With a taste of life: Russians are looking for a source of joy in unusual products
Russians have found a new way to enjoy themselves — they have become more likely to buy products with unusual tastes. Their sales increased by 10-40% over the year, the Association of Retail Companies told Izvestia. Such products include tom—yam dumplings, kimchi-flavored crackers, cheese ice cream, beer-flavored ice cream and other combinations. The trend is confirmed by companies. In conditions of economic instability, consumers tend to find a fast source of dopamine. For retailers, this trend is becoming an additional tool for attracting customers and increasing the average receipt.
What extraordinary products have become in demand among consumers
By the end of January–June 2026, sales of products with unusual Asian flavors in retail chains increased by an average of 10-40% year-on-year, the chairman of the Association of Omnichannel Retail Companies (ACORT) told Izvestia Stanislav Bogdanov. According to him, the increase is observed both in the category of ready meals and among ingredients for home cooking.
For example, kimchi-flavored crackers, seeds with Asian spices and dumplings with tom yam sauce, soda with lychee and iced tea with mango, as well as vegetable milk with sakura flavor appeared in the assortment of retailers, the head of the association said.
The growth in demand for various categories of products with unusual tastes is confirmed by the surveyed retailers. In Lenta hypermarkets, sales of unusual Asian products increased by 16% year-on-year in the first half of the year, said its representative. X5's Asian ready-to-eat food sales increased by 23% over the same period, its representative noted. And in Auchan, sales of detox tea jumped by a third, while iced tea with mango and raspberry flavors increased by 87% and 59%, respectively.
The demand for unusual sweets is also growing. In Lenta, their sales increased by 10% year-on-year. According to her representative, customers have become more likely to choose extremely sour marmalade, honey with aloe and chocolate with unusual combinations — for example, with cherries and pepper, salt and caramel, as well as matches.
Russians have also become more likely to buy ice cream with pine nuts and cashews, cheese ice cream with mascarpone or gorgonzola, fruit ice cream with pickles and ice cream with beer flavor, Stanislav Bogdanov added.
Magnit refrained from commenting. Representatives of VkusVille and Globus did not respond to editorial questions.
How unexpected novelties attract additional demand
Food has become a way for consumers to become familiar with world culture, experts say. The customer sees new combinations on social networks, from bloggers, in the restaurant menu, and then searches for them in the store, Stanislav Bogdanov clarified. The main consumer of such sweets is the generation of zoomers and alpha between the ages of seven and 25, the representative of Lenta recalled. For them, buying such a dessert, according to him, has become an element of youth pop culture (anime, drama, K-pop).
Another factor is the demand for affordable pleasures, according to Konstantin Vlasov, Project manager of the Consumer Sector and Agroindustrial Complex practice at Strategy Partners. A person can reduce large expenses, but not give up a small emotional experience, agrees Mikhail Burmistrov, CEO of INFOLine Analytics. Non-standard tastes make the process of eating or snacking more vivid and memorable, which allows many to bring emotions into the routine, added Dmitry Vostrikov, Executive Director of Rusprodsoyuz.
The demand for such categories is associated with the expansion of their representation on the shelves, says Mikhail Lachugin, founder of the Product Media channel, an independent consultant to retail chain suppliers. According to INFOLine, in 2025, manufacturers introduced more than 3.6 thousand new products to the market, and since the beginning of 2026 - more than 2.6 thousand. In six months, Lenta has added more than 100 new items: enoki mushrooms, bamboo shoots, a line of kimchi cabbage, very sour marmalade, and others, its representative listed. X5 is also expanding its product range with new products from Vietnam, China and South Korea, said a representative of the group.
In many ways, the major market players themselves generate demand for such products, as they consider this segment to be highly competitive, Mikhail Lachugin believes. Today, companies are competing not only for price and basic qualities, but also for the attention of customers, CEO Mikhail Burmistrov agrees. In particular, the introduction of new products to the market makes it possible to increase the average receipt of the confectionery department even while maintaining the same volume of consumption in kilograms, said the representative of Lenta. According to him, young customers, coming to the store for trendy marmalade, at the same time purchase goods in other departments.
At the same time, an increase in demand for unusual products does not yet mean a large-scale change in consumer preferences, Dmitry Vostrikov noted. According to him, the demand for exotic flavors is growing from a relatively low base, while traditional products still account for the bulk of sales.
How will the segment of products with unusual tastes develop?
Experts assess the prospects for the market of products with unusual tastes ambiguously. The category will remain in the range of retailers, but over time it will become more niche, and the demand for such products will be less widespread, Mikhail Lachugin believes.
By the end of 2026, the market will develop in two main directions — gastronomic experiments and functional products: high-protein, sugar-free and lactose-free, as well as enriched with useful components, predicts Mikhail Burmistrov. According to him, the influence of Asian cuisine will continue to increase, and competition in the healthy food segment will grow.
At the same time, interest in certain new products can quickly fade due to the short-term nature of viral trends, Konstantin Vlasov noted. Therefore, manufacturers will have to accelerate the introduction of new products to the market and more often abandon positions that have not generated steady demand.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
