KitKat’s Secret To Success In Japan

News

The Japanese food market can be particularly hard to crack for foreign brands. Ask Mars, who have finally managed to get M&Ms and Snickers onto Japanese shelves after thirty five years of hard work. This is only part of the battle though. The next step is competing with domestic brands that dominate the packaged food market in Japan thanks to their unrivalled insight.

A worthy rival has been found in the form of KitKat. So what is its secret to success?  KitKat’s popularity in the Japanese food market can be attributed to solid investment by Nestle since its launch in Japan in the 1970s. Consumers in Japan have a notoriously short attention span, with products battling to stay relevant in the market. KitKat has constantly been innovating new flavours, such as green tea and wasabi, to keep the Japanese public interested in the product. Nestle have produced over 200 limited edition flavours. (more…)