With the advent of the era of hot pot parity, instead of being forced to change by the market, it is better to roll yourself.
This article was originally published by Red Meal Network (ID: hongcan18), author: Jian Yuhao; Editor: Jing Xue.
In the past few years, changing the way to eat a cheap Haidilao meal has long become a traffic password for bloggers. From the earliest "DIY free pot bottom", to the later "homemade beef rice" and "69% off for college students to use in the air". In the era of wanting to be cheap and eat well, consumers are happy to "unlock 100 cheap ways to eat Haidilao".
Perhaps sensing the strong demand of consumers, Haidilao also took advantage of the trend and launched the hot pot sub-brand "Hi Lao Hot Pot", and opened its first store in September last year, with a price of about 80 yuan per capita.
But the reality is that there is no minimum, only lower. Recently, many migrant workers in Beijing have found that the "Hi Lao Hot Pot", which is positioned as the "affordable version of Haidilao", has begun to change its appearance, not only changing its name to "Xiao Hi Hot Pot", but also further exploring the price and lowering their "bottom line".
"The original per capita consumption of about 80 yuan has now dropped directly to about 60 yuan."
"The cheapest mandarin duck pot bottom used to cost 19.8 yuan, but now it's only 9.9 yuan."
"The new 12 yuan all-you-can-eat series, duck blood tofu can also be renewed for free and unlimitedly."
……
Even Haidilao has to be coerced by a price war? Are hot pot brands going crazy to roll up?
Duck blood tofu is infinitely continued, starting from 9.9 yuan at the bottom of the pot,
The "affordable version of Haidilao" is cheaper!
According to official public information, "Hi Lao Hot Pot" is a cheap hot pot brand launched by Haidilao last year, and it has been positioned as a "cheap version of Haidilao" since its inception.
On June 14, the official Weibo announcement of "Hi Lao Hot Pot" said that from now on, the brand will be officially upgraded, and the brand name will also be changed to "Xiao Hi Hot Pot". Red Meal Network learned that before the official announcement of the name change, some of its stores have made some adjustments around products, environment, and services.
According to Dianping, as of the official name change, "Hi Lao Hot Pot" has opened a total of 4 stores, including 2 in Beijing and 2 in Cangzhou, Hebei. On June 19, Red Meal Network contacted these four stores separately. From the mouths of the four store staff, it was learned that the interior decoration, product line and store signs of the two stores in Beijing have been completely renewed, while the two stores in Cangzhou have only changed the menu and store signs, and the interior decoration has not been adjusted, however, the store staff also said that it will be adjusted slowly in the later stage.
As far as the two stores in Beijing that have been fully adjusted, the following changes have been made:
The most obvious thing is that in terms of price, Xiaohi hot pot is more "approachable" than the original Hi Lao hot pot. For example, the price of mandarin duck pot bottom has dropped from the original minimum of 19.8 yuan to 9.9 yuan, and the price of fat cattle has dropped from 28 yuan to 23.9 yuan when it opened. At the same time, it also launched activities such as unlimited duck blood tofu and preferential packages for 2-4 people.
In addition, in the original "self-à-cate" model, the dishes in the store are placed on plates representing different prices, and customers can pick up their own prices. The upgraded Xiaohi hot pot, on this basis, has added a 12 yuan all-you-can-eat series, and you can enjoy more than 10 drinks and snacks for 12 yuan, as well as cold dishes, fruits, ice cream, dipping sauces, etc.
△ Image source: Photo by Zhai Bin
However, Red Meal Network also noticed that after the store upgrade, a variety of beef products such as Australian Wagyu Beef Upper Brain M6-7 and Crispy Tripe in the store have increased by 5-10 yuan compared with before.
According to the waiter at Xiaohi Hot Pot Dongba Wanda Store, the price of some dishes has increased, mainly because the quality of the dishes will be higher than before, so the price has been increased accordingly. "At present, the per capita consumption of Xiaohi hot pot stores has dropped from 80 yuan per capita to about 60 yuan. We hope that we can ensure that the price is more cost-effective, and at the same time, we can also provide consumers with some higher quality products. ”
Thirdly, the product level has become more and more abundant. From the new menu, it can be seen that the bottom of the pot in the store has increased from the original 4 to 6 types, and on the basis of the original four pot bottoms of clear oil spicy pot, fresh tomato pot, three fresh pots, and Jintang sauerkraut pot, mellow spicy pot and Japanese sukiyaki pot have been added; In terms of the main beef products, milky Wagyu beef, spicy shell beef, and rattan pepper beef tongue have also been added, which have increased from the original 8 to the current 11 types; In terms of snacks and hand-blended drinks, the store closely follows the new rhythm of Haidilao stores, adding new seasonal products such as crayfish, cherry blossom cake, and panda mousse.
Up to now, the number of SKUs in Xiaohi hot pot restaurants has exceeded 60, which is basically the same as that of regular Haidilao stores.
In terms of store scenes, Xiaohi hot pot has also made some adjustments. Red Food Network learned that the main color of the brand's stores was the warm color of the original wood color, but after this upgrade, the store presented a large area of silver, as well as black and white, from warm colors to cold colors, coupled with the intelligent gradient of light superposition, creating a strong sense of fashion and technology.
△ Image source: Photo by Zhai Bin
In addition, Haidilao and its newly launched campus canteen this year have always used a red background and white letter signboard for the external brand logo, and the upgraded Xiaohi hot pot uses a green background and white character design for the first time.
It is worth noting that in addition to changes in products, prices, and scenes, the upgraded Xiaohi hot pot store has also opened a takeaway business. However, according to the store clerk, the store's takeaway business is still in the testing stage.
The era of affordable hot pot has arrived,
Striving to be the "Saria" of the hot pot industry
In response to the "comprehensive upgrade of Haidilao hot pot sub-brand", Red Meal Network also communicated with some industry insiders, and most of them believed that the upgrade from "Hi Lao Hot Pot" to "Xiao Hi Hot Pot" was a change made by Haidilao based on today's consumption environment.
"My understanding is that under the current trend of consumers paying more and more attention to the quality-price ratio, the per capita unit price of 80 yuan is still not the 'pulse' of consumers, and the price is still high. Now the adjusted price has dropped to about 60 yuan, which can be described as 'one step to the stomach'. Zhai Bin, a columnist for Red Meal Network, said.
In fact, it can also be seen that the hot pot of 60 yuan per capita is indeed very cost-effective, and the unit price of hot pot is gradually decreasing.
According to the "Hot Pot Category Development Report 2023", in 2023, 60-90 yuan will already be the mainstream price of hot pot restaurants, accounting for more than 43% of the market.
Since the beginning of this year, a number of hot pot brands such as Xiabu Xiabu, Nan Hot Pot, and Gang Hot Pot have also made "bright falls" or "dark falls".
In mid-May, Xiabu Xiabu announced the launch of a new menu, and the prices of various packages were lowered across the board. Among them, the average price of a single meal has dropped from 65 yuan to 58 yuan, and the double meal has dropped from 145 yuan to 130 yuan, and an exclusive package for workers with an average of 49.9 yuan per person has also been launched
Also in mid-May, Nan Hot Pot announced that the store had entered the 3.0 era, and the per capita consumption of the brand dropped to 70-80 yuan.
At the beginning of June, Jiumaojiu's cowardly hot pot issued a new "recognition announcement": the bottom of the pot starts at 8.8 yuan, meat dishes start at 9.9 yuan, vegetarian dishes start at 6.6 yuan, and stewed rice is all-you-can-eat. Compared with before, the price of the product has been significantly reduced.
On major group buying platforms, there are also a large number of hot pot restaurants that have launched cash coupons of "9.9 generations of 100 yuan", or 9.9 yuan to eat kidney slices, hairy tripe, mutton and other shabu dishes.
The hot pot track is getting more and more rolled, and "price reduction" has almost become the consensus of hot pot brands, but the strategies and paths of each brand are different. Brands with a mid-waist and below tend to be more inclined to direct discounts and promotions; The top brands such as Haidilao and Xiabu Xiabu are more willing to be sub-brands and stir up the market with new brands.
This also indicates that the era of affordable hot pot may have come.
In the eyes of many practitioners, with the mass consumption becoming more rational and pragmatic, the catering industry has entered the "era of replacement", and hot pot is not immune. Especially in Sichuan-Chongqing hot pot, in terms of products and tastes, the homogenization phenomenon is serious, and for consumers, price has become a more important decision-making basis.
Based on such changes, the comprehensive strength of the hot pot brand will be more and more tested, and the total cost leadership strategy is the key to victory.
At the same time, with the continuous improvement of the hot pot supply chain system, many brands have the "capital" to take the initiative to reduce prices. Like Haidilao, Xiabu Xiabu, Nan Hot Pot, etc., they have now laid out their own production and processing bases, and can coordinate the procurement of ingredients, directly supply stores, and optimize efficiency and cost.
Maximize the cost performance and be the "Saria" of the hot pot industry. In the new competitive environment, whoever can take the lead in opening up the parity route in the future may be able to grasp the initiative of competition.
Cover picture source: Haidilao's official Weibo.