After conducting the first webinar organized directly from TRADES, we have come to the conclusion that it is not possible to know for sure what direction innovation in the food industry will take. However, our panelists, experts in the field, provided us with some key ideas to help us know which way to go. We have collected some of them below:
Josep Montserrat, CEO of Kantar Worldpanel
- This time of confinement has accelerated different trends: health (increasing consumption of organic products, fruits and vegetables); pleasure (increased consumption of potatoes and snacks, beers, pastries and chocolate); convenience (betting on soups, broths, sauces, industrial bread and frozen products); local (increased consumption of local products); and sustainability (consumption of environmentally friendly brands).
- Looking ahead, health and hygiene will continue to be a priority. We will spend more time at home, an opportunity for indulgence products, snacks... And, of course, it will be necessary to innovate to improve and enhance the online shopping experience.
- Innovation in times of crisis is a challenge that requires listening and observation, as well as focus, agility and continuous adaptability.
Miguel Almirall, CEO of Omnicom Health Group in Spain
- Conventional communication will tend to disappear and, therefore, it is important to bet on digital marketing strategies. In fact, it is the most innovative companies that have experienced the most significant growth.
- Users will highly value personalized content of value as well as speed and agility.
- It is important to create short-term strategies to adapt to the changing needs of the present.
Sara Muñoz, Veterinarian by vocation and entrepreneur by legacy (former CEO of Biogran).
- Healthy and sustainable consumption cannot be stopped, and this crisis has only increased the speed in that direction.
- During these months, there has been an increase in the consumption of pulses, flours and bakery products, but a reduction in snacking, as it is a product consumed outside the home.
- Encouraging listening in these times of change is paramount.
Luis Román, LACASA's Marketing Manager
- Now is not the time to look back, but to adapt to the needs of the new consumer.
- The trend now is to enjoy chocolate at home and use it to make recipes to share the experience with the family.
- Consumers value initiatives to have fun with the little ones at home; provide ideas or challenges for them to play with your product.
As a general conclusion, all the speakers agreed on the idea that many of these changes in habits that we have internalized during confinement will be maintained.
They also point out that it will be essential to listen to consumers in order to satisfy their needs, as well as to focus, without covering everything, and to promote agility in order to be the first to arrive. In these times the importance of the innovation department will increase, as it will allow companies to adapt to changes in a creative way to stand out and differentiate themselves from the competition.
At TRADES, our commitment is to be at your side and that of the food industry to become a speaker of your needs and trends and, thus, help you to constantly adapt to new scenarios.
We also strive to act as a real catalyst, so that industries can reach their goals faster and with less effort. To this end, we put our entire team at your disposal, share innovation sessions and develop webinars to keep you informed of the latest developments. Our goal is to launch a long series of webinars focused on innovation and progress, in order to provide our customers with the necessary support to achieve a correct development of their products.
Finally, all of us who are part of TRADES want to thank the speakers for their valuable contribution, and the attendees for dedicating a few minutes of their scarce time to us. We would also like to thank all those who have given us feedback on the webinar with their opinions and suggestions for improvement that allow us to improve and add value to everything we do.
