Nom nom nom: Snack brands win bigger bite from APAC consumers during COVID-19

While snack brands are catering to a captive audience of home-bound consumers, they are having to carefully consider how they do that. Messaging has to be tactfully done, mainly positioned to provide convenience to consumers rather than outwardly pushing brand campaigns or products, according to a new survey from social listening company Circus Social. 

In terms of countries, this report notes that high-income countries (Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia) place more importance on snacking when compared with developing markets like Vietnam or Thailand.

However, within these high-income nations, there are some nuances. For example, in Japan, a glut of milk supply resulted in a sharp increase in people making and consuming So, a dairy-based snack. In Australia, meanwhile, staples such as Oreos and Tim Tams continue to be the top draws. In Indonesia, homemade novelty snacks such as 'virus-shaped pastries' and the much talked-about Dalgona coffee are the most popular items. 

In terms of snacking motivation, the drivers across APAC vary. The report says that consumers in Singapore and Malaysia prefer to "spread joy and support to community and loved ones", although it's unclear whether this refers to people sharing photos of their snacks on social media. In the meantime, Japanese and Koreans prefer to tinker with made-at-home recipes.