretation", and frog fans truly participate in the performance, interact with NPCs at zero distance to create their own second life, and raise the interactivity of the dining experience to a new height.
epilogue
Although the overall popularity of the bullfrog track has not decreased, it is also facing the following two challenges: first, the problem of homogenization has begun to appear, and the competition is becoming increasingly fierce, and second, the construction of the supply chain needs to be further standardized and standardized.
In this context, if the bullfrog brand wants to enhance its competitiveness and break through, it can make efforts to strengthen product innovation, develop the sinking market, and consolidate the supply chain.