Asian Cuisine, Global Appetite

Delivery

This report comes in PPT.

Key findings

There is expanding commercial viability of Asian cuisine in mainstream consumer segments

Travel trends, cultural evolution and globalisation are key factors driving mainstream interest in Asian food. These factors act as a growth avenue for brands to tap into diverse customer segments seeking new flavour experiences. Brands must first seek acceptance from ethnic enclaves and diaspora communities to generate brand trust among mainstream consumers.

A competitive food industry with fast-growing Asian brands emphasises the need for scale and differentiation

The rise of Asian brands across industries is disrupting the foodservice market and triggering key categories in packaged food to evolve. These brands are quick to scale, expand their presence across channels, innovate and engage consumers. To compete for presence, brands must also scale up effectively and identify ways to differentiate while leveraging trends.

Authenticity matters, but convenience and localisation determine long-term adoption and brand loyalty

While provenance and origin-led innovation can generate interest, fit to lifestyles and local palates secure brand trust and product adoption. Indulgence-led categories are more likely to favour traits like visual appeal and tastiness; brands should utilise authentic ingredients and personalise to local formats, while meals and staples should offer modular formats for ease of adoption.

Trendy cuisines can appeal to mass consumers, but hyper-local novelties create a gateway to new trends

The Korean wave created innovation opportunities, showing the impact of trends and virality. Brands should identify the key traits that keep consumers coming back - such as the addictive nature of spice, comfort in mouthfeel and the experience of partaking in cultures new to them - to create a basic flavour architecture that could swiftly be adopted with the next trending cuisine.