With the acceleration of the pace of life, prefabricated dishes are gradually becoming a new choice on the dining table of modern people because of their convenient and fast characteristics. It not only satisfies people's needs for food, but also provides great convenience for people in a fast-paced life.
Next, we will further explore the various aspects of the prepared food industry from three aspects: market analysis, future gameplay and future trends.
Prepared Vegetable Market Analysis
1. Market size and growth
The prefabricated food industry has shown a rapid development trend in recent years, thanks to many factors such as policy support, increased consumer demand and corporate innovation. According to the measures issued by the National Development and Reform Commission, the potential of the prefabricated vegetable market has been tapped, and it is expected that the size of the mainland prefabricated vegetable market will reach 510 billion yuan in 2023, and by 2026, this figure is expected to rise to the trillion yuan level. Up to now, the number of prefabricated food-related enterprises in mainland China has reached more than 64,000, of which 46.8% of the prefabricated food-related enterprises were established within 1 to 5 years, showing the vitality and growth potential of the industry.
In addition, according to the release of the "Blue Book on the Development of China's Prefabricated Food Industry in 2023", the size of China's prefabricated food market in 2023 will be 516.5 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 23.1%, and it is expected to be close to 1,072 billion yuan by 2026. This data further confirms the rapid growth and broad development prospects of the prepared food market.
2. Consumer group analysis
1) Office workers with busy careers: Due to their busy schedules, they tend to opt for pre-made dishes to save cooking time.
2) Seniors: Pre-made dishes provide them with a convenient and hygienic eating option while catering to their taste and health needs.
3) People who live alone: For people who live alone in cities, pre-made dishes are healthy and convenient, making them an ideal choice.
4) Young people: Young people who value quality and health also tend to choose pre-made dishes because they can provide diverse and personalized options.
3. Sales model and market penetration
The sales scenarios of pre-made dishes are mainly catering hotels, C-end consumers and family tables. It has four different sales models.
1) Restaurant stall mode
Restaurant stalls are a unique way of operating in the field of prefabricated dishes, setting up prefabricated food stalls in the store, and there is no chef in the stalls, but placing freezers to present optional prefabricated dishes, and consumers choose the dishes and the staff will heat them up and serve them.
2) Online new retail model
The rise of online channels such as community group buying, fresh e-commerce, and home delivery services has provided an important infrastructure for the C-end sales of the prefabricated food industry, representing platforms such as Duoduo Buy, Hema Fresh, Meituan Buy, etc.
3) Supermarket retail model
This is a more traditional to C supply model, and the most typical problem of the limitations of supermarket channels is that there are requirements for the category of prefabricated dishes. Supermarkets mainly support products with a long shelf life and no need for freezing and refrigeration.
4) Self-operated/franchised store model
There are some prefabricated food merchants who sell through official websites, self-built e-commerce platforms, and offline stores, and this model is dominated by well-known catering brands and large players of prefabricated dishes.
The future of pre-made dishes
1) Product innovation
Prepared food companies need to continuously innovate their products to meet the diverse needs of consumers for taste, nutrition and health. For example, we can develop more pre-made dishes with regional characteristics, or launch healthy pre-made food products with low fat, low sugar and high fiber.
2) Quality and brand building
Quality is the key to winning the trust of consumers in prepared dishes. Enterprises need to pay attention to the selection of ingredients, the improvement of processing technology and the upgrading of product packaging to improve product quality. At the same time, it is also crucial to strengthen brand building. Increase consumer awareness and loyalty to your brand by creating a unique brand image and word-of-mouth.
3) Channel expansion and marketing strategy
In addition to traditional online and offline sales channels, prefabricated food companies can also consider cooperating with catering companies to provide them with customized prefabricated food products and expand the B2B market. In terms of marketing strategy, you can use Internet marketing methods such as live broadcast and social media to promote brands and products to improve the popularity and market share of prefabricated dishes.
Future trends in pre-made dishes
1) Policy support and industrial development
With the government's increasing attention and support for the prefabricated food industry, it is expected that more policies conducive to the development of the industry will be introduced in the future. This will provide a better policy environment and market opportunities for prefabricated food enterprises.
2) Consumer demand continues to escalate
Consumers' demand for pre-made dishes will be more focused on quality, taste and health. Therefore, prefabricated food enterprises need to keep up with the changes in market demand and constantly innovate to meet the upgrading needs of consumers.
3) Scientific and technological innovation and intelligent production
In the future, the prefabricated food industry will pay more attention to scientific and technological innovation and intelligent production. Through the introduction of advanced production technology and equipment, improve production efficiency and product quality; At the same time, big data, artificial intelligence and other technical means are used to carry out precision marketing and supply chain management to enhance the core competitiveness of enterprises.
To sum up, the prefabricated food industry has shown a positive development trend in many aspects such as market demand, policy support, and consumer awareness. However, how to stand out in the fierce market competition and meet the increasingly diverse needs of consumers is still a challenge for prefabricated food enterprises. Through continuous innovation and improvement of product quality and service quality, prefabricated food enterprises are expected to occupy a place in the future market. (Meng Yuzhi/text)