Consumer insight on a snack machine producing healthy and customized foods at point of consumption

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate a healthy snacking and on-the-go eating concept, “Healthy Snack Machine” (HSM) that produces freshly made food and enables customization of the product at site of purchase and consumption. Design/methodology/approach The study applied qualitative and quantitative consumer research methods and used iterative co-creation approach, meaning that the HSM concept was developed by consumer input during different phases. Specifically, the research included three qualitative methods, web platform discussion (n=109), a HSM mock-up study (n=30) and testing a prototype of the HSM user interface (n=50), as well as a quantitative study (n=215). Findings Generally, the consumers evaluated the HMS concept positively. The results indicated that the time of the day, personal goals and preferences affected food choice and product customization in HSM. Consumers preferred HSM products that were healthy, satiating and suitable for on-the-go eating. They also felt that HSM would save time, and that the possibility to customize the food gives them additional value. The results also pointed out the importance of privacy and security issues in the HSM concept. Practical implications The results indicated that consumers are in favor of a new delivery concept that can help them to consume healthy food and enable customization of the product. This encourages to proof the findings in consumer tests with a real food-producing prototype machine. Originality/value The work gives original insight on consumer preferences for healthy snacking and snack customization enabled by digital technologies and consecutive co-creation methodologies.

Development and Consumer Perception of a Snack Machine Producing Customized Spoonable and Drinkable Products Enriched in Dietary Fiber and Protein

“…The availability of nutritional information has usually been mentioned by consumers as an important factor affecting their purchasing decision [ 7 , 26 , 27 ]. Still, previous studies found out that there is a big number of users who do not follow the nutritional information at all [ 7 , 28 ], and hunger and convenience drive the purchases made at vending machines [ 29 , 30 ]. In addition to nutritional information, allergens and information of the origin of the ingredients were previously reported to be valuable for the consumers [ 7 ].…”

“…Recent studies indicate strong consumer interest in healthier snacking [ 4 , 5 ], which, thus, provides an opportunity to develop new solutions to increase healthier food choices in the snacking category [ 6 ]. In our previous work, we investigated a healthy snacking and on-the-go eating concept, “Healthy Snack Machine” (HSM), that produces freshly made food and enables customization of the product at the site of purchase and consumption [ 7 ]. By using qualitative and quantitative research methods with an iterative consumer co-creation approach, we were able to show that consumers were attracted by a new snacking concept that would help them to consume healthier food and enable customization of the product.…”

“…By using qualitative and quantitative research methods with an iterative consumer co-creation approach, we were able to show that consumers were attracted by a new snacking concept that would help them to consume healthier food and enable customization of the product. The time of the day and personal preferences affected HSM food choice and product customization, and consumers preferred satiating products that are convenient for on-the-go eating [ 7 ].…”

“…In the present study, the target was to evaluate consumers’ perceptions and liking toward customized snacks produced with the Healthy Snack Machine (HSM) prototype at-site of the purchase and consumption. In our previous study [ 7 ], the HSM concept was co-developed with consumers, and the study was implemented with mock-ups of the user interface (UI) of the HSM. The corresponding evaluation of virtual prototypes has been found as an efficient way of analyzing customer impressions and concretizes the service to the users before it is really available [ 7 , 13 ].…”

“…In our previous study [ 7 ], the HSM concept was co-developed with consumers, and the study was implemented with mock-ups of the user interface (UI) of the HSM. The corresponding evaluation of virtual prototypes has been found as an efficient way of analyzing customer impressions and concretizes the service to the users before it is really available [ 7 , 13 ]. However, to proceed closer to real-life experimenting, in the present study, we developed a prototype of the HSM.…”