How to Win in a Saturated Market (Matcha Case)

Most Singapore SMEs don’t lose because they picked a “bad” industry. They lose because they enter a crowded market with the same offer, the same messaging, and the same customer acquisition plan as everyone else.

Matcha is a perfect example. By early 2026, Singapore’s matcha scene is everywhere—cafes, home baristas, TikTok recipes, even collaborations that feel like they exist just to go viral. Yet Matcha Masta still found room to grow by spotting a very specific gap: people want caffeine that feels good and nutrition that fits real schedules.

This post is part of our Singapore Startup Marketing series—how local brands market products regionally, and what actually drives growth in APAC. We’ll use Matcha Masta as a practical case study in finding the niche inside the noise, then turning that niche into demand with content, community, and offline validation.

The real gap wasn’t “more matcha”—it was a better job-to-be-done

A saturated market doesn’t mean demand is gone. It means generic positioning is dead.

Matcha Masta’s insight wasn’t “Singapore needs another matcha brand.” It was closer to this:

Busy, health-conscious consumers want one drink that replaces two habits: caffeine + protein.

That’s a classic job-to-be-done play. Their target buyer isn’t searching for “matcha powder” as a commodity. They’re trying to solve a morning problem:

• Coffee makes me feel jittery, bloated, or crashy.
• I want energy and focus without wrecking my stomach.
• I’m not hitting my protein needs.
• I don’t have time (or motivation) to stack multiple supplements.

The founders’ story supports this: one switched from coffee due to migraines and found matcha gentler; the other (a nutritionist) noticed clients weren’t getting enough protein and wanted something realistic.

The SME marketing lesson: define the category before you sell the product

In Singapore startup marketing, category creation sounds “big brand,” but it’s often just clear language.

Matcha Masta had to fight a common misunderstanding: customers assumed it was protein powder flavoured like matcha. Their stance was the opposite:

• Matcha is the hero
• Protein (and later collagen/vitamin D) is the functional add-on

If you’re an SME, your first campaign shouldn’t be “Buy now.” It should be:

1. Clarify what you are (and what you’re not)
2. Explain who it’s for
3. Prove it works in real life (taste, routine, results)

That’s positioning work—done through content.

Product differentiation is marketing (especially in food & beverage)

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: if your product is genuinely indistinguishable, your marketing costs keep rising.

Matcha Masta differentiated with choices that are inherently marketable:

• Ingredient story: sourcing matcha from Uji, Kyoto
• R&D credibility: working with food scientists and nutrition experts
• Form factor: a mix that delivers caffeine + protein without adding another step

They also recognised something many founders ignore: matcha is taste-driven. You can’t performance-market your way out of a product that doesn’t deliver on flavour.

The SME marketing lesson: build “proof assets,” not just ads

If you sell a product where sensory experience matters (F&B, beauty, wellness), you need assets that reduce perceived risk:

• Short videos of preparation (no fancy edits needed—clarity wins)
• Taste descriptors that don’t sound like generic copy (“earthy” alone doesn’t help)
• Side-by-side comparisons (what it replaces: coffee + protein shake)
• UGC prompts (customer routines, gym bags, office pantries)

In 2026, attention is fragmented and ad fatigue is real. Your best-performing ads often look like organic content because they answer practical questions quickly.

Their growth engine wasn’t “online vs offline”—it was the bridge between them

Online-only sounds efficient, but Matcha Masta hit a predictable wall: people could watch content, but couldn’t taste the product.

So they moved offline:

• Pop-ups (including at New Bahru)
• Partnerships with fitness and lifestyle brands (e.g., Barry’s Gym)
• Cafe collaborations (e.g., Lola’s)

The result is the kind of number SMEs should pay attention to:

• ~2,000 drinks sold in one weekend at their first New Bahru pop-up
• S$13,000 profit in that weekend

That’s not just “a good event.” It’s market validation, plus a content engine.

The SME marketing lesson: offline events are content factories

Many SMEs treat pop-ups as sales-only. The smarter play is to treat them as:

1. Sampling + conversion (taste removes uncertainty)
2. Audience research (real objections and feedback, not polite IG comments)
3. Retargeting fuel (capture emails/QR scans; build custom audiences)
4. Content production (crowds, reactions, testimonials, behind-the-scenes)

If you want a simple metric: don’t just count sales. Count how many first-party contacts you collected (emails, WhatsApp opt-ins) and how many repeat purchases came from those cohorts.

Community-led product decisions: powerful, but only when it’s structured

One founder’s background as an Instagram content creator clearly helped them build awareness early. They also involved their audience in decisions like brand colours and mascot selection.

That can go two ways:

• Good: customers feel ownership → higher repeat rate and referral
• Bad: noisy feedback → confusing roadmap and watered-down brand

Matcha Masta made it work because the community input stayed within brand boundaries: aesthetic choices, engagement hooks, feedback loops—without surrendering the core positioning.

The SME marketing lesson: use community to choose, not to steer

Here’s a practical way to run community-led marketing without chaos:

• Let customers vote on “surface area” decisions: packaging colourways, new flavour order, bundle formats
• Keep “core” decisions internal: target segment, nutritional promise, product quality threshold
• Translate comments into categories: taste, texture, price sensitivity, use cases, objections

And capture the learnings somewhere searchable. A simple spreadsheet beats “we’ll remember.”

Expansion beyond Singapore: the playbook is the same, the execution changes

Within a year, Matcha Masta grew beyond Singapore into Malaysia, Indonesia, and the USA, with ambitions for Australia and the UK.

This is a recurring theme in Singapore Startup Marketing: regional expansion works when the message is portable.

“Functional matcha” travels well because the underlying tension exists across markets:

• people want energy without jitters
• people want simple nutrition
• people are sceptical of wellness claims

The SME marketing lesson: export the use case, not the brand story

When SMEs expand, they often export what’s most local:

• references
• slang
• lifestyle assumptions

Instead, export what’s universal:

• the routine (morning, pre-workout, office pantry)
• the problem (coffee crash, low protein)
• the promise (steady focus + convenient nutrition)

Then localise execution:

• creators and affiliates
• retail partners
• bundles and pricing psychology
• shipping expectations and customer support channels

Practical checklist: how an SME can spot a “gap” using digital marketing

A gap isn’t a vibe. It’s a pattern you can detect.

1) Look for “two-step routines” people complain about

Search your own niche on social and forums and list routines that require stacking products.

Examples:

• “I drink X, then I take Y.”
• “I want the benefit, but I hate the prep.”

Two-step routines are where 2-in-1 products and bundles win.

2) Track objections more than compliments

Compliments don’t build your funnel. Objections do.

Common objections to map:

• “I’m not sure what this is.” (positioning issue)
• “I can’t tell if it’ll taste good.” (proof issue)
• “It’s expensive.” (value communication issue)

3) Turn one product into three angles

Matcha Masta could market the same product through:

• taste (matcha quality)
• function (protein/collagen/vitamin D)
• lifestyle (busy schedules, gym, office)

This matters because ad platforms reward variety. If you only have one angle, performance plateaus fast.

4) Validate offline, then scale online

If your category is taste- or experience-driven, do sampling early—even if it’s small:

• micro pop-ups
• partner counters
• office pantry trials

Then use that data to inform:

• your best hooks
• your highest-intent audiences
• your retargeting creatives

What I’d copy from Matcha Masta if I were a Singapore SME

If you want the shortest actionable version, it’s this:

1. Pick a narrow, real-life use case (not a broad “everyone drinks this”).
2. Say what you are in one line—and repeat it until you’re sick of it.
3. Prove the product fast (taste/testimonials/demos), especially in F&B.
4. Use offline activations to create online momentum, not as a separate channel.
5. Diversify revenue streams once the core product lands (B2C + B2B, retail + events).

Matcha Masta’s numbers—S$13,000 weekend profit, six-digit first-year sales, ~15% quarterly growth—didn’t come from being in the “right” market. They came from building a clearer offer than competitors and marketing it with discipline.

If your SME is staring at a crowded category and thinking “too late,” the better question is: what’s the obvious customer frustration everyone is ignoring because they’re busy copying each other?