Making the magic happen – the “in-the-moment” decision drivers that deliver consumer value

Almost four in five consumers would pay more for natural, organic or non-artificial ingredients, and 82% would switch from one brand to another to enjoy these benefits.¹​​

Ingredion shared compelling data in a recent Spotlight On digital broadcast. The data is sourced from the latest wave of ATLAS 2023, Ingredion’s proprietary research program, which collected insights from 14,000 consumers across 30 countries to explore the complicated relationship between value-add ingredients, claims and pricing. The program also identified notable insights around consumers’ desire for improved nutrition, health-plus and a variety of lifestyle-driven wellness claims, including sugar reduction, increased fibre, clean label and sustainability.

The challenge for food and beverage manufacturers is how best to leverage this information to develop scalable formulas, which deliver more consumer value and meet a growing list of evolving needs. Ingredion's ATLAS research allows its customers to understand and prioritize ingredient trends by geography. Combining this with other proprietary research, Ingredion is able to determine which combination of features holds the most pricing power and ultimately creates the most preferred consumer product. 

According to Ingredion​, it comes down to owning the ‘ANDs’ – that is to say, the specific features and benefits your consumers need, based on the unique insights-driven consumer algorithm for your category and brand. “Delivering consumer value is a deceptively simple statement, but it’s much more complex in reality,” explains Charlotte Commarmond, vice president, global marketing at Ingredion. “Success – growing share and delivering the preference your brands and products require – means understanding the right needs, at the right time, with the right insights.”

At Ingredion, helping customers Own the AND​^SM​ includes two distinct steps: using research to uncover the optimal combination of ANDs for their brand and consumers; and then working in partnership to overcome formulation barriers and create products that drive consumer loyalty.

After all, we can all relate to navigating the difficulty in making better food choices while maximising eating enjoyment. “As consumers ourselves, you and I make decisions in the same way consumers do – through the context of the moment,” adds Lauretta-Lyn Katsriku, global platform leader, nutrition, health and wellness at Ingredion.

Unlocking data-driven potential​

To further enhance its ATLAS program, Ingredion has designed a conjoint simulator to help explore these optimal ANDs alongside the eating experience, both by category and region.

The benefits of adopting an Own the AND^SM​ mindset are clear. Take clean label, for example. Ingredion’s insights reveal that 78% of consumers will pay more for products with clean label claims, and of those, 46% will pay 20%-30% more for those products (ATLAS 2023).

The difference with Ingredion’s Own the AND^SM​ is that it both encompasses this wealth of insights and encourages food and beverage brands to think more broadly about the choices they have – and ultimately choose the best path for their growth potential.

“Clean label is more than just ingredient replacement. We want to talk to them about the ANDs of brand positioning, pack claims, pricing, health and wellness… all to drive value for our consumers and customers,” says Dan Haley, global platform leader, clean and simple at Ingredion.

“Delivering consumer value is a deceptively simple statement, but it’s much more complex in reality.” - Charlotte Commarmond, vice president, global marketing

Recent consumer insights into sustainability are equally compelling, and formulating for this requires constantly innovating to deliver advanced solutions to meet these needs. “We’re seeing that claims around environmental responsibility have risen above ethical sourcing and animal welfare claims that have been prominent in the past,” adds Brian Nash, vice president of corporate sustainability at Ingredion.

“When our customers come to us and say they want a low carbon footprint ingredient, it’s never as simple as that. There is always an ‘AND’,” says Nash. “They want a low carbon footprint ingredient, AND want it to be ethically sourced AND locally sourced.”

The benefits of a partnership​

Partnering with Ingredion offers multiple benefits that facilitate delivering on a brand’s consumer algorithm. Ingredion’s broad plant-based portfolio and cross-functional team of experts adds a wealth of industry insight in every aspect of food and beverage innovation to help deliver delicious, in-demand products. The 32 Ingredion Idea Labs® innovation centres allow Ingredion to draw upon global resources, sourcing and formulation expertise with a local perspective. These innovation centres foster science-based ideas and solutions to differentiate products, add consumer value and get high-quality products to market faster. 

“Creating more consumer value for your brand is our goal, and we accomplish this together by overcoming formulation barriers,” says Commarmond. “We’re passionate about working with our customers to give them the right ANDs, so they can maximise the value from offering those features and benefits to consumers.

“Our goal is to help you Own the AND^SM​.”

References​

1.​ ATLAS 2023, proprietary consumer insights, Ingredion