Oat Choco seeing slowdown in Malaysia but popularity seems unabated in Indonesia

By

-

18th June 2015

The oat choco fad seems to have faded in Malaysia. The official Twinfish Facebook site has not been updated since 3 February 2015. In contrast to Twinfish Oat Choco, the popularity of Naraya Oat Choco in Indonesia seems unabated. The key selling points of Naraya Oat Choco are bergizi, praktis dan enaak (nutritious, practical and tasty). The Naraya Oat Choco, distributed by PT Interfood Sukses Jasindo, is available online and through the country’s biggest minimarket chain Indomaret.

Naraya Oat Choco selling on Indonesia’s Tokopedia.com

Naraya Oat Choco, newly listing on Indomaret, March 2015

Both Twinfish and Naraya Oat Choco are made by Fujian Fupaiyuan Foodstuff Co Ltd (福建福派园食品股份有限公司) in Jinjiang city, China. Quanzhou customs statistics show exports of oat choco (燕麦巧克力) from the port of Quanzhou in the first quarter of 2015 rose 30% year-on-year to USD 3.1 million. This is a slowdown from the low base point in 2014 where oat choco exports in the January-October 2014 period from Quanzhou to all destinations surged by over 70 folds to reach USD 12.06 million. Exports of overall confectionery including oat choco, candy and chewing gum to Malaysia from Quanzhou port in the first 10 months of 2014 increased 16.42 times to USD 10.46 million.

Fujian Fupaiyuan Foodstuff Co Ltd is one of the chief beneficiaries of the oat choco craze in Southeast Asia. Fupaiyuan Foodstuff’s sales surged 56% in 2014 to RMB 87.61 million (USD 14.1 million). With Quanzhou’s oat choco exports reaching USD 14 million in 2014, up by over 70 times, this shows Fupaiyuan Foodstuff is not the only oat choco producer benefiting from the popularity of oat choco. The challenge for Chinese oat choco makers now is to continue to find new export markets including penetrating deeper into Indonesia and possibly into the Philippines.

Fujian Fupaiyuan Foodstuff Co Ltd total revenue – RMB million. Financial data from annual report

Meals on wheels for Mission Food but the Masterchef wraps will cost you at least RM 7

By

Mini Me Insights

-

18th June 2015

In Malaysia, food truck has evolved from something of a fad, serving hot food to hungry revelers, to a useful marketing tool for brands like Mission Food and PepsiCo’s Quaker. Companies usually use food truck for free product sampling but Mission Food is doing something different this time. The truck will be serving “Adam Liaw’s recipes like Laksa Fried Chicken Wrap with Pineapple Salsa, Beef Bulgogi Kimchi Wrap, Coconut Prawn Wrap with Spicy Tamarind Mayonnaise, Lamb Shank Rendang with Sweet Radish Achar, and Roast Carrot Hummus with Avocado Wrap. Prices range from RM6.99 to RM7.99 (not inclusive of GST).” Adam Liaw was the winner of Masterchef Australia in 2010.

The Little Red Food Truck will be selling the wraps, not giving them out for free like what the company did in 2013 when the wrap was first launched in the country. The Little Red Food Truck will be giving consumers the opportunity to savour Masterchef-created wraps and learn more about the different recipes they can try at home. The truck will start making its round in the Klang Valley from 15 June 2015.

Giving out free wraps from August 19 to September 13, 2013.

Aquarius isotonic drink soft launched in Malaysia (Updated – April 2016)

By

Mini Me Insights

-

16th June 2015

Coca-Cola has soft launched Aquarius isotonic drink in Malaysia. However, this guarana-flavoured drink is still not available in mass market retailers and convenience stores as it is currently being test marketed at selected foodservice premises in the country. Aquarius was launched in Singapore in 2012, in Indonesia in 2013，in China in 2014 (new packaging launched in 2015) and is now available in Malaysia.

The new made-in-Malaysia Aquarius tastes slightly like 7-Up. The new isotonic drink does have an uphill climb against established players like 100Plus and Revive because of the taste, which may deter repeat purchase.

As of 27 December 2015.

Aquarius isotonic drink has entered the supermarket channel with the PET format spotted at Aeon at Cheras.

As of 11 April 2016

MyNews.com is having a promotion and giving one 1.5L bottle of Dasani drinking water for every purchase of 1 carton (12 cans) of Aquarius.

Heaven and Earth RTD tea design now closely resembling Fuze Tea

By

Mini Me Insights

-

15th June 2015

In Malaysia, Coca-Cola is changing the look of its Heaven and Earth series of RTD tea to be more closely aligned with the design of its global brand Fuze tea. Globally, Fuze tea sales reached USD 1 billion in 2014. The Heaven and Earth was launched in Singapore in June 2000 and was introduced in Malaysia in 2012 to fill the company’s missing piece in the RTD tea category.

The new design features the Fuze green and red tea leave logo, while preserving the Heaven and Earth brand name. The new logo can be seen as a move by Coca-Cola to consolidate the design of its RTD tea portfolio for marketing uniformity, while leaving the brand name unchanged as it has become widely known in Malaysia and Singapore.

Campbell soup new serving suggestion – delicious with milk

By

Mini Me Insights

-

11th June 2015

Similar to the new Indonesian instant noodle with cheese and milk, Campbell’s Soup Malaysia is trying to reinvigorate the instant soup category with a new serving suggestion. The new recipe is nothing ‘new.’ It is simply reminding consumers to add milk into the cream of mushroom to make the soup creamier and wholesome as the tagline suggests.

The intended audience is children. By serving this soup to their children, a move to cultivate a new breed of consumers, mothers will ensure their children receive the benefits of milk and mushroom soup. There is also a logo on the bottom right hand corner saying this soup is better for children “baik untuk kanak-kanak,” and delicious if added with veggies. By adding the benefits of vegetables and milk, the cream and mushroom soup has been transformed into a healthy and hearty soup for children.

Indonesian instant noodle with cheese and milk

By

Mini Me Insights

-

11th June 2015

Indofood’s Pop Mie latest curry with milk and curry with cheese is a good example of how companies borrow ideas from consumers to create something that is being practiced at home.

Indonesian instant noodle eaters have been cooking instant noodle with milk (mie kuah susu). Here is a screenshot from a Youtube video showing how to make instant noodle with UHT milk.

Some consumers also like to add cheese as a topping.

Now, the two new instant noodles have a new dimension – curry. Consumers can still enjoy milk or cheese with their instant noodle but it now comes with the curry flavour where fiery taste in cherished. In Malaysia, the famous white curry noodle uses non-dairy creamer (coconut milk) and curry paste. Will this curry + milk instant noodle turns into another trend in Indonesia? We will see.

Roadshows becoming common feature in office premises in Kuala Lumpur

By

Mini Me Insights

-

9th June 2015

Brands are visiting offices around Kuala Lumpur to promote their new products to white-collar workers and nearby residents. Such marketing efforts create buzz and are quite effective reaching out to the target audience.

Here is a list of roadshows at Plaza Mont Kiara:
1.) Pocky snack- 9 June 2015
2.) Hirudoid varicose vein cream – 9 June 2015
3.) J’wel ice cream – 22 May 2015
4.) Lipton Teh Tarik – 19 May 2015

Lipton Teh Tarik at Plaza Mont Kiara

The Oatsome-nya Quaker roadshow, which runs from 22 May 2015 to 28 June 2015, is going beyond office premises as the brand is reaching to more users including housewives. It is going to places like Taman Connaught, Cheras during the famous Wednesday night market, Mydin USJ and Kelana Square promoting the use of oats in everyday meals.

Such roadshows help promote new products and encourage trial. This marketing approach will increasingly become a common sight in popular places in Kuala Lumpur.

Latest Milo infographic effective in delivering goodness message

By

Mini Me Insights

-

8th June 2015

The latest Milo breakfast infographic by Nestle Malaysia does a good job delivering the message that “one cup of Milo can boost your child’s nutrient intake.” The message is easy to understand and convincing. By consuming mee goreng (fried noodle) alone, your child will not get all the nutrients. But by taking mee goreng with a cup of Milo, the levels of calcium, iron, and Vit C, B2 and B3 increase significantly, making the combo a good way to start the day.

Alfamart to open between 100-120 new stores in the Philippines

By

Mini Me Insights

-

5th June 2015

Alfamart will open between 100 and 120 new stores in the Philippines, according to The Jakarta Globe report on 28 May 2015. There are currently 44 Alfamart outlets in the country, up from 23 at the end of 2014.

SM Investments Corp charaterises Alfamart as the first-mover in the minimarket space in the Philippines. According to SM Investments investor presentation for 2014, Alfamart is different to convenience store format because of three things:
– Supermarket pricing
– Ready-to-cook vs ready-to-eat
– Value added services

Interestingly, Alfamart is modifying its initial concept to take into account the need for dine-ins to close the gap with convenience store.

“The competition is getting stronger. Players are waiting for the entrance of Puregold’s [Japanese import] Lawson. Even 7-Eleven has done drastic innovation. The team that is running Alfamart is playing it by ear. Before, they were not focusing on dine-in, but now they have installed in-store hot pots. And even outside, they have dine-in tables,” – Joey Mendoza, SM Supermarkets president (The Manila Times 1 March 2015)

We have seen poor footfall at the Alfamart outlet on Governor’s Drive in Trece Martines City situated just opposite a 7-Eleven on a busy crossroad. See Exclusive: On the ground visit to Alfamart in Trece Martire (14 October 2014).

Despite having cheaper prices, consumers do not have a reason to shop at Alfamart because the minimart does not have a shopping environment conducive to young consumers. Even though it has supermarket pricing, Alfamart loses its competitive edge against the price-killer Puregold next door.

This is the young audience Alfamart in Indonesia has successfully targeted. The Philippine-based Alfamart really needs to ensure their store layout, merchandise and service levels are optimised for their key shoppers be it young shoppers, mature shoppers with family or for neighborhood shoppers upgrading from sari sari to a modern shopping experience.

Alfamart in Indonesia

Supplementary info:

Number of convenience stores and minimarts in the Philippines by key operators, 2014

Kantar OOH survey shows Chinese consumers drink beer at night, function drinks in the afternoon, soy milk during breakfast

By

Mini Me Insights

-

4th June 2015

Kantar out of home panel (OOH), launched in Feb 2015, has finally released its first result. Here is the official description of Kantar OOH.

Actual consumer decisions are captured through smartphones, which allow 4,000 urban consumers to provide immediate and accurate information of every single purchase, including the exact product they consumed, where, when and why. Link

During the first quarter of 2015, the average spending on snacks and beverage in provincial capitals in China stood at RMB360 per person. The OOH gives us a clearer idea of the beverage consumption patterns. Beer is usually taken during the dinner and after dinner day parts (covering 55% of occasions), while soy milk is taken during breakfast (67% of occasions). Afternoon is the time of the day for function drinks (to keep you awake). With this information, marketers will know what and when to cross sell their products.

Source: Kantar Worldpanel

The other piece of useful information from Kantar OOH is convenience store has been identified as the key purchase channel for OOH consumption at 26%. This ties in nicely with China’s current convenience store boom. Convenience store sales in China rose 25.12% in 2014 compared with a 6.5% growth for supermarket and 2.7% for department store, according to China Chain Store & Franchise Association (CCFA). Unfortunately, most convenience stores are losing money.

Convenience store is the key channel for beverages, while supermarket is still the key channel for snacks.

For more info, please download the report from Kantar. Here is the link.

Mini Me Insights

Oat Choco seeing slowdown in Malaysia but popularity seems unabated in Indonesia

Meals on wheels for Mission Food but the Masterchef wraps will cost you at least RM 7

Aquarius isotonic drink soft launched in Malaysia (Updated – April 2016)

Heaven and Earth RTD tea design now closely resembling Fuze Tea

Campbell soup new serving suggestion – delicious with milk

Indonesian instant noodle with cheese and milk

Roadshows becoming common feature in office premises in Kuala Lumpur

Latest Milo infographic effective in delivering goodness message

Alfamart to open between 100-120 new stores in the Philippines

Kantar OOH survey shows Chinese consumers drink beer at night, function drinks in the afternoon, soy milk during breakfast

HOT NEWS

Fans’ Screening: TRANSFORMERS ONE On Sale Now

MUST READ

KFC Myanmar busy with limited time offer, new Peruvian Aji Lime

Old but gold: 22% of PC users still running end-of-life Windows...

Wings Food releases Milku in its original flavour

Enjoy Madam Kwan’s all-time favourites with frozen food series

EVEN MORE NEWS

Nestlé brings Warkop flavour home with Nescafé Kopi Kental

Smooth sweetness meets refreshment in Wings Food new Honey Lemon Tea

Round snacks big on flavour Mister Potato Balls arrive

POPULAR CATEGORY