Who is the ice cream assassin "stabbing"?In the era of the immortal popsicle of 1 yuan, I couldn't go back

"China Economic Weekly" reporter Hou Yan | Beijing report

This summer, opening the supermarket's freezer is like opening the pocket of Dream Ameng: the name of Tu Meng, the high -level gorgeous color, the fashionable packaging, and successfully teased the taste buds of consumers. However, this is the legendary "ice cream assassin". The price of 100 yuan is deeply tingling for consumers' wallets, which is caught off guard.

As a result, many people began to recall those who occupied their childhood fairy popsicles: 5 cents of red bean cakes, and where did the little pudding of 1 yuan go? Are they all killed by "ice cream assassins"?

In the age of the ice cream industry, who made the migrant worker lose "the freeness of ice cream"? After capital flowing into the Chinese ice cream industry, can only high prices be exchanged for the "consumption upgrade" of the 100 billion market?

Photography: "China Economic Weekly" reporter Hou Yan

When the capital of various ways "love" on ice and stimulates

"China Ice Cream is currently at the peak of rapid development. Before, it has been a foreign investment and traditional dairy companies and old -fashioned companies in this field. Since 2015 and 2016, capital players from various ways have begun. Especially in recent years Cross -border companies such as Moutai and Hengshun Vinegar have also begun to produce ice cream products to make the industry diversify. "Dairy expert Song Liang told China Economic Weekly.

The Tianyancha APP shows that since 2022, there have been more than 3,000 ice cream -related enterprises in the country since 2022. At present, there are nearly 45,000 ice cream -related enterprises in my country, of which more than 90 % of the enterprises are individual industrial and commercial households, and about 70 % of enterprises are distributed in wholesale and are distributed. Retail industry. Among them, from 2015 to 2021, there were 27 financing incidents of ice cream -related brands, involving a disclosure of 4.1 billion yuan.

The "China Ice Cream Cream Industry Trend Report" shows that my country's ice cream/ice cream market maintains a growth trend. It reached 147 billion yuan in 2020 and exceeded 160 billion yuan in 2021. The market size ranks first in the world.

Photography: "China Economic Weekly" reporter Hou Yan

In an interview with the "China Economic Weekly", Lin Sheng, the founder of Zhong Xue Gao, said that in the past, all ice cream and ice cream were casual retail behavior on the street, but with the advancement of cold chain transportation and heating in the north, the so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called so -called. Different seasonal differences are gradually narrowing. Ice cream not only assumes the function of solving heat, but also has social attributes. The appearance of high -end ice cream provides conditions for ice cream dessertization and socialization. Ice cream has surpassed the category of heat and has become part of the family's "snack basket".

"With the continuous superposition of the demographic dividend of the new generation, the Chinese ice cream industry has entered a period of high -speed growth, high -speed development, and high -speed expansion. The industrial structure of the entire industry has changed dramatically. Three levels, with the expansion of the entire consumption scenario and the acceleration of consumption frequency, Chinese ice cream has fined to six different levels: ultra -high -end, high -end, mid -to -high -end, mid -to -low -end, low -end, and many new. Entering the brand brings living space. "Zhu Danpeng, an analyst at Chinese food industry, told China Economic Weekly.

Photography: "China Economic Weekly" reporter Hou Yan

Who will buy high -priced ice cream

Obviously, after the capital and cross -border companies fell in love with ice, the competition pattern was fierce, and the price of ice cream began to rise.

According to Ai Media Consultation research data, it is difficult for the ice cream market to see the price of 5 cents and 1 yuan, which is replaced by products of more than 3 yuan.

"China Economic Weekly" reporter visited the market and found that ice cream with Internet celebrities has more than 10 yuan, even more expensive. Especially on the e -commerce platform, high -priced ice cream abound. Foreign -funded brands such as Nestlé, Menglong, Bazhi, Meiji, and Hagens Das are all over 15 yuan. The ice cream launched by tea brand Xixi has recently launched the price of about 20 yuan. There are also many cultural and creative ice creams, such as Yuyuantan, Tiantan, Forbidden City and other scenic spots. Cultural and creative ice cream is priced at more than 20 yuan.

Many consumers summarize the "Jianbao" treasures of ice excitement prices: Boxed ice cream, do n’t buy sweets, do n’t buy sweets, do n’t buy chocolate, do n’t buy it, and do n’t buy it if you do n’t know ...

"We have invested hundreds of millions of costs in the construction of flexible supply chains. The cost of raw materials, production, manual and cold chain transportation has risen sharply. As far as the current market feedback It is not simply looking at the price. "Zhong Xuegao told China Economic Weekly.

Ai Media Consultation research data shows that there are many reasons for ice cream to become more and more expensive, and the cost of raw materials is one of them. From 2008 to 2020, the cost of raw materials such as milk and radon increased by about 80%.

"It cannot be simply attributed to the cost factor. Although the cost is generally promoted, the so -called ultra -high -end ice cream that currently sells for more than 50 yuan is not using the cost pricing method. It increases the brand premium according to the unique position of its own market. The interest rate is basically as high as 70%. "Song Liang, an analyst of the dairy industry, told China Economic Weekly.

Zhu Danpeng, an analyst at Chinese food industry, also believes that the reason why some ice cream sells so expensive is more for social attributes and emotional needs. "It can be seen from other dairy products and cold chain foods that they are not as large and fast as the ice cream industry."

The industry practitioners in many ice cream industries told China Economic Weekly that the price of ice cream is not the cost of raw materials to determine everything. Channel operations and logistics costs will increase the price of ice excitement. "Many people miss a" fairy popsicle "of a dollar, but that scene is gone. A ice cream can only reach consumers by multiple links such as production enterprises, logistics transportation, agents, etc., especially It is the price increase of 30%of each channel, and then it will be transferred to various small stores and supermarkets. "Zhang Liang, a brand of ice cream wholesaler, told China Economic Weekly.

Photography: "China Economic Weekly" reporter Hou Yan

Zhang Liang said, and consumers corresponding to various channels are also different. Traditional circulation channels such as community supermarkets, husband and wife shops, and street stores are family consumer groups, convenience stores are white -collar workers, Hema Sams are middle -class families, e -commerce companies are high -end and low -end and low -end and low -end and low -end and low -end low -end and low -end All consumers have. At present, the industry is fiercely competitive. In order to expand franchisees, it is already a common method for giving free to freezer to the street shops to sell their own brands.

So, is consumer willing to pay for high -priced ice cream?

Bright cold drinks told reporters that at present 80%of Guangming products are classic products and 20%are innovative products. Among them, classic products adhere to parity sales. Data provided by a wholesale market show that among the more than 80 ice cream products provided by Yili to dealers in 2022, only 10 products are more than 10 yuan, and products with less than 5 yuan account for more than 60%. In the Mengniu product system, except for Tiren Shengxue's cup ice pricing of 10 yuan, the recommended retail price of nearly 40 other products is less than 10 yuan, of which more than 80%of them are less than 5 yuan.

Obviously, the dairy giants have begun to lay out the cheap ice cream consumer market.

A merchant wholesale market told reporters that expensive soldiers could not be sold, and those who could run were still cheap ice cream.

"High -priced and high -priced audiences, low prices and low -priced scenes. After the market is impetuous, it must be the rationality of large waves." Zhu Danpeng said.

Responsible editor | Yang Lin

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