Within food and drink, the trends and behaviours that have taken off and people have stuck with are those that make it easy for the consumer to experiment or try new ingredients. Easy to understand what it is. And easy to prepare or cook.  

A couple of examples that stand out are Jackfruit, and grains and pulses. In the past there were multiple barriers to wider adoption: 

• Not knowing or understanding what the ingredient was 
• Difficult and time consuming to prepare 
• Low taste expectations – bland and uninteresting 

Whilst they may have been recognised as natural and healthy, these barriers prevented many consumers from including them in their diet. 

Then along came brands such as Merchant Gourmet, The Gym Kitchen, Jamie Oliver and Pieminster which knocked down these barriers, making them accessible to all.  

No more soaking, peeling, or chopping - it’s all done for you. 

No more wondering how to cook them. 

Or how to add flavour.   

They’re often combined with additional ingredients to ensure that every dish is full of flavour.  

They even have on pack suggestions of what to serve it with.   

And ready in 1 minute – what could be easier?! 

Merchant Gourmet have gone further and run an entire campaign celebrating the products' ease of use with straplines including 'Cheating is good for you', 'Take pride in the ping' and 'Strut your shortcut'.  There is clear recognition of the previous barriers and what consumers want in terms of convenience coupled with how Merchant Gourmet’s products can deliver. ‘Shortcuts’ are something to be proud of and demonstrate smart choices. 

If we look at the drinks sector we know that a lot of decision making is made before shoppers enter the store so how can brands disrupt this? And how can shoppers be nudged towards less familiar drinks? 

There have been some great in-store executions for brands such as Campari, Disaronno and Chambord demonstrating to shoppers how to mix these less familiar products and create new serves. Recipes have been displayed prominently alongside all of the products you need – no hunting round the store, they’re all on shelf together. Easy! This approach encourages shoppers to experiment and break away from their usual serves yet it’s all made easy and simple. There’s no excuse for not knowing what to do with your Campari or Disaronno! 

Whilst the outcomes need to be easy for shoppers and consumers, the path to achieve this may not be.

It requires the ability to acknowledge barriers (all of them!) and then creative thinking to overcome them. 

Uncover deeper truths. Talk to Hummingbird Insights.