As food manufacturers and retailers struggle to supply innovative ready meal solutions, branding consultancy Corporate Edge has warned: “don’t rely on consumers to tell you where to go next.”
Speaking at the IGD conference on Meal Solutions in London yesterday [26 June], Corporate Edge director Simon Ratcliffe commented: “Your consumers can’t tell you where you should go – only where you’ve been.”
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Together with marketing consultant Gareth Pugh, Ratcliffe advised the food industry to look at its consumer base from the “inside out.” In what is essentially a trends-influenced category, manufacturers should be analysing dominant social forces and innovating now with a view to future consumer needs.
As such, Pugh congratulated current brands such as home delivery e-tailer leaping salmon.com for providing a meal solution that anticipated the time-pressured need for convenience. The Blue Parrot range of children’s food was also commended for providing non-patronising, exciting meal solutions for children, while anticipating society’s move away from set family meal times.
