Looking back at 2020, which is coming to an end, the epidemic has posed a huge challenge to the food industry. However, against the backdrop of an industry in which all the horses are in the air, there are still amazing new products that have emerged, such as Youchen Magic Toast. Data shows: from March to November this year, the sales of Youchen Magic Toast exceeded the 100 million yuan mark in 8 months!
So, what is the magic of Youchen Magic Toast and how is it able to rise against the wind under the epidemic? For this reason, the food board conducted multiple investigations and in-depth interviews with dealers on the frontline of the market, to reveal the secret for everyone.
Xiao Yi of Guizhou Bangjie Industry and Trade.
Monthly sales of more than two thousand pieces, three major initiatives to open the channel cultivation
Xiao Yi, general manager of Guizhou Bangjie Industry and Trade Co Ltd, has been acting as a distributor for Youchen products for eight years, with monthly sales of Youchen meat muffins reaching 40,000 pieces. Over the years of cooperation, he has been most impressed by the fact that both sides share the same philosophy of "real, genuine materials", which is what he values most about Youchen's magic toast.
Xiao Yi believes that Youchen Magic Toast has four major advantages: firstly, Youchen's brand advantage, secondly, the attractive shape, thirdly, the product weight is small and suitable, and fourthly, both bulk and quantitative packs are available, especially the quantitative packs are convenient for him to develop a convenience store series. According to him, despite all the challenges faced in 2020, Magic Toast has been selling more than 2,000 pieces per month in Guizhou and has been in a state of out-of-stock in the first half of the year. Since the second half of the year, there have been more and more products following Youchen's Magic Toast, and Xiao has also made targeted layouts: firstly, to build Youchen counters, secondly, to strengthen the penetration of KA and chain channels, and thirdly, to carry out large-scale activities and promotions in the circulation market to enhance the influence of the brand in consumers' minds.
In Xiao Yi's plan, there is still more growth potential for Youchen Magic Toast in 2021, and the company's current priority is to "seize the opening" and effectively fight the battle of Chinese New Year consumption. To this end, he has mobilised the whole company to strengthen the omni-channel layout and increase the number of outlets, in an effort to make Youchen Magic Toast win a big explosion during the Chinese New Year.
Lin Xiaodong, Tianjin Famous Products Exchange.
A bond over "quality" and a key target
The toast craze has been gaining momentum since last year. Youchen has a precise understanding of the trend in the bakery market and has focused on two key words: firstly, the style is "simple", with a minimalist look; secondly, the positioning is "medium to high-end", highlighting higher quality and building higher value.
As a new post-90s businessman, Lin Xiaodong, General Manager of Tianjin Famous Products Trading Co Ltd, is quite positive about Youchen's strategy: "Young people trust quality consumption more, and in their philosophy you get what you pay for, so I prefer to focus on the two product price bands of RMB 22.80 and RMB 19.80." It was because of the same "quality philosophy" that Lin Xiaodong officially entered into a partnership with Youchen in 2017, and was the first to spot Youchen Magic Toast.
In Lin Xiaodong's opinion, Youchen Magic Toast is unique in terms of taste. The product undergoes a unique process on the dough before it is kneaded, and this process produces a bread that is stronger and more aftertasteful than ordinary bread.
Today, in the Tianjin market, Youchen Magic Toast sells more than a thousand pieces every month. Lin Xiaodong said that Youchen Magic Toast has become a star new product that is the focus of the Famous Products Trade, and its growth and profitability have exceeded his expectations. For next year's market strategy, he suggested manufacturers to play more combinations, one of classic and new products, and one of classic and new flavours. "If Youchen Magic Toast follows up with more new flavours, I believe sales can go up another notch." So says Lin Xiaodong.
Guangzhou Youxicheng Wu Qingdong.
Campus channel breakthrough, from single product operation to category operation
In 2015, Wu Qingdong, general manager of Guangzhou Youxi Cheng Trading Co Ltd, went into business and started to represent Youchen products last year. He says: "My criteria for choosing products is that I must first of all find them delicious, and this is the case with Youchen Magic Toast. And, not only me, but also my children and staff liked it, so I quickly made up my mind to represent it."
In Wu Qingdong's view, Youchen Magic Toast achieves a good balance between traditional bread and short-bread baking, and also gives distributors more room for market operation. At present, their company focuses on distribution channels, including wholesale, schools, internet cafes, factories, supermarkets and community group purchases. Youchen Magic Toast is focusing on the campus channel this year, and as soon as it was launched, it was distributed to more than 300 campus outlets in Guangzhou, with a very good sales growth momentum. On the basis of the advantages of the campus channel, Wu Qingdong is actively exploring more channels and matching other Youchen products to achieve a shift from single product operation to category operation.
In 2020, Youxichen Trading will operate at a scale of more than 70 million yuan, mainly dealing with two categories of spicy products and pastries. According to Wu Qingdong's planning, the company's goal for next year is to break through the 100 million yuan mark, of which Youxisen products, especially Youxisen Magic Toast, he has high hopes for: "I am confident that Youxisen Magic Toast will achieve greater growth next year."
The editor says
A single product exceeding 100 million is a testimony of strength; a single product breaking 100 million is also a new beginning. It is reported that Youchen has adopted a parallel strategy of "product + channel + marketing": on the one hand, with its unique process and taste, it can seize the key consumption scenarios such as breakfast; on the other hand, with the help of Youchen's mature channel construction and the development of new retail channels, it can cover all major outlets in the terminal and quickly complete the brand positioning in consumers' mind.
As the year 2021 draws nearer and nearer, Youchen Magic Toast has also sounded a new round of rallying cry. In addition to locking the sample market for intensive cultivation, the company is also vigorously expanding to the national market to provide more support to dealers. Here, Youchen sincerely sends out an invitation to invite quality distributors to explore the category and share the dividends together.
