Report: Male consumers offer high growth potential for Russian savoury snacks market

Savoury snacks manufacturers in Russia have a new market to target in the male consumers, who represent 46% of the total population but consume less savoury snacks compared with the female population, according to report by Canadean.

Titled ‘Consumer and Market Insights: Savoury Snacks in Russia’, the report explores gender influences on the growth of the Russian savoury snacks market, which is the fourth biggest worldwide. Male consumers, who turn to savoury snacks as a form of relaxation and indulgence, represent an opportunity for manufacturers to introduce products that appeal to the pleasure-seeking side of the Russian male market.

Although female consumers are generally expected to seek savoury snacks as comfort food, the report reveals that 30% of the savoury snacks consumed by men are out of a desire to relax compared to only 21% of the total volume consumed by women. The report further highlights how indulgence drives consumption in men and accounts for 39% of consumption, which is higher than the 28% consumed by their female counterparts.

A favourable opportunity is represented by the Russian male consumer market that consumes savoury snacks on 93 occasions a year, whereas the number is higher for the female segment at 105. The Russian male therefore accounts for 43% of total savoury snack occasions, offering a higher growth potential despite being a smaller segment.

Canadean analyst Veronika Zhupanova explains: “While we have seen a number of savoury snack launches targeting men, current innovation is mostly unisex. In this way, indulgent snacks that are overtly masculine in design and positioning can stand out from the crowd.”

The Canadean report, however, points out a potential hurdle that awaits savoury snacks manufacturers. Content and products that are high on emotions might fail to appeal to the Russian male consumer, even though his desire for savoury snacks is driven by emotions such as the need to relax. This can be overcome by adopting a more “masculine” approach such as dark-coloured packaging, larger “male” sizes, and “rich in protein” labels.

An example of this strategy is Just Brutal “manly” chips from Belarus that offers a masculine design and flavours, such as Bloody Mary and Steak.

Russia’s savoury snacks market is predicted to grow at a robust compound annual growth rate of 10.1% to become a $4.3bn market by 2020.