What Consumers Want: Kazakhstan’s Dairy Industry Must Address Four Key Demands

According to the expert’s assessment, dairy products currently make up about 15% of the average global consumer’s diet. In Kazakhstan, this figure stands at 12%, indicating a market growth potential of at least 25%.

“Considering Kazakhstan’s demographics and industry dynamics, this target is achievable,” emphasized Alexey Ashrafzyanov. “However, consumption growth is impossible without a clear answer to the question: why should the consumer choose a dairy product?”

According to Tetra Pak data, global and local consumption trends boil down to six key factors: health consciousness, a desire for belonging and tradition, emotional pleasure, economic value, environmental responsibility, and clear product functionality.

In the context of Kazakhstan, four of these factors are especially relevant:

1. Economic Value. Buyers seek an optimal balance between price and quality. This leads to the spread of tools such as reducing package sizes while maintaining prices, recipe optimization, and development of economy segments. As the speaker noted, practices like “shrinkflation” — reducing packaging size or changing product composition to maintain price positioning — are already actively used in Kazakhstan’s market. However, the spread of multipacks, which account for up to 70% of white milk sales in Europe, remains low.

2. Health Consciousness. Consumers increasingly expect products to offer not only basic benefits but also additional properties, such as improved sleep, support for children’s growth, and immune system strengthening. It is important to communicate the product’s value clearly and simply, avoiding complex or unclear formulations.

3. Commitment to Tradition and Locality. Products referencing national recipes, ornaments, or local origins strengthen consumer trust and emotional connection. However, as the expert notes, such marketing tools are still used sporadically in Kazakhstan.

4. Desire to Indulge. The premium and emotionally appealing dairy segment remains an important growth area. Innovative formats, immersive packaging design, and multisensory product experiences are in demand here.

Alexey Ashrafzyanov also paid special attention to potential risks for producers. Among them is the growing influence of private labels in retail chains. According to Tetra Pak, the share of private labels (PL) in the Kazakhstani market currently stands at about 1%, but it has already grown by one-third over the past year, signaling imminent increased competitive pressure from retailers.

“Launching new products requires a systematic approach,” concluded Alexey Ashrafzyanov. “It is essential to clearly understand the consumer, integrate the product into the production chain, and determine when and in what format it will be most in demand.”