Why are mass-market snack shops so popular?

With affordable prices and a wide variety of snacks, mass-market snack shops have quickly taken the market by storm. Why are they so popular among young consumers? This article provides an in-depth analysis of the reasons behind this.

A bottle of soda water is 2.2 yuan, a bottle of mineral water is 1.2 yuan, a can of canned yellow peaches is 4.9 yuan, and a bag of spicy strips is 1.5 yuan... The low prices and the wide variety of snacks on the shelves have allowed mass-market snack stores to quickly sweep the market and become a new outlet for casual snacks in today's era.

As an emerging retail format, the popular snack supermarkets have become a hot business model in the new retail consumer market. They have entered the streets and opened up a new world of snack consumption for young consumers.

Image source: Snacks Youming official Weibo

It can be said that the innovation of the store concept of mass-market snack shops has won the hearts of young people, giving people a sense of "wholesale price for each piece", making it particularly eye-catching.

How popular are mass-market snack shops nowadays? Why are they so popular among young consumers?

1. Snack shops have emerged as a hot commodity in the capital market

According to Lianshang.com's "TOP 30 Mass-market Snack Chain Brands in 2023", three emerging brands, Busy Snacks, Haoshanglai and Zhao Yiming Snacks, became the top three mass-market snack chain brands in 2023. There are more than 10,000 stores opened by these three brands alone.

Not only that, mass-market snack shops have also attracted much attention in the capital market. According to data disclosed by the brands, Snacks Youming, Snacks Mofa, Leisure Fruit, Snacks Very Busy, Zhao Yiming Snacks, Xiaoxin Very Busy, and Snacks Frog have all received multiple rounds of financing. Among them, Snacks Youming has completed 6 rounds of financing, and Snacks Very Busy completed a RMB 240 million Series A financing in 2021. This month, Snacks Very Busy Group has demonstrated the brand's ability to attract money, and obtained an investment of RMB 1.05 billion from Haoshangni and Yanjinpuzi Holdings.

For the capital market, the emerging consumer formats represent new consumer forces and new growth space. The clear, feasible and sustainable business model, high-speed growth path and strong profitability of mass-market snack shops have made capital see that mass-market snack shops have broader development space and stable profitability.

Brands can create what consumers need.

Second, the reason behind the popularity of mass-market snack shops is that young people’s purchases have changed

The rise of mass-market snack shops is not accidental, and capital pursuit is also the result of consumer choice. Because consumers have demand, there is a thriving market.

1. High cost-effectiveness, catering to the new consumption concept of young people

In the consumer market, mass-market snack shops have become the new favorite of young people. Inexpensive and high-quality snacks satisfy the cost-effectiveness that young people seek, while high-quality products and delicious taste make consumers willing to pay for better enjoyment and keep consumers rational in consumption.

At the same time, the proper marketing strategy of mass-market snack shops has made young people identify with them at the consumption level, which is another reason why the shops are so popular. In the eyes of young people, in most cases, "it's not that they can't afford it, but the price-performance ratio is the main factor", so brands have launched a variety of marketing language such as "really cheap" and "super cost-effective", and the product prices are lower than the common prices of the general public, so the impression of "really cheap" in mass-market snack shops is implanted in the minds of consumers.

From product pricing to the use of marketing strategies, the symbol of more affordable prices has been implanted into the minds of young people, causing those young people who pursue rational consumers to choose irrational consumption.

2. Reminiscence can make up for the childhood loss of young people

In mass-market snack shops, young people can find snacks and toys they used to eat and play with when they were young. These items may be hard to find in the market and become the memories of a generation, but in mass-market snack shops, young people can find the snacks and toys they dreamed of when they were young. The process of searching itself is a kind of nostalgia and experience for the past, allowing young people to regain the joy and carefreeness of their childhood.

For young people, a mass-market snack shop is not only a place to satisfy their appetite, but also a place where they can enjoy "snack freedom" to make up for the lack of childhood. It is also a place where they can regain their childhood memories. This is another reason why young people are crazy about it.

Image source: Snacks Youming official Weibo

3. Satisfying young people’s emotions represents a more relaxed leisure culture

With the development of society and the improvement of people's living standards, the purchasing motivations of young people have also changed, which has led to a fundamental change in the functions of mass-market snack shops, from the basic function of resisting hunger to satisfying young people's emotions and an emerging leisure culture.

Snack shops not only meet the basic needs of satiety, but also provide emotional satisfaction for young people. Delicious snacks can bring happiness to young people's leisure time, relieve the pressure of work and life, and provide companionship value.

Image source: Snacks Youming official Weibo

It can be said that mass-market snack shops have grasped the audience's needs for decompression, companionship and happiness. By providing interesting products and a pleasant shopping experience, as well as small bags of convenient snacks, they meet the audience's emotional needs and have formed a new cultural model for relaxation for contemporary young people.

3. Write to the end

Nowadays, with the increase in economic strength, mass-market snack brands have begun to work on their creativity and R&D capabilities, presenting increasingly diversified consumer choices. Their differentiated and personalized consumer experiences have also been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and won the recognition of many young consumers.

Users have needs, the market has feedback, and capital is more willing to join in. It can be said that the rise and development of mass-market snack shops now has the effect of capital pursuit, and it also represents a wider range of consumer demand. It meets the diverse needs of young consumers and provides high-quality products. With the continuous changes in the consumer market and the continuous upgrading of young consumers' needs, if mass-market snack shops want to have stronger competitiveness, they also need to make efforts in branding, creativity and other aspects to let consumers feel the quality assurance, so that they have the opportunity to win more market share.

Author: Mr. Bingfa WeChat public account: Marketing Bingfa