Meet Wei Qin: Shaping Business Strategies and Uncovering Consumer Trends

With a career that began in product development and evolved into consumer research, Wei Qin has been instrumental in shaping business strategies, identifying growth areas and shaping innovation priorities. Her passion for understanding consumer preferences has led her to work on significant projects, including a decade-long endeavor in the sugar reduction field. Dive in to learn more about Wei Qin’s fascinating career, the valuable lessons she’s learned about the ever-evolving consumer trends in the food and beverage industry, her personal passions and the individuals who have inspired her along the way.

Q: What are the current consumer trends in the food and beverage industry? How are they evolving?

A: It is a highly competitive and value-driven era. Consumer interests are evolving at a faster speed due to the convergence of multiple factors. First, the pandemic exacerbated consumer variety-seeking and value-driven behaviors. Consumers want healthy foods that taste great and benefit their physical and mental health, but they do not want to compromise on enjoyment. Second, social media shortened consumers’ interest spans. Consumers are constantly looking for new tastes and textures and the perfect look. Third, e-commerce has boosted consumer choices through small vendors, and retailers’ promotion of their own brands has offered consumers better value at the same cost or similar products at a low cost. Lastly, technology has accelerated the product development cycle.  Predictive formulation models have enabled new product launches at an unprecedented speed. Ultimately, consumers benefit the most from an extensive array of products that satisfy their taste preferences as well as their functional and emotional needs.

Q: How did you get started in your career, and what inspired you to pursue this path?

A: My career began in product development. My first project was to design an innovative toothpaste. When consumers showed disgusted faces, I learned my first lesson that product development was not to fulfill a developer’s personal passion. Two years later, I started my PhD study in consumer research and stayed in the field afterward.

Q: What projects are you currently working on, and what excites you about them? 

A: Consumer research always excites me. Consumer preferences are dynamic due to the continuous improvement of competitive sets, shifting of their personal values and many other factors. I have been working in the sugar reduction field for more than 10 years. The initial solutions focused on matching original products using non-caloric artificial or natural sweeteners. Second-generation non-caloric sweeteners became much cleaner in taste. In the past 2 to 3 years, we observed that consumers' ideal sweetness had dropped around 2 brix in many markets. This is a monumental achievement for public health, yet it poses a fresh challenge for brands to align with the new target. It is fulfilling to witness better-for-you products reshaping consumer preferences towards healthy options.

Q: What are your passions outside of work? Any hobbies or activities you particularly enjoy?

A: I have a broad range of interests, including reading, playing tennis and golf, hiking, cooking and trying new things. Currently, I am working on my first book about Gen-X Asian Americans. The topic was inspired by many years of research from Boomers to Millennials to Gen-Z. All the corporations that I worked for never put a primary focus on Gen-X. The book is dedicated to my fellow Gen-Xers, whose interests have not been well-studied and documented compared to adjacent generations.

Q: How do these interests contribute to your overall well-being or influence your professional life?

A: On a personal note, this journey has been particularly fulfilling beyond deepening my understanding of my own generation. It gave me the courage to pursue my dream, researching important social subjects that have “little” business value and inspired me to consider my personal action in the context of social causes. Some participants interviewed contributed their time and money to disadvantaged communities, while others have started non-profits to improve overall quality of life. The most rewarding takeaway I had is gratitude towards life. All my participants are everyday Americans. The ability to focus on the positives and to navigate through difficulties made them my heroes, guiding me through the pandemic, economic uncertainties and political turbulence. 

Professionally, I am grateful to work in a field that I am passionate about. And I am very pleased that I have contributed to the “invention” of a few category leaders to delight consumers.

Q: Are there individuals who have inspired or influenced you, either personally or professionally?

A: My professional maturity was developed at Altria. I joined the company as a freshly trained quantitative researcher. My director, Melissa Jeltema, and mentor, Jackie Beckley, unveiled the power of qualitative research. Using a mixed approach, I guided the creation of a new brand that is still being loved by its users today. If I could distill my professional experience into a single explanation for why products fail, it would be that the brand failed to fully understand consumers’ wants and needs.

About Wei Qin

Wei Qin is the Head of Global Insights at Ingredion. She plays a key role in helping shape business strategy, identifying new areas of growth, shaping innovation priorities and bringing fresh, deep perspective to thought leadership content, marketing communications and go-to-market materials.

Wei has previously held various roles in product development, consumer research, and category management in the flavor & fragrance industry as well as consumer packaged goods companies. Wei has a PhD in Market Research from Penn State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Beijing Normal University.