What is Kit Kat Japan’s recipe for success?

What’s behind a nation’s obsession over a chocolate wafer bar? A question many are bound to ask when visiting Japan.

Kit Kat is locally pronounced ‘kitto katsu’, meaning ‘you will surely win’. It has managed to gain popularity across Japan’s various consumer age groups.

Its success comes from the right mixture of novelty and tradition. Nestlé’s Kit Kat Japan understands what its consumers want: not an ordinary Kit Kat, but one that comes in flavours loved by everyone that they could gift to one another on occasions such as exams.

Tapping into the demand for gourmet flavours, Kit Kat’s strategy focused on Japan-centric flavours, which has proven to be one of the brand’s key pillars of success. Kit Kat aficionados can buy locally inspired flavoured offerings such as purple sweet potato, edamame bean, and wasabi.  

The wide range of Kit Kat varieties appeals to 65% of Japanese consumers who say they often or sometimes try new or different varieties of chocolate offerings (GlobalData’s 2016 Q3 global consumer survey).

To meet this demand, Nestlé recently opened its first Kit Kat factory in the town of Himeji, in the western part of Japan. This facility will specialise in producing a small quantities of the snack varieties, including strawberry and maple, as well as pistachio and raspberry combinations.

Tapping into the demand for more sophisticated flavoured offerings, Kit Kat’s premiumisation strategy would appeal to consumers seeking premium and unique gifts to give or share with loved ones. 

Overall Kit Kat Japan successfully managed to captivate an entire nation by emotionally engaging with them, incorporating regional flavours yet still surprising consumers with unique tastes.

Related links

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