Identifying Viable Growth Opportunities in the Ready-Made Snack Category​

To unlock a growth opportunity, a global food company explored extending one of its flagship snack brands into an adjacent category. Although the product was already available internationally, success in Japan depended on demonstrating a clear consumer need, establishing the brand’s credibility in the category, and identifying the differentiators required to compete with well-established local players.​

• Utilizing an online bulletin board to capture details on lifestyles, in the moment consumption habits and to add context to group discussions​
• Benchmarked the client’s product against key competitors through taste testing and sensory evaluation​
• Facilitated in-person group discussions using our DCode technique to reveal deeper consumer motivations, explore competitor and brand perceptions, and evaluate packaging and product design

• Identified unmet consumer needs and consumption occasions to define where the brand could credibly compete within the new category​
• Highlighting the differentiators required to stand out against established domestic competitors​
• Delivered clear recommendations for positioning, product localization, packaging and communication​