cup noodles
Worth a lookShows low returns (0.0%), but a failed launch gate (market size, growth, or returns) keeps it on the watch list.
Returns
Incredible0.0%return rate — above 5% kills the launch gate
Conversion
Great9.6%search→purchase rate — share of searches ending in a sale
Competition
Great30%top-5 click share — an open shelf
Review moat
Good634.08avg incumbent reviews — the moat a new listing must climb
Price range
Good£0.89–£37.47cheapest to priciest tracked listing — scored on the share inside $15–$100
Market size
Okay£254K£254K/yr · 286K searches
Quality gap
Okay4.5★avg incumbent rating — lower means beatable quality
Brand share
Okay88%top-5 brand share — brands hold most of the demand
Avg price
Okay£9.28avg listing price — sweet spot $15–$100
Growth
Bad-10.6%90-day search growth — must beat 0% to launch
According to Flapen's Amazon United Kingdom niche tracking, cup noodles is a £254K/yr Amazon United Kingdom market (286K searches/yr). The top 5 brands hold 88% of demand. Demand peaks in Oct. Verdict: Worth a look — 56/100.
Data updated Jul 24, 2026 · scored weekly · How we score niches
cup noodles market data
- Units sold / yr
- 30K–40K
- avg 500–750/product
- Revenue / yr
- £278K–£371K
- units × avg price
- Conversion rate
- 9.6%
- Avg BSR
- #193
- Page quality
- 0%
- Prime
- 85%
- Sponsored
- 27%
- Out of stock
- 5.9%
- Avg brand age
- 52 months
- Avg seller age
- 163 days
Competition & brand share
Clicks spread well past the top 5 (30% combined) — an open shelf where new products get seen.Brands
15 falling
Sellers
108
Top-5 brand share
88%
Top 20: 100%
Top-5 click share
30%
Top 20: 75%
Open market
9%
- NISSIN68%
- Nongshim7%
- WaNaHong5%
- Hime4%
- Emma Basic4%
- Nissin3%
- Open — no brand owns it (9 brands, 9%)
Demand & seasonality
Weekly Amazon search volume, last 104 weeks — -10.6% search growth over the last 90 days.Peak months: Oct · busiest ÷ quietest = 1.8×
Top cup noodles search terms
- soba noodles98K/yr
- cup noodles72K/yr
- soba25K/yr
- nissin cup noodles22K/yr
- cup noodle16K/yr
- shin cup noodles8K/yr
- cup noodles nissin10K/yr
- noodle cup8K/yr
- nongshim cup noodles6K/yr
- shin ramyun cup3K/yr
Top cup noodles products on Amazon
Each bubble is one product — market share against review moat; bubble size tracks estimated sales, color grades how beatable the incumbent looks.
All 24 tracked products in this niche — three views at once, no toggling.
Top sellers
by 90-day click share
NISSIN Cup Noodles Soba Wok Style Chilli Flavoured 92 g (8-Pack)
NISSIN£11.424.8★177 rev
NISSIN Cup Noodles Soba Wok Style Teriyaki 90 g Pot (8-Pack)
NISSIN£11.014.8★74 rev
NISSIN Cup Noodles Chicken Teriyaki Flavour 70 g Pot (8-Pack)
NISSIN£9.524.5★180 rev
NISSIN Soba Wok Style Yakitori Chicken Instant Noodles 89 g
NISSIN£1.514.4★592 rev
NISSIN Soba Wok Style Classic Flavoured Instant Noodles 109 g (9-Pack)
NISSIN£8.794.7★94 rev
Newest
by launch date
Shin Cup Noodles Big Bowl 114g Each (Pack 16) - Nong Shim Shin Instant Noodles Korean Style Traditional Spicy - Excellent for Snack and Soups
EDE Group£22.2931 rev
NISSIN Soba Big Yakitori Chicken Instant Noodles 113 g (6-Pack)
NISSIN£11.2923 rev
NISSIN Soba Big Classic Instant Wok Style Noodles 113 g (6-Pack)
NISSIN£11.697 rev
NISSIN Cup Noodles Soba Wok Style Japanese Curry Flavour 90 g (8-Pack)
NISSIN£12.8010 rev
Emma Basic - Soba Noodles 250g | source of protein | quick cooking time | Vegan
Emma Basic£1.5852 rev
Trending
90-day click momentumNISSIN Cup Noodles Soba Wok Style Japanese Curry Flavour 90 g (8-Pack)
NISSIN£12.804.6★
NISSIN Soba Big Classic Instant Wok Style Noodles 113 g (6-Pack)
NISSIN£11.695.0★
NISSIN Cup Noodles Soba Wok Style Teriyaki 90 g Pot (8-Pack)
NISSIN£11.014.8★
NISSIN Soba Wok Style Yakitori Chicken Instant Noodles 110 g (9-Pack)
NISSIN£8.984.6★
NISSIN Soba Wok Style Yakitori Chicken Instant Noodles 89 g
NISSIN£1.514.4★
What buyers say about cup noodles
What buyers praise and complain about, mined from review topics.What buyers love
“Fantastic Taste”
“Good deal”
“Really nice flavour easy to make”
“convenient they are”
“Lovely and spicy”
“The great thing about them is how they are prepared”
“Easy to make quality snack”
“The cup is the perfect size”
“Well worth the money for a snack”
“does the job perfectly”
What buyers complain about
“The cheese and chicken ones are very bland, the small seasoning sachet did not flavour the noodles well”
“Too chilli hot”
“You can probably buy them cheaper elsewhere”
“Wrong flavour sent”
“Not the best”
“Not gluten free”
“Not the smell of kettle and water”
“When I dont feel like cooking properly or just want something fast”
“very high sugar/salt”
“Very bland”
Common questions
- Is cup noodles profitable to sell on Amazon United Kingdom?
- The niche generates £254K/yr across 48 tracked products. 2 of 4 products launched in the last 360 days are still selling. 90-day search growth is -10.6%. Flapen's verdict: Worth a look (56/100).
- How competitive is the cup noodles niche?
- 15 brands and 108 sellers compete. The top 5 products take 30% of clicks and top 5 brands hold 88% of demand.
- What do buyers complain about in cup noodles?
- Top complaints mined from reviews: Taste-Overall, Spiciness, Value For Money. The return rate is 0.0%.
- When does demand for cup noodles peak?
- Demand peaks in Oct; the busiest month runs 1.8× the quietest.
- What does it cost to enter the cup noodles niche?
- Listings span £0.89–£37.47; the average listing price is £9.28 (sweet spot $15–$100). The average incumbent carries 634 reviews — the moat a new listing must climb.