Japan’s confectionery market sees a lot of innovation and new product launches thanks to Japanese consumers’ interest in new flavours and benefits. But which health benefits are gaining ground, delighting more online shoppers, and enjoying higher margins? Using Euromonitor’s e-commerce tracking tool, Via, health claims for individual products can be aggregated to help you understand which claims:
- are increasing in availability based on number of SKUs offered online;
- have the highest online shopper ratings;
- have the highest online price point compared to the overall market
Companies must use this information to stay up to speed on changing consumer preferences and prioritse what claims should be marketed and communicated to consumers. Identifying emerging health benefits that matter to consumers can allow companies to stay ahead of their competition and be seen as a leader in this space as consumers become more health conscious.
‘No sugar’ health claims saw the biggest SKU count gains in Japanese confectionery
Source: Euromonitor International - VIa
- “No Sugar” claims remained the most prevalent health claim for Japanese confectionery, and also saw the biggest SKU count increase from August 2020 to 2021.
- ‘High protein’ claims saw the largest percentage SKU count increase, but the number of products remains very small and are primarily found in chocolate confectionery.
- Meanwhile, confectionery products with probiotic, antioxidant and low sugar health claims all saw double digit SKU count declines.
High online prices and ratings for ‘high protein’ and ‘no sugar’ claims
Source: Euromonitor International - Via
Combining weighted online shopper ratings by health claim with online median price points and SKU counts can help spot opportunities for specific claims:
- For Japanese confectionery, ‘high protein’ presents the biggest opportunity because it has the highest online shopper rating alongside one of the highest median price points. It also has a low online shelf presence, indicating potentially low competitive barriers to entry.
- ‘No sugar’ is another attractive opportunity given its high ratings and even higher median online price point. However, it is already the most prevalent health claim and it may be difficult for new entrants to stand out in an already crowded market.
- Low sugar products have high prices but are only moderately rated by shoppers. Products in this space need to work harder to generate stronger shopper feedback and stand out against other health claims.
Learn more about how Via can support your business and help you unlock key strategic and tactical insights with its standardised online product coverage across 40 countries, 1,500 online retailers and 11 consumer goods industries.