Food and Beverage Industry Actively Targets Consumers with New Products on SNS

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] The food and beverage industry is capturing consumers' tastes by offering dishes that utilize recipes or ingredients popular on SNS.

SNS is a space where people can freely showcase their preferences and discover trends. Since food is experienced only through photos or videos on SNS, visual stimuli spark curiosity about taste. When these foods are launched as menu items in the food and beverage industry, word of mouth spreads among consumers who want to try them firsthand, leading to actual purchases.

For example, Fresh Easy released ‘Chaekkeut Jjapadak Tteokbokki’ and ‘Usamgyeop Cheese Jjolmyeon,’ recipes that gained sensational popularity on SNS, resulting in a 105% increase in sales last year compared to the previous year.

Since a perilla oil noodle recipe was introduced on a variety show in 2019, perilla oil noodles have attracted attention, with over 26,000 cumulative posts on Instagram, maintaining steady popularity. Riding on this trend, School Food launched ‘Eoganjang Perilla Oil Makguksu.’ This dish adds umami and flavor by including artisan-made eoganjang (fish soy sauce), and the noodles are made using a multi-hydration method to achieve a soft yet chewy texture.

There are also cases where recipes that gained attention through YouTube videos were released as meal kits. Fresh Easy’s ‘Park Makrye Bibim Guksu’ is a meal kit product that replicates the bibim guksu recipe from the Park Makrye grandmother’s YouTube channel, which has recorded about 15 million views. Before the product launch, a teaser video showing Park Makrye grandmother participating in the development process garnered 300,000 views on YouTube in just one day, drawing attention. The product sold over 20,000 units within one hour of release.

Some menus have attracted attention by satisfying both taste and visual appeal. New York Night Market introduced the ‘Don Mahawk Steak,’ notable on SNS for its massive tomahawk shape. Don Mahawk, a sirloin cut, has gained consumer approval due to its thick meat and overwhelming visual impact. New York Night Market’s Don Mahawk Steak is made from Iberico bone-in sirloin, delivering a mouthful of umami flavor.

This year, interest in Chodang corn also rose. Chodang corn is sweeter than regular corn and can be eaten raw, characterized by its crisp texture. Searching for Chodang corn on Instagram yields over 110,000 related posts, showing its popularity. In response, Gong Cha Korea launched a ‘Chodang Corn 3-Item’ menu in July. Gong Cha added Chodang corn to its black tea to enhance sweetness and offered a variety of toppings for diverse textures.

An industry insider said, “We will continue to focus on menu development so that food items become menus that receive sustained consumer interest, not just fleeting popularity.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.