Summer is here, and it’s the season to eat ice cream. But have you noticed that ice cream is becoming increasingly unaffordable these days?
Especially if the ice cream has no price tag and you don’t know it, please remember to ask the price before paying, otherwise you may be unlucky enough to choose the most expensive one in the freezer. When I looked at the bill, I realized that many ice creams were more expensive than meat. The wallet is easily stabbed by the sky-high price of ice cream, causing unplanned expenses. That's the Ice Cream Assassin's explanation.
01 Who supports the sky-high price of ice cream?
In fact, before 2018, the ceiling of our domestic ice cream was relatively low. Ice cream with less than 5 yuan, Qiaolezi was definitely the ceiling of the industry. Even better are Magnum and Haagen-Dazs , which are European and American brands, and their popularity in our country is not high. So in 2018, the per capita income of Chinese people was not low, but domestically produced high-end ice cream was in a blank area.
Then the light of domestic products - Zhong Xue Gao appeared. An ordinary ice cream, the cheapest one costs more than ten yuan, and the most expensive one can sell for sixty or seventy yuan. In the end, it even broke through the 100-yuan mark. So in a short period of time, with the help of major tasting bloggers in China, Zhong Xuegao instantly became a top internet celebrity in the ice cream industry. Although ice cream manufacturers claim how precious and natural their raw materials are, most ordinary consumers pay for Zhong Xuegao with the mentality of giving it a try.
02 Sky-high price of ice cream, how much does it cost?
Compared with affordable ice cream, high-end ice cream has greater profit margins. A stick of ice cream, starting from raw materials, packaging, and marketing, is the secret to the wealth of high-end internet celebrity ice cream.
In the past, a stick of ice cream was mostly composed of water, essence, pigment, refined vegetable oil , non-dairy creamer , cocoa butter substitute and other ingredients, and the price ranged from 1 to 3 yuan. Now, a stick of ice cream is the first to fully upgrade materials to , and the healthy concept of zero sucrose, low calories, no additives, and pure milk has entered the ice cream industry. For example, use raw milk and fresh milk to replace non-dairy creamer and cocoa butter substitute, and use natural fruit pulp, dried fruit kernels, and plant bases to replace chemical additives. Zhong Xuegao and Yili Xujinhuan are both beneficiaries of the concept of upgrading ice cream raw materials.
Many businesses are also working hard on functional ice cream and to increase the premium price of ice cream. Brands such as Yili and Mengniu have launched plant-based ice cream, Xuedi has launched probiotic ice cream, and FamilyMart has launched hyaluronic acid ice cream.
In addition, brands are also making a fuss about the novel taste of and the packaging style of , and they are sparing no effort in marketing. Creative styling also provides the necessary conditions for the price increase of ice cream. In the past two years, cultural and creative ice cream has been the best, including Wuhan Yellow Crane Tower ice cream, Beijing Forbidden City Auspicious Beasts ice cream, Xi'an City Wall ice cream, Xi'an Terracotta Warriors ice cream, and Chengdu giant pandas. Breeding research base ice cream. The average price of creative cultural and creative ice cream has risen to about 20 yuan.
Internet celebrity brands have spent most of their costs on marketing . It is reported that although Zhong Xuegao’s revenue in 2021 will be 800 million, nearly double the revenue in 2020. However, the marketing cost of Internet celebrity ice cream is very high, and various factors are superimposed. In the end, consumers will naturally have to foot the bill. A stick of cultural and creative ice cream priced at 15-30 yuan costs only 6 yuan, including the cost of cold chain transportation .
03 Let ice cream return to its healthy and delicious nature
With the success of Zhong Xuegao, the ice cream industry has entered an era of serious involution in terms of color, taste, and ingredients, and product prices are getting higher and higher. At this time, perhaps consumers would like to see an ice cream that returns the product to its healthy and delicious food essence, and focuses on logistics costs and improving product quality. It would be easier to pursue the best product with small profits but quick turnover. Let consumers accept and long-term recognition.
After the storm subsides, the surviving brands must find a group of people who can continue to pay the bills. After all, even if a brand can keep extending its sickle with reinventions year after year, consumers will be wary of crossing the same river.
