The Transformation of Convenience Store's Iconic Snack 'Jelly' Is Innocent

This Year, Convenience Store Jelly Overall Sales Increased by 7.7%, RealShape Type Up 120.4%

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] Jelly is a favorite snack among convenience store customers. Jelly has emerged as a trend in chewing food, widely sought after for snacks, dieting, and desserts, offering various flavors, shapes, and textures.

Recently, a shift has been occurring in the convenience store jelly market trend. Instead of the 'collaboration' and 'crossover' styles that have led the market so far, 'Real Shape' jelly, which replicates the exact shape of real objects, is gaining attention.

According to convenience store 7-Eleven on the 25th, jelly sales this year (January 1 to October 21) increased by 7.7% compared to the same period last year, despite an overall slowdown in consumption due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Among these, sales of Real Shape jelly more than doubled (120.4%) alongside an expanded product lineup.

The convenience store jelly market reached its heyday in 2016 with 7-Eleven's launch of 'Yogurt Flavor Jelly.' 'Yogurt Flavor Jelly' gained popularity not only domestically but also overseas. Its success changed the trend of new product launches itself. The food industry, including convenience stores, rushed to release unique collaboration jelly products such as snack-flavored jelly, beverage-flavored jelly, ice cream-flavored jelly, and idol-themed jelly, utilizing existing popular foods.

This year, convenience store jelly has moved from the collaboration era to the Real Shape era. According to 7-Eleven, the sales ratio between Real Shape jelly and collaboration jelly was 6:94 in 2016, with collaboration jelly overwhelmingly dominant, but this year it has reversed to 56:44 in favor of Real Shape.

Looking at the sales rankings of domestic jelly at 7-Eleven since July, two types of Real Shape 'Geobong Jelly' swept the top ranks, and Macaron Jelly and Samgyeopsal Jelly ranked 5th and 7th respectively, clearly showing that Real Shape type jellies are leading the market.

7-Eleven has launched 18 types of Real Shape jelly this year alone and currently operates a total of 34 types of Real Shape jelly. This is more than double the number from last year.

The reason Real Shape jelly is standing out like this is that among young consumers, trends like 'fun-sumer' and 'gajambi' are becoming more prominent, allowing them to enjoy not only taste but also unique fun. In particular, these fun products are very popular as items for social media communication among young people.

In line with this change, 7-Eleven recently launched 'Salmon Sushi Jelly' and 'Tropical Fruit Box Jelly.' As the Real Shape trend is expected to continue in the domestic jelly market, 7-Eleven plans to further strengthen its lineup of Real Shape jelly centered on familiar themes that can be frequently encountered in daily life.