How Haidilao Took Its Hotpot Condiments Online

Executive Summary#

Haidilao (海底捞) carried the trust it built in its hotpot restaurants into online sales of seasoning bases, dipping sauces and self-heating kits. Its condiment business became an important part of the company's diversification while consumers increasingly chose shelf-stable retail products over delivered meals. The company sold these products through its stores on Tmall (天猫), Taobao (淘宝) and JD.com (京东), which together served as its main online distribution channels. This analysis examines how the brand trust built through premium dine-in service transferred to online retail channels during 2022.

Condiments as the Route Online#

Condiments gave Haidilao a way to grow online that did not depend on restaurant foot traffic or seating capacity. Although the segment was still a small part of the business, we believe it was the company's most scalable online opportunity.

The product portfolio spanned several categories designed to recreate the Haidilao experience at home:

• Hotpot seasoning bases: spicy, tomato, mushroom and specialty broths, sold mainly through Tmall and Taobao
• Dipping sauces and condiments: signature sesame-based and oil-based sauces that recreate the in-restaurant condiment bar
• Self-heating hotpot kits: portable, single-serve hotpot meals aimed at consumers who value convenience
• Instant soup products: a new category launched through the "Future Food Laboratory" initiative
• Specialty ingredients: premium hotpot ingredients including pre-sliced meats, fish balls and tofu products

This breadth allowed Haidilao to serve several consumption occasions, from home cooks recreating the full hotpot meal to consumers looking for a quick meal solution.

Why Consumers Moved from Delivery to Shelf-Stable Products#

As pandemic restrictions eased intermittently through 2022, consumers who could dine out preferred the full in-restaurant hotpot experience, which is a social dining occasion that does not translate well to delivery, and this pattern was common across the restaurant industry.

The shift also reflected a change in how consumers stocked their kitchens, since during extended lockdowns they bought shelf-stable products in advance instead of ordering delivery for each meal. Haidilao's condiment and self-heating product lines benefited from this change in behaviour, and some of the demand that might have gone to delivery moved to retail products.

We believe this had strategic implications, because it suggested that Haidilao's online opportunity lay in selling branded ingredients and convenience products that let consumers create their own Haidilao-inspired meals, more than in recreating the restaurant meal for home delivery.

E-commerce Platform Strategy#

From January to November 2022, Haidilao's online presence extended across China's major e-commerce platforms, and the brand kept multiple active product listings on Taobao, using its restaurant reputation to turn shoppers' familiarity into online purchases.

The e-commerce strategy reflected a deliberate expansion from dine-in into omnichannel retail. Product listings covered a wide range of SKUs (Stock Keeping Units), from traditional hotpot soup bases and dipping sauces to newer categories including self-heating hotpot kits and instant soup products, and each platform had its own role:

• Tmall: the flagship store for premium product lines, seasonal promotions and new product launches
• Taobao: a broader product catalogue with bundled offerings at accessible prices
• JD.com: a channel for consumers who wanted fast delivery

This approach extended the brand's reach while allowing Haidilao to tailor pricing and product selection to each platform's users. It was in line with a broader trend among China's restaurant chains in 2022, when brands with established retail product lines benefited from consumer stockpiling and from the growing preference for premium dining at home.

Promotional events also played a part. During the Double 11 shopping festival in November 2022, Haidilao's e-commerce stores featured bundled seasoning and condiment sets at promotional prices, using the event's high traffic to acquire new online customers. These seasonal peaks gave the company consumer insight that informed product development and inventory planning across the portfolio.

Brand Trust as a Competitive Advantage#

Haidilao's long investment in premium dine-in service gave it an advantage in the online retail market. Consumer trust in food safety and quality, built through consistent restaurant experiences, carried over to decisions about packaged products.

This mattered in China's crowded ready-to-eat market, where concerns about quality remained a significant barrier to purchase. Consumers who trusted Haidilao's food safety standards in its restaurants extended that confidence to its packaged seasoning bases and self-heating products, which lowered the barrier to trial that new brands typically face.

We believe the same trust supported the brand's pricing, since Haidilao's retail products held a premium position against generic alternatives without relying on the heavy discounting that many newer brands used to win trial. This premium reflected the value consumers placed on the association with a well-known hotpot chain.

The link between restaurants and retail also worked in the other direction, because consumers who discovered Haidilao through its online condiments were more likely to visit its restaurants. This gave Haidilao an advantage that purely digital food brands could not easily reproduce, as they lacked the physical dining experience that shaped consumers' perception of quality and authenticity.

Key Takeaways#

• Condiments gave Haidilao a route to online growth that did not depend on restaurant foot traffic, and we believe the segment was its most scalable online opportunity beyond dine-in
• Consumers who could dine out preferred the restaurant experience, while those at home bought shelf-stable retail products instead of ordering delivery for each meal
• Haidilao used Tmall, Taobao and JD.com as distinct channels, each with its own role in its online distribution strategy
• Brand trust built through years of premium dine-in service carried over to online retail and supported the brand's premium position

About the Data#

This analysis draws on Moojing Market Intelligence data covering January-November 2022, combined with Haidilao International Holding Ltd. (6862.HK) financial disclosures. Moojing analyses brand and category performance across major Chinese e-commerce platforms. For full methodology and additional insights, see the complete Haidilao Online Market report.