Coronavirus: How the Food and Drink industry is pivoting

The coronavirus outbreak is a global, human tragedy. This view intends to provide business teams with a perspective on the evolving situation following many conversations in the industry during the pandemic.

The food and drink industry is pivoting during the lockdown, adding delivery bolt-ons to support customers. Stockpiling basic products has been understandable (although Kantar is at pains to point out most shoppers have actually been picking up one or two extras each time they shop). Soon buying habits will change as customers seek out inspiration outside their usual repertoire of five meals a week.

Brands and food manufacturers can inspire their customers with recipes tailored to lock down, and could look back at past recipes to see how they can be tweaked for batch cooking, freezing, leftovers.

Deliveroo has become a new ‘emergency service’ according to the Guardian and is teaming up with new partners, such as BP and M&S, Dishoom, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants.

Online grocery shopping had quite a small uptake in the UK, with only 29% of Brits shopping online last year. Among the potential long-term effects of the coronavirus outbreak is an increase in people who aren’t normally online shoppers shifting into online shopping - maybe for good.

The world that we lived in has changed forever - the four consumer drivers that we base our thinking on has adjusted overnight. Time to adapt.

More info can be here.