Singapore’sĀ Auric Pacific Group, the market leader in butter in Malaysia and Singapore, has unveiled a new logo for its SCS brand as part of the refresh of the 112-year-old brand.
Refreshing the SCS brand
Auric Pacific Group’s chief executive Dr Andy Adhiwana was quoted by The Straits Times in August 2017 as saying “we want to make SCS the default butter for the young generation.” He also added thatĀ “we want consumers to recognise our bread and butter brands” and “we are focusing on SCS spreadable butter and cream cheese, before taking the brand to the next level.”
The new design features a silvery logo and packaging but with the same goodness since 1905.
Here is how the new SCS cheese looks like with a silvery packaging.
Here is the old look.
In Malaysia, SCS is offering consumers the chance to get their personalised apron with a minimum spend of RM 40 of any SCS products. The promotion ends on 31 December 2017.
In Singapore, the SCS Junior Bake Off runs from 20 November to 31 December 2017 forĀ children aged up to 12 years.Ā Ā The top 5 finalists with the most LIKES (votes) to their picture will get a chance to compete in the SCS Junior Bake Off Grand Finale on the 27th of January 2018. The contest encourages young Singaporeans to start ’em young with SCS butter and developing a passion for baking.
* All the images are from SCS Malaysia and SCM Singapore Facebook site.
Fraser and Neave Holdings Bhd (F&N)Ā chief executive officer Lim Yew Hoe said the company plans to launch two fruit juice beverages by early 2018, reported The New Straits Times on 15 November 2017.
Fresh look
F&N has also launched a new logo and look for F&N Seasons to give its beverages a “fresh look,” said Lim. We have covered this in an earlier post.
The revamp covers nine productsĀ ice lemon tea, ice peach tea, ice apple tea, jasmine green tea, chrysanthemum, grass jelly, winter melon, water chestnut and soya bean milk.
Healthier formulation
The recipes of F&N Seasons have been improved to suit the growing shift towards healthy eating by Malaysian consumers. The beverages use natural ingredients and are “less sweet”. In 2018, F&N said it will also formulate the drinks to feature “no artificial” and “no preservatives” claims.
Take the classic F&N Seasons Ice Lemon Tea as an example, it now hasĀ 27.80g of total sugar per 250ml serving compared withĀ 28.50g before the brand revamp. That is a 2.5% decline in the total sugar content.
What Mini Me thinks
The Malaysian government’s Healthier Choice Logo (HCL) is encouraging companies to focus on changing their formulation to provide consumers with a healthier choice. As more companies embrace HCL, there is a pressure on other market players to embrace HCL and we will likely be seeing more companies focusing on lowering their sugar content and reformulating their ingredients in the near future.
Amazon Was Singapore & Hong Kongās Most Popular E-Commerce on Black Friday
The Black Friday craze has penetrated the Singaporean market as we saw consumers flood into retail shops to grab the best deals. While many flooded physical stores, a significant number of shoppers found it much more convenient to obtain products online. This was evident as we looked into the number of Google searches for top e-commerce players and their deals.
To ascertain which e-commerce was most searched by Singaporeans, we utilised Google Trends and found the following insights.
Top e-commerce players in Singapore
Singaporeās top four e-commerce that garnered the most search interest within one hour (between 11.00PM, 23 Nov and 12.00AM, 24 Nov 2017):
Lazada : +75.4%
Amazon : +11.7%
Qoo10 : +44.8%
EZBuy : +26.6%
Amazon & Lazada fought head to head through Black Friday however, Amazon claimed the overall top spot in Google with the highest average search interest. Though Amazon was most searched amongst Singaporeans on Black Friday, Lazada generated the highest search interest when the clock struck 12:00am on Black Friday. Although the sale began on a conventional working day, that did not stop consumers from shopping at 12:00am onwards.
Prior Black Friday, EZBuy and Taobao were second and third runners up in search interest. However, Zalora leapfrogged both e-commerce on Black Friday as its garnered more search interest on Google probably due to its successful promotional initiatives.
By averaging the total search interest score, the top 6 most searched e-commerce on Black Friday in Singapore were:
Rank
E-Commerce
Search Interest Score
1
Amazon
37.19
2
Lazada
35.67
3
Qoo10
21.48
4
EZBuy
12.98
5
Taobao
12.13
6
Zalora
10.66
Top e-commerce players in Hong Kong
Various research and survey has revealed that Hong Kong consumers prefer to shop in physical stores on regular basis. However, consumers were more likely to shop online when during sale periods such as the recent Singlesā Day and this was true on Black Friday as well. The rationale is simple, it is convenient and does not require shoppers to wait in long lines. From the retailersā point of view, itās the best way to market niche products to consumers who have specific needs.
Analysing search interest between 23rd and 25th November, we found the following key insights:
Amazon was most favoured by Hong Kong consumers on Black Friday with Taobao in second place. E-commerce that received the highest total average searches according to Google Trends:
Rank
E-Commerce
Search Interest Score
1
Amazon
47.1
2
Taobao
34.41
3
ASOS
11.61
4
EBay
9.02
5
Zalora
5.11
Amazon was searched by consumers as it made available products and deals that is mostly unavailable in local physical stores. Part of Amazonās success in Hong Kong was due to its diverse inhabitants that includes more than 330,000 expats that goes online to obtain products from their home country.
Adding to this point, we saw a high number of search interest for Amazon at 1:00am (on 25 November) as consumers were still searching for the best deals from the US. Assessing the most searched fashion e-commerce, ASOS was the most popular fashion website during Black Friday and garnered the most search interest when compared to competitors such as Zalora, Sephora and Yoox.
About iPrice Group
iPrice Group is a meta-search website where Hong Kong consumers can easily compare prices, specs and discover products with hundreds of local and regional merchants. iPriceās meta-search platform is also available in six other countries across Southeast Asia namely in; Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, The Philippines and Vietnam. Currently, iPrice compares and catalogues more than 100 million products and receives more than five million monthly visits across the region.
iPrice currently operates three business lines: price comparison for electronics and health & beauty; product discovery for fashion and home & living; and coupons across all verticals.
Kuala Lumpur, 28 November 2017 ā Facebook empower businesses to discover their unexpected customers this year-end shopping season with the biggest shopping trends, insights and marketing tips.
Malaysians purchase through Facebook 88% more in Q4 on average than the rest of the year. Grabbing their attention and driving action is now more important than ever. Instead of waiting for purchase intent, Facebook enables businesses to create them. Rather than wait for people to find products, it is time for products, to find people.
According to Nicole Tan, the Country Director of Facebook Malaysia; āBusinesses that connect with people before they even begin looking are going to be ahead in the race. This is about spotting āunexpected customersā who arenāt even searching for your products and services.ā
Here are five key insights around how people shopped during the year-end period last year to help businesses better reach their audiences.
Mobile is the year-end shopping cart
Mobile is the new first screen and device of choice in Malaysia when it comes to shopping. From October to December last year, 2 in 3 online purchases through Facebook took place on mobile across the region on average, and younger shoppers top this table: 61% of these purchases were made by millennials.
The early bird gets the worm
Shoppers start early. As early as October, online purchases through Facebook in Malaysia were 18% higher than the yearly average. And businesses that built their brand ahead of peak shopping periods often come out on top. Lazada, Blibli.com and Tesco Lotus Thailand are among brands whoāve impacted conversion results through strong brand campaigns.
Ā
Join the conversation
The shopping journey often involves talking to friends, sharing the coolest products or even communicating with businesses. On Facebook last year, people in Malaysia started posting more about shopping as early as the week of November 6. These shopping related Facebook posts reached its peak in the week of December 251.
End of year rush
Businesses need to ready themselves for a surge of Facebook purchases in November and December, the top shopping months. In 2016, online purchases through Facebook in Malaysia were 84% higher in November and 66% higher in December compared to the yearly average. December 12 was a day to watch, with 2.7x more online purchases compared to the yearly average.
Donāt forget January
Online shopping doesnāt stop in December. The season extends into the new year, presenting businesses an opportunity to upsell products that complement items people bought, or gifts theyāve received. In January 2017, online purchases through Facebook were 36% higher than the 2016 average.
āWith Southeast Asia being pegged as the new frontier for e-Commerce, it is critical for consumer goods businesses to act now and start implementing the right e-Commerce strategy for their brand or category,ā added Tan.
To champion the shopping season advertising blitz, businesses are encouraged to focus on these tips.
Speak the language of mobile. Capture attention with short, attention grabbing and sound-off creatives.
Start brand campaigns now. Start brand campaigns ahead of peak shopping periods. Drive sales by building trust and a stronger brand.
Generate interest and drive demand. Connect with target audience and capture leads before shopping peaks.
Score online and offline sales. Showcase product catalogue with Dynamic Ads and use the Store Visits objective to drive people in stores.
Think of the New Year extension. Cross-sell relevant products to complement year-end purchases. Drive people to stores with the best deals.
Source:
Unless otherwise stated, all data derived from Facebook internal data, analysis of conversion pixel and app events data for ads shown to people ages 18-64 on Facebook, Malaysia, 1 Mar 2016 to 31 Jan 2017
1 Source: Facebook internal data (text, video and photo posts), Malaysia, 1 Oct to 31 Dec 2016; Online shopping post data derived from Facebook posts with keywords related to online shopping categories (for instance, dress, shirt, etc.)
About Facebook
Founded in 2004, Facebook’s mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. People use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, to discover what’s going on in the world, and to share and express what matters to them.
The sleep enhancing beverage Good Night Drink from Slovakia has added the Philippines as the newest country where it is distributed. The drink is made in Austria, the same country that manufacturesĀ TranQuini.
From Good Night Drink website
This is how the maker describes Good Night Drink:
“Itās the soft drink with herbal extracts lemon balm and hops. This herbs are traditionally used to help relieve feelings of stress and to encourage peaceful sleep. Lightly carbonated with a slightly sweet taste reminiscent of a prickly pear.”
Good Night Drink is to be consumedĀ about 30 ā 45 minutes before you go to sleep.
According to the company, the drink is ideal for:
“Anyone who wants to wake up in the morning feeling fully rested. Frequent (and infrequent) travellers, business people and athletes are often found among out most avid fans and customers.”
Good Night Drink is available in 7-Eleven in the Philippines with a retail price of PHP 69 per can.
PT Greenfields Indonesia said during a media visit that it has a market share of 54% in fresh milk (susu segar), giving it the market leadership position in this segment. This was disclosed by Syahbanta Sembiring, Country Head Marketing and Sales Indonesia PT AustAsia Food, reported by Tempo.
Aims to have more distributors in 2018
Its parent company PT Japfa aims to increase the number of distributors to 37-38 in 2018, up from 20 currently, to make Greenfields milk more readily available in the country.
Two farms with total production of 70 million litres of milk
The company has two farms with a capacity to produce a total of 70 million litres of milk per year in 2017. The first farm on the foothill of Kawi Mountain, Malang has the capacity to produce 43-46 million litres of milk, while the second farm in Bilitar, located 74km from Malang, can produce 25 million litres of milk a year.
Location of the two Greenfields dairy farms
Export 30-35% production
Syahbanta said 65-70% of the production is meant for the domestic market, while the remaining 30-35% is for the export market. Hong Kong and Singapore are the two biggest markets, saidĀ Head of Dairy Manufacturing Southeast Asia PT Greenfields Indonesia, Darmanto Setyawan, reported Kumparan.com. The other markets include the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia and occasionally Laos and Cambodia.
Focusing on fresh cheese
At the moment, Greenfields Indonesia focuses on manufacturing fresh cheese such as ricotta, camembert and mozzarella that requires a shorter fermentation period, said Darmanto as cited by Tempo. Fresh cheese is currently mainly targeting at hotel and restaurants, which serve authentic Italian and French cuisine.
The company has not moved towards the direction of producing hard cheese because of the issues with cost, manufacturing process as hard cheese takes a longer time to produce and market competition. However, he does not rule out the possibility of producing hard cheese in the future.
The SF Coffee elves have been working hard and have come up with a mouthwatering festive menu that will be available in all its 38 outlets across Peninsular Malaysia, from now until the end of the year.
Served around the theme āIn The Mood For Celebrationā, SF Coffeeās festive menu will feature a festive flavours like butterscotch, turkey and cranberries.
The baristas will be brewing a range of signature Butterscotch Macchiato drinks to be enjoyed as a holiday treat that features Macchiato Latte beverages with a dash of Butterscotch and drizzled with rich caramel sauce.
The Butterscotch Macchiato pairs beautifully with the new Creamy Turkey Pasta, that features penne, turkey, button mushrooms and cherry tomatoes in a hearty cream sauce, topped with crispy chicken strips, Parmesan and parsley for a deliciously festive meal.
Another delightful festive treat is the Merry Turkey Focaccia that features turkey breast rolls and natural cheddar cheese on a bed of lettuce and tomatoes with a whip of cranberry sauce for that holiday touch. Both the pasta and sandwich are selling at RM18.90 each.
āThe year-end period at SF Coffee is a special time of the year for us, so we are making it an extra special place for friends to catch up and even exchange presents over a cup of festive coffee. The store elves will be busy making sure the mood is right for the festive celebrations by making everything more merry and bright,ā said Koo Sue San, General Manager of San Francisco Coffee.
Those looking for a special gift for coffee lovers can choose any of the fresh coffee beans in 100g bags worth RM12.75 for free with every purchase of a SF Coffee Graffiti tumbler, which is selling at RM75.90.
For more details of the festive promo and menu, go to SF Coffeeās Instagram page or visit the website at www.sfcoffee.com
Clean label, a popular term and yet there is not a single official definition. Clean label often means no artificial ingredients and this concept is increasingly including non-GMO, natural flavours, organic, no preservatives and no hormones and antibiotics.
CPF announces responsible antimicrobial use
In Southeast Asia, there is a realisation by governments and corporations that the continue use of antibiotics and hormones in food production has to stop. Charoen Pokphand Foods Plc (CPF) announced a new livestock and aquaculture antimicrobial use policy in October 2017. The new policy will apply to all units in Thailand and overseas.
The vision will take effect immediately for implementation in 2020. The key objective is to use antimicrobials reasonably and responsibly. Disease prevention practices will also be emphasised to reduce the need for antimicrobial use.Ā The complete text can be accessed here.
Indonesian government bans antibiotic growth promoter
From 1 January 2018, the Indonesian government will ban the use of antibiotic growth promoter (AGP) in livestock. However, the antibiotic use for therapeutic purposes is still permitted for up to one week under veterinary supervision.
Thailand, which has banned the use of AGP since 2012, allows the use of avilamycin and flavophospholipol at sub-therapeutic doses in poultry as they are not absorbed from the gut.
Malaysia aims to have antibiotic-free chicken by 2020
The Malaysian government plans to have local poultry companies producing antibiotics-free chicken by 2020, said Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Hamzah Zainudin in March 2016.
S-Pure sets new standard for Thailandās antibiotic-free chicken meat
Companies are shifting towards antibiotic-free meat to premiumise their offering and to offer a safer option to consumers.
Thailand’s Betagro Group has received the world’s first NSF Raised Without Antibiotics Certificate in an announcement in May 2017. The certification was awarded to the fresh chicken meat brand S-Pure where the chickens are raised without the use of antibiotic.
S-Pure currently has a 90% share in the premium fresh meat market in Thailand.
Kee Song lacto chicken bred with lactobacillus
Kee Song, one of the leading poultry producers in Singapore and Malaysia, uses the advanced farming technology to breed chicken without the use of growth hormones and antibiotics. The lacto chicken is fed with lactobacillus, a friendly bacteria, to combat harmful bacterial the natural way.
Kee Song lacto chicken selling on the company’s online store in Singapore
What Mini Me thinks
Growing concern about antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which threatens global public health, food safety and security, has expedited efforts by the government and companies to look for alternatives to reduce antibiotic use. The elimination of antibiotic use also feeds into the current clean label trend and transparency.
Indonesian snacks from the Indonesian celebrity couple and the country’s biggest food conglomerate Indofood have arrived in Malaysia. The fried cassava/tapioca snacks Chipstaro and Sing Kong from the celebrity couple Raffi Ahmad and Nagita Slavina (RANS) have been made available through the 7-Eleven convenience store.
In Malaysia, local actress NurĀ FazuraĀ Sharifuddin, officially crowned asĀ Puteri Keladi (Taro Princess), is the brand ambassador for the brand in the domestic market.
Chitato
The other snack food that has arrived in Malaysia is Indofood’s Chitato potato chips. They are distributed by Indofood (M) Food Industries Sdn Bhd and were showcased at the recent Tastefully Food & Beverage Expo 2017 in November 2017. Among the Chitato potato chips sold at Tastefully were original, BBQ chicken, supreme cheese and the mie goreng version first launched in Indonesia in 2016. Chitato will be made available through the provision good store (sundry shop) channel first.
What Mini Me thinks
Indonesian food and drink products are casting their eyes on Malaysia for expansion. The country shares the same cultural root as Indonesia, making it an ideal country to market Indonesian food and drinks.
Mie Sedaap, Indomie, Indocafe and Daia are already household names in Malaysia. Sosro Teh Botol has increased its penetration and availability, while Nabati Group’s Wafer Richeese Nabati has just been crowned the leader in the wafer category in Malaysia based on Nielsen (Oct 2017) as disclosed by Maret Yudianto, country manager (Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand) at Enerlife Pte Ltd. Looking forward, there will likely be more Indonesian brands/products entering into Malaysia capitalising on the affinity with Indonesian food culture.
Coca-Cola Amatil held its investors day in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia on 24 November 2017. The investor day presentation contains a wealth of information about the company’s operation in Indonesia in terms of market share, size, growth and future plans.
Market leader in sparkling
It is clear Coca-Cola is number one in the sparkling category and probably one or two in the juice segment as well, citing Nielsen data. For the other categories, Coca-Cola is still a minor player.
Looking at the broader non-alcoholic ready to drink market (NARTD), assuming the data for YTD Sep 2013 and YTD Oct 2017 is comparable, we see AJE losing significant market share in both volume and value in NARTD as its core sparkling business faces headwinds. Wings and Danone are able to preserve their respective position as Danone operates in the healthier/functional segments -bottled water and sports drink, while Wings is into tea, juice and sports drink.Ā Coca-Cola Amatil, meanwhile, has lost value share during this period.
Within the overall NARTD, the market has reached a plateau since 2014 with some segments seeing a decline. The data excludes bottled water where it is still growing healthily albeit at a slower pace. The Canadean data shows consumers are drinking less sparkling beverages, which is in line with the overall shift towards healthy eating and wellness, thus affecting players operating in the sparkling segment.
The market is still sluggish in 2017. For the second quarter of 2017, the Association ofĀ Indonesian Soft DrinkĀ Producers (Asrim) said soft drink sales fell by 3.3%, reported Kontan.co.id. This follows a 3-4% decline in the first quarter of 2017, of which carbonated soft drink sales fell 15%, according Asrim.
For the first nine months of 2017, RTD tea sales volume fell 7.6% with volume down 4.9%, while carbonated soft drinks sales volume declined 11.2% and value fell 5.7%, reported Detik.com citing Nielsen data.
Bottled water, on the other hand, is expected to grow by 8-9% in 2017 to reach 27 billion liters, according to the estimation made by the IndonesianĀ AssociationĀ ofĀ BottledĀ DrinkingĀ WaterĀ (AMDK).
Key strategies going forward
In view of the current challenging situation, the company said it is aiming at improving product availability to ensure its sales force now focusing on range selling instead of concentrating only on a single product. As beverage is a volume game, improving product availability especially in the traditional trade is crucial to ensure the product is available anywhere and anytime.
An additional 20,000 cold drink equipment is to be installed in the market in 2018. This will add to the 348,000 equipment already put in place in the market.
Improving affordability is another route to gain share from competitors. The tools are price reset, new pack sizes and new products. We have talked about the Affordable Small Sparkling Package (ASSP) in 250ml in another post.
Juice – value-added and carton
The Minute Maid brand is positioning itself as the number one juice brand delivering everyday goodness to Indonesian families. The company will be introducing affordable Minute Maid Nutriboost (dairy) in carton to bridge the affordability gap. It will also innovate in carton with value-added benefits through the new Minute Maid Nutriforce (IDR 3,000) enriched with vitamins and minerals. The same product was launched earlier in Thailand as Minute Maid Vita Kids.
Within the ready-to-drink (RTD) tea category, Coca-Cola Amatil will establish Frestea in the original tea segment to improve its tea credibility through freshness of real tea leaves. The current Frestea Jasmine Tea will be rebranded under Frestea Original Tea, while the other range will be given a new packaging design.
Coca-Cola Amatil has established a partnership with coffee equipment supplier Caffitaly to supply coffee machine and capsule to food retail, professional and end-consumers. The official launch is slated in December 2017.
16 December 2024, NH Foods Limited (Head Office: Kita-ku, Osaka City; President and CEO: Nobuhisa Ikawa; hereinafter "NHF") has reached an agreement with Charoen...
* All the images are from SCS Malaysia and SCM Singapore Facebook site.
