Global snack and confectionery giant, Mondelez reported an ‘all-time high’ market share of the biscuit category in China following the latest wave of COVID outbreak, said Joost Vlaanderen, President of Mondelez Greater China.
The boost in consumption during the pandemic is mainly attributed to consumption at home during lockdown, which pushed consumer demand for snacks including biscuits.
Mondelez is optimistic of China market and will continue to invest especially in the urban cities, where there are large middle-income consumers. The lower-tier cities in China are also displaying higher disposable incomes which are Mondelez target markets as well.
Mondelez is rolling out 3 growth strategies for China. It begins with investing in the iconic Oreo brand and accelerating portfolio play through innovation and targeted communication.
The latest strategy is the launch of the new panda series of Oreo cookies to draw customer attention. In tandem with this, the brand also announced it has adopted 2 giant pandas from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, naming them ‘Oreo’ and ‘Mini Oreo’.
Another strategy is to grow the Stride gum brand in a bid to exceed its current market position from No.2 to be the leader in refreshment snacks.
Mondelez will also focus on the omnichannel market across different tiers of cities and double its digital commerce in 4 years.
A growing focus now is on sustainability such as adoption of recyclable packaging and sustainable supply chains in China. Mondelez has partnered with e-commerce platform Tmall on green packaging advocacy. Vlaanderen added, “We offered the exclusive ‘Oreo DIY cute panda gift packs’, whose packaging is not just recyclable but can be reused as a multi-purpose container, to call for the awareness of a green lifestyle together with Tmall’s platform.”
The initiatives in China are also part of Mondelez goal to reach its carbon net-zero goal by 2050 worldwide.
