With the improvement of health awareness, sugar-free tea has received more and more attention and love in recent years. However, in the context of fierce market competition, low-price competition is gradually destroying the entire sugar-free tea industry. In order to compete for market share, many brands continue to lower prices, causing the price of sugar-free tea to drop from 6 yuan to 5 yuan to 3 yuan.
The consequence of this phenomenon is not only the decline in product quality, but also the dilemma of the entire industry. Low-price competition has led to price confusion for sugar-free tea, and consumers cannot judge the true value of the product, and thus cannot make wise purchasing decisions. This not only affects the brand image of sugar-free tea, but also threatens the healthy and sustainable development of the entire industry.
In the context of the rush of new products and price wars among various brands, the sugar-free tea that was popular last year is trapped on the shelves this year. Except for Oriental Leaves (Nongfu Spring), which still maintains a certain growth, the sugar-free tea products of major brands are facing extremely serious challenges. Nongfu Spring's Oriental Leaves series, although the market share of jasmine tea original flavor 900ml and green citrus Pu'er tea original flavor 900ml is on the rise, the market share of jasmine tea original flavor 500ml and green citrus Pu'er tea original flavor 500ml has decreased year-on-year.
In the summer of 2024, the competition in the sugar-free tea market is chaotic, and most products have dropped to less than 5 yuan
In addition to the impact on sales, more and more products, and more and more players, the biggest change in sugar-free tea is the change in price. From the beginning of the popularity, the price of 6 yuan, to the current price of sugar-free tea in the market is constantly falling, 10 yuan, and even 3 yuan has become the norm.
Take Suntory as an example. Since its popularity, sales have risen rapidly, and the foundation accumulated by years of rooting in the market continues to show. However, since the promotional price of 3.9 yuan appeared last year, there have been rumors that it will launch a price war. Until this year, the promotional price of 3 yuan for Suntory products in the market has become more and more common.
As a representative product of Nongfu Spring, Oriental Leaves occupies an important position in the sugar-free tea market. However, the pressure of low-price competition has inevitably led Oriental Leaves to fall into a price war. In order to compete for market share, Oriental Leaves had to lower its prices. In the Hongqi supermarket chain, the price of multiple flavors of Oriental Leaves was reduced from 5 yuan to 4.2 yuan per bottle. This undoubtedly affected its brand value and product quality.
Red Star Capital Bureau (Famous Chinese financial news media) released news on June 18 that recently, after visiting, Red Star Capital Bureau found that many sugar-free tea brands in convenience stores and supermarkets have started promotional activities, and regular-capacity sugar-free tea products have been reduced from 5 yuan and above to less than 5 yuan.
FamilyMart's promotion of sugar-free tea is more extensive: Suntory's designated tea drinks can get an extra bottle for an additional 2 yuan, two bottles of Oriental Leaves are priced at 8.8 yuan, Master Kong's "Heir of Tea" tea drinks have been reduced from 6.5 yuan to 6 yuan per bottle, and Ito Garden Green Tea can get an extra bottle for an additional 1 yuan.
In Jianfu convenience stores, the original price of Suntory's two flavors of products was 5.5 yuan per bottle, but recently any combination of 3 bottles only costs 9.9 yuan, and Yuanqi Forest Gold Dust Tea has been reduced from 5.5 yuan/bottle to 3.5 yuan/bottle. In Lawson convenience stores, many products including Nongfu Spring Oriental Leaves and Uni-President Spring Brush are offering a 50% discount on the second item, and many Suntory products have launched a "second item for 1 yuan" campaign.
In fact, low-price competition has not only affected sugar-free tea brands, but also affected the development of the entire industry. In order to survive, many small brands have to reduce costs and attract consumers with lower prices. For example, Cha Xiaokai Tea Drinks offers a 30% discount on two bottles (4.2 yuan after discount), and the new brand "Guozishuole" only needs to make any purchase in the store and add 3.5 yuan to get the designated flavor. However, these small brands often lack strong R&D and production capabilities, and product quality is difficult to guarantee, which ultimately damages the interests of the entire industry.
In order to cope with the pressure of low-price competition, sugar-free tea brands need to start from multiple aspects. First, strengthen R&D efforts and launch more differentiated competitive products to meet the needs of different consumers. Secondly, focus on brand image building, enhance brand awareness and reputation, and win consumer recognition and trust with high-quality and high-value products. In addition, strengthen cooperation with channel dealers, establish stable sales channels, and avoid negative impacts of price wars on sales.
In order to guide consumers to consume rationally and choose brands with guaranteed quality, we can start from the following aspects:
- Understand the brand background: Choose brands with strength and reputation, and avoid choosing small brands or emerging brands, which often have the risk of unstable quality.
- Pay attention to product quality: Quality is the lifeline of the product, and choosing sugar-free tea products with guaranteed quality is the key. You can understand the true quality of the product by checking the relevant logos on the product packaging and consulting sales staff.
- Rational consumption: Don't blindly pursue low-priced products, but make choices based on your actual needs and consumption ability. High-quality and high-value products often meet your needs better.
- Advocate the concept of green consumption: Sugar-free tea, as a healthy drink, conforms to the concept of green consumption. When choosing sugar-free tea, please pay attention to factors such as environmental protection, health, and sustainability to create a healthier and more environmentally friendly living environment for yourself and your family.
In summary, the sugar-free tea industry is facing the pressure of low-price competition and price chaos. For the healthy development of the industry, we need to work together and take effective measures to meet these challenges. Only in this way can the sugar-free tea industry regain confidence and move towards a better future!
Note:
The amounts mentioned in the article are in RMB
The RMB exchange rate on the date of publication is: $1=￥7.25
This article was independently created and published by Herbfields.net.