Hang'er style is prevalent, how long can "Sweet Yaya" be sweet?

2009-03-22

Reporter Zheng Xuping Photography Zhan Yu

Donuts, crepes, milk puffs... Since the end of last year, Hangzhou has A sweet pastry wind blew. There were long lines of people rushing to buy the donuts in Wushan Square and the "Sweet Yaya" pastry shop in Wulin Square. Today, a new donut store in Fengqi is about to open, and "Sweet Yaya", which entered Hangzhou in early November last year, has already opened 9 stores.

In this regard, some people said disdainfully: "It's just Hang'er style." Hangzhou people have all experienced Hang'er style. The turbulent Hang'er style comes and goes without a trace. Brazilian BBQ, Old Farmer's Wowotou...these gourmet restaurants that were once very popular in Hangzhou are now either no longer popular or traceless.

"Tian Yaya", who always has a queue every time she opens a store, will she be the next one to lose her shabby pancakes? Can it make this hanger style last forever? In this issue of Business School, let’s discuss how long can “Sweet Yaya” be sweet?

Limited purchase, no additives, must be eaten on the same day

The first "Sweet Yaya" in Hangzhou is in a very good location, located at the No. 55 bus terminal, facing The bustling Wulin business district has a large flow of people coming and going around it. The store is decorated in a simple and refreshing way, with the sales office in the front and the production room in the back. The two are separated and form a transparent layout from front to back. You can see several pastry chefs busy in front of the oven in the back room. When you walk to the door of the store, you will be greeted by the aroma of milk. The brown and hot egg tarts, cookies, and puffs on the counter are mouth-watering.

Although there are well-known cake chain brands such as Yuanzu, Christine, and Croissant in the surrounding area, "Sweet Yaya" still quickly stands out. "Sweet Yaya" opens at 8 a.m. every day and closes at around 8 p.m. During the 12 hours it is open, there is a long queue at the door almost all the time. It's not easy to get "Sweet Yaya" Western pastries. It's not surprising to queue up for half an hour. The business is booming enough to make colleagues jealous.

Unlike other bakeries that use central factory distribution, "Tian Yaya" operates a front store and a back factory, adhering to the business philosophy of "baked in minutes, fresh in seconds". Everything is Baked on site, freshly made and sold now. "Sweet Yaya" Hangzhou District Manager Li Shicheng told reporters that because Western pastries are the best when they are freshly baked, they deliberately control the relationship between the volume of baked goods and sales, and try to provide the freshest and warmest pastries to customers. . If there are still some snacks that are not sold out when the store closes at night, they will dispose of them and will never keep them for sale the next day.

In "Sweet Yaya", fresh milk puffs are purchased in limited quantities, and each person can only buy 10 yuan at a time. Li Shicheng said: "The limited purchase is not a gimmick. It is to allow customers to eat the best-tasting pastries. The fresh cream will change after cooling, and our pastries do not contain additives. It is best to eat them on the same day."

Comments:

Hu Jiexun: Limited purchase reflects a marketing strategy, but it does not play a big role in maintaining the long-term sales of "Sweet Yaya". It does not contain additives and has a certain appeal to consumers who are particularly concerned about food safety. However, as a promotional slogan, it lacks recognition by an authoritative organization. If it can be authenticated by an authoritative organization, it may have greater market impetus. The most effective of the above methods is to have a front store and a back factory, and make and sell now, which is the most impactful to customers. However, compared to the centralized factory distribution method, decentralized processing must ensure quality, which is the key.

Xu Yongjun: If it is truly additive-free and sincerely considers customers, I think it is feasible. If it is a gimmick, the market will ultimately have the final say. It cannot be true or false, and false cannot be true.

10 yuan per bag, a popular Western pastry shop

Currently, "Sweet Yaya" has 9 types of products, including snow mountain cakes, Portuguese egg tarts, and gongs. Burnt, royal cookies, milk puffs, butterfly puffs, pumpkin puffs, taro puffs and coconut strips.

Western pastries have been in China for a long time, but not many Chinese people like Western pastries. Most people are still accustomed to the traditional taste of sesame seed cakes and fried dough sticks. "Sweet Yaya" has made some taste improvements, such as pumpkin puff pastry, which is completely sucrose-free and is a traditional snack.

"Our products cover consumer groups of all ages. The elderly like to eat soft cookies, middle-aged people like to eat puff pastry, young girls like to eat milk puffs, and children like to eat Eat egg tarts. We also launch new products regularly," Li Shicheng said.

Of course, most people are willing to wait for a bag of snacks to take home, mainly because they are of high quality and low price. From the perspective of consumers, "Sweet Yaya"'s affordable Western desserts such as milk puffs, butterfly puff pastry, and pumpkin puff pastry at RMB 12.8 per catty are quite affordable. With the prices of exquisite desserts in pastry shops getting higher and higher, it is indeed attractive to spend 10 yuan to buy a box of heavy egg tarts or a large bag of puffs.

Li Shicheng told reporters that Tianyaya’s overall positioning is to produce mid- to high-quality products at mid- to low-end prices. It is precisely because of its high cost performance that it has become the new favorite of the public in a short period of time. The first Sweet Yaya store in Hangzhou now has an average daily turnover of around 7,000 yuan.

Comments:

Hu Jiexun: The wide variety and low price are important reasons for the success of "Sweet Yaya". However, operators should also note that as a snack food, it is very difficult to be suitable for men, women, old and young and be liked for a long time. I'm worried that after the "Hang'er trend" passes, whether there will still be people who will remain loyal to "Tian Yaya" for a long time. A truly best-selling product should have clear target customers and a clear positioning. Therefore, it is recommended that operators further clarify the customer group and the positioning of differences between similar products.

Xu Yongjun: From the price point of view, it is still very cheap, but will the temporary low-price strategy have an impact on profits? If the company is profitable and can maintain low prices, I think it can still be sustainable. .

Raise the threshold and slow down the expansion of franchise stores

During the interview, Li Shicheng’s cell phone kept ringing. He explained to us that there are many people who want to join "Sweet Yaya" and ask questions about how to join and what the economic benefits are.

"Sweet Yaya" originally planned to open 15 stores in Hangzhou. In 4 months, it has opened 9 stores, of which 5 are directly operated stores and 4 are franchise stores. . Li Shicheng plans to slow down the speed of franchising: "The hotter the business, the more we need to keep a clear head and have a sense of crisis. Expanding too fast is not necessarily a good thing. We plan to calm down and refine management in the near future."

This northeastern man only heard about "Hang'er style" after he came to Hangzhou. As for the Shaozhi Shaobing, which was once popular all over the country, his analysis is: "The entry threshold for Shaozha Shaobing is too low, and mom-and-pop shops can operate it. Moreover, it is a single product, and it will naturally die out after the novelty of the product wears off.”

According to reports, Sweet Yaya Western Pastry was founded in September 2005 opposite Shandong Normal University on Wenhua East Road, Jinan, Shandong. It is so popular that students line up to buy it every day, making it almost a local scene. In 2006, Sweet Yaya fully entered the Jiangsu market and gradually achieved nationwide expansion. In 2007, Tianyaya devoted itself to brand development, completed the application for registration of its own brand "Tianyaya", and registered and established Nanjing Runmai Food Co., Ltd., which was the first to introduce the CIS system and has a unified brand trademark and unified brand image. There are currently more than 60 "Sweet Yaya" stores nationwide.

How much does it cost to open a "Sweet Yaya"? Li Shicheng said that the investment mainly includes rent, decoration and equipment costs, and employee wages. The franchise fee is 50,000 yuan, and the investment cost can be recovered within one year.

Regarding the management of franchise stores, Li Shicheng said: "We have strict requirements for material selection, and all raw materials for each store are distributed uniformly. We pay attention to the training of employees on skills and ethics, and dispatch supervisors to franchise stores. Carry out supervision and require rectification of violations. ”

Comments:

Hu Jiexun: Operators have realized the necessity of slowing down the expansion of franchise stores. This is wise and necessary. of.

The top priority is to strengthen the management of existing stores, strictly enforce standards, and maintain steady growth. But there is still a long way to go in cultivating brands, and long-term success also depends on whether the company can do a good job in brand building.

Xu Yongjun: From the perspective of franchising, the market demand for the product is very important. The product will last long if it is what people need in their daily life. If the product is only fresh for a while, it will be difficult to survive in the long term. "Sweet Yaya" originated in schools. I personally think that the final market should still be in schools, and its positioning should be students.