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as the mid-autumn festival approaches, the mooncake market is entering a sales peak. however, in recent days, the topic of "why mooncakes are not selling well" has become a hot search on weibo. many netizens complained that the current mooncakes are too sweet, too choking, too packed, and too expensive. at the same time, it is reported that from shopping malls to community supermarkets, hotels and online sales platforms, this year's mooncake season seems particularly deserted.

is the mooncake market really "quiet"? the reporter conducted an investigation on the market situation in changsha.

on september 14, at a yonghui supermarket in changsha's yuhua district, the reporter saw that, unlike previous years, the supermarket only displayed one mooncake display for mooncake gift boxes, and only one freshly made mooncake was displayed at the edge of the baking area at the entrance, which was also on sale at a reduced price. as noon approached, few consumers came to buy.

"we have controlled the inventory this year. we purchase only as much as we sell. we dare not purchase more than that." a clerk in the mooncake sales area of ​​the supermarket said that distributors generally dare not purchase goods this year. this is because last year's overestimation of market demand led to a pressure on goods, and in the end they could only sell them off at low prices.

in addition to offline supermarket channels, hotel channels have also felt the "cooling-off period" in mooncake sales. a salesperson at changsha r&f wanda hotel told reporters that this year the hotel launched gift boxes with a price range of 128 yuan to 468 yuan. so far, the hotel has achieved 70% of its sales target, which was better than last year. the affordable and mid-range gift boxes were sold out first, and the high-end ones have not yet been sold out. there are not many individual customers, and sales are mainly group purchase orders. consumers choose to buy later, and as the festival approaches, a large number of corporate group purchase orders come in.

in fact, compared with last year, this year's mooncake market has indeed declined significantly. according to data from the china bakery and confectionery industry association, in 2024, my country's mooncake production is expected to be about 300,000 tons, with sales of about 20 billion yuan, down from 320,000 tons and 22 billion yuan last year.

the association mentioned that this year's mid-autumn festival sales cycle is short, and consumption has returned to rationality, making market competition more concentrated and fierce.

"it feels like mooncakes are available all year round now, so i won't go out of my way to buy them. mooncakes are also high in oil and sugar, so it's easy to get fat." in addition, consumer ms. zeng said that mooncakes are no longer a seasonal delicacy, but more like a casual snack, but as a snack they are too high in calories.

however, not all mooncakes have seen weak sales this year.

at the entrance of bubugao xingcheng tiandi supermarket, the reporter saw a mooncake section, where citizens often came to choose. the mooncake gift boxes sold by the store this year are mostly priced at less than 200 yuan, mostly in paper or ordinary iron boxes, and the price of each loose mooncake is around 10 yuan.

"at present, the two brand gift boxes of guangzhou restaurant and xinghua village are selling better in our store. the price is around 130 yuan, and they mainly contain traditional flavors such as lotus seed paste and egg yolk. if you want something more affordable, there is also a gift box of around 80 yuan to choose from." the clerk introduced that this year's mooncake gift boxes with high cost performance and beautiful packaging are the most popular among citizens.

later, the reporter contacted mr. su, who is responsible for bulk group purchases at bubugao xingcheng tiandi supermarket, in the capacity of corporate group purchase. "i didn't expect that sales would be so good this year. the gift boxes currently on display in the store are the last 'inventory' and there is no stock left in the warehouse. now that the mid-autumn festival is approaching, the group purchase of gift box mooncakes has entered the 'clearance period' and you can buy a box for less than 100 yuan."

coincidentally, at the hema xiansheng wangfujing store in hexi, the reporter saw that the "mooncake street" had been set up at the entrance, with various mooncake gift boxes filled on multiple shelves. the reporter noticed that the price of mooncake gift boxes basically ranged from tens of yuan to four hundred yuan, especially the 100-200 yuan range accounted for the majority.

"this year's mid-autumn festival is earlier than in previous years, so mooncakes are also on the market earlier. freshly baked suzhou-style mooncakes have been on the shelves since june 18, and the sales period can reach about 3 months. in the more than two months since they were put on the shelves, sales have increased by nearly 30% compared with last year." yi ming, manager of the hema wangfujing store, introduced that in addition to being put on the shelves earlier than in previous years, "healthy" and "mini" have become the new labels for mooncakes this year. "in terms of flavors and fillings, this year's main flavors are still traditional flavors such as five nuts, egg yolk, and red bean paste. other innovative flavors include black truffles, durian, red dates, etc., which are mainly low in sugar and oil. the red bean paste, pine nut and tangerine peel mooncakes, which are both medicinal and edible, have been very popular since they were launched."

on the online platform, the reporter found that supermarkets such as sam's club have launched mooncake gift boxes. old brand stores such as wufangzhai, hong kong maxim's, and guangzhou hotel are also actively launching new products on e-commerce channels. in addition, niche mooncakes with local characteristics have emerged as a new force, becoming popular on the internet and becoming internet celebrity mooncakes. for example, after the "provincial medical mooncake" was launched at the black friday promotion venue of jd supermarket, the transaction volume increased by 140% month-on-month.

on september 12, guangzhou restaurant responded to investors’ inquiries about “mooncakes not selling well” by saying “the company’s mooncake production plan has been completed as scheduled and is now in the peak period of mooncake retail.”

in this regard, jiang han, a senior researcher at pangu think tank, said that in the long run, the mooncake market is not really "unsalable", but has returned to a more rational and healthy state. consumers' demand for mooncakes has not disappeared, but under the influence of healthy consumption concepts, they have higher requirements for the taste, quality and cultural connotation of mooncakes. for mooncake companies, this is both a challenge and an opportunity. only by continuous innovation, improving product quality and meeting consumer needs can they find their place in the fierce market competition.

as consumers return to rational shopping behavior, the mooncake market is facing a profound change and adjustment. this has forced mooncake companies to try their best to win back consumers' hearts. guangzhou restaurant said on the investor interaction platform that it is currently the peak season for mooncake sales, and the company has launched promotional activities for mooncake series products in offline direct stores, major shopping malls and online platforms; wufangzhai said that this year it has developed and innovated in the field of mooncakes, and also launched "free matching", allowing consumers to freely combine and choose their favorite flavors and products to customize mid-autumn festival gift boxes.

xiaoxiang morning news reporter li xuanzi