Using Customer Behaviour to Drive Innovation
Why recipe boxes might hold the key to better eating
Most of us want to eat more interesting meals, choose healthier options and do more home cooking.
And there is a constant stream of new products available to try help us do this; whether it be an app, an Instagram feed centred around recipe ideas or a promising-looking cookbook.
However, in spite of all this help right under our noses, it doesn’t necessarily mean we eat better as a result. While we may find an intriguing recipe online, it doesn’t always translate into sourcing the ingredients and finding the time to make it. Despite a shelf overflowing with cookbooks and having watched countless inspirational cookery programmes, for the most part, we’re eating ready meals and ordering take-aways more regularly.
Why? Well, it seems buying into ‘better me’ products doesn’t automatically lead to ‘better me’ behaviour. If only it was that simple! Aspiration is easy. Changing our behaviour in the long-term is hard.
So we asked ourselves, what if innovation was focused not just on people’s aspirations, but on the reality of their behaviour?
And it may be that the answer is already out there, with food subscription boxes.
Meal-kit companies such as HelloFresh and Gousto provide an out-the-box service that sells on a message of convenience. But their subscription boxes don’t only save time, as they’re personalised to suit a customer’s lifestyle, goals and food preferences. What they really do is make it easy for people to make the transition to better and healthier eating, changing their behaviour and creating new and long-lasting positive habits.
In creating a product that offers convenience, efficiency and simplified choice, HelloFresh and Gousto have followed the classic experience design mantra of “don’t make me think”. And with their services, you barely have to.
With a confined list of healthy recipes to choose from each week, customers are not overwhelmed by options, which means the meal planning is completed for them. Moreover, as they provide customers with measured ingredients and a recipe card, it makes the task of cooking easier, less of a chore and something to actually look forward to eating at the end of the day!
As consumers, we are also subject to the influence of social media and the desire to share our lives online. Being able to talk about lifestyle changes we’ve implemented and sharing new recipes we’ve discovered and managed to successfully cook encourages us to be consistent with our new good habits.
In 2017, an estimated 90% of the British population subscribed to an online service, of which food is the largest subscription spending service. Such a simple idea has helped many people to create a new habit, and one which makes them feel better about themselves as a result.
At Radical, our customer-led innovation focuses not just on what people want, but on understanding real behaviour. We make use of emotional insights to design ideas that don’t just sound good, but have the potential to change behaviour and create genuine long-term customer value.
Looking for a fresh perspective? Get in touch.
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