Kraft Heinz’s Situation
Kraft Heinz’s struggle is rooted in changing consumer behaviors (Almeida). A myriad of factors influence the decisions people make. These include:
Social Factors: These include family dynamics and social groups—a person’s role and status in the community shapes what they buy too. Most families with working adults have less time to cook meals at home; this creates demand for convenience stores where ready-to-eat foods can be purchased (Abrahams). Additionally, people no longer trust celebrities or advertisements as much as they used to when it comes to purchasing goods.
Additionally, cultural factors play a big role; they constitute the society’s values, norms, and customs. In Kraft Heinz’s case, cultural changes have led to a focus on healthier eating habits (Alom 142). People now understand that food can make or break you, so consumers demand healthier alternatives. Unfortunately for Kraft Heinz, their traditional processed foods do not match new attitudes toward health and wellness.
Personal Factors: This category refers to individual characteristics such as age, occupation, lifestyle choices, etc. An aging population has different food preferences compared to millennials, who are quickly becoming the most powerful group of consumers (Alom 147). However, they both tend to prefer healthier, more natural foods though. The world also leans towards being eco-friendly and ethical; consumers prefer brands with transparent sourcing and production practices.
Psychological Factors: How we perceive issues greatly affects our behaviors. Perception is everything here! Many people take self-care very seriously nowadays, which means they put their personal health above everything else, including food choices.
Buyer Decision Processes in Purchasing Grocery and Recent Changes
The grocery buyer decision process involves problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision, and post-purchase evaluation. Recently, there have been some changes in how this process works because people’s lives are different now.
Problem Recognition: People value their health, so they eat healthier food (Hartmann-Boyce et al. 1008). They also care more about the environment and eating ethically sourced products.
Information Search: The internet has made it easy for people to find anything they want. This includes nutritional info on groceries and comparing brands before buying.
Evaluation of Alternatives: There are so many grocery brands out there. From generic ones at Walmart, all the way up to niche foods only sold at small markets. When choosing one, consumers usually compare brand reputation and price, amongst other things.
Purchase Decision: What shoppers see when looking for groceries plays a big part in what they buy. Deals like BOGO or $ 2 for $5 always interest people (Hartmann-Boyce et al. 1005). The new trend is also convenient, so finding pre-made meals to heat up later is very appealing.
Post-Purchase Evaluation: After consumers make their purchase, they then assess the satisfaction of their purchase (Qazzafi 133). They consider many factors like taste, quality, and the overall experience that comes with it. If you have a positive review, this could result in repeat purchases and loyalty to your brand. On the flip side, if you have negative feedback, this could result in customers leaving your brand for another and telling others about how bad their experience was with your product.
Type of Buying Behavior in Kraft Heinz’s Context
Kraft Heinz is currently seeing complex buying behavior. Consumers are going through a long decision-making process since they are more involved and can see significant differences between brands (Solomon). Consumers will analyze all the alternatives carefully and weigh the pros and cons, including health implications, taste preferences, and brand perception. The buyers could even do thorough research and ask friends for recommendations to make sure their decision is well-informed. Since there are plenty of choices in the food industry itself, on top of changing customer preferences, Kraft Heinz needs to be mindful of these complexities if they want to gain back market share and consumer trust.
Recommendations for Kraft Heinz
Diversify the Product: Add healthier options to the Kraft Heinz product line and appeal to different customers with low-sodium, organic, and plant-based alternatives. Changing customer tastes is a business reality; if a company can be consistent, the business will live. to stay alive.
Rebrand: The company needs to build its brands from scratch with a strong focus on transparency, authenticity, and sustainability. This means communicating better quality ingredients, proper sourcing practices, and a commitment to healthier lifestyles.
Marketing Digitally: According to Desai and Vidyapeeth (2018), Kraft Heinz should use digital channels and social media platforms to interact with customers through targeted ads and influencer partnerships. Additionally, they should create interactive content appealing to a wide range of people. They need to tell good stories that will keep people returning for more.
Customer-Centric Approach: Kraft Heinz must take customer feedback very seriously if they want to stay relevant. By keeping an ear out for what consumers prefer and addressing their ever-changing needs, the company can deliver products customers want to buy. In turn, this allows them to drive long-term growth while still thriving in today’s market.
Works Cited
Abrahams, David AJ. “ONLINE JOURNAL ONLINE JOURNAL.” Journal: Vol 2.2 (2019).
Almeida, João Maria Viegas Neves Girão de. The Kraft Heinz company: food and beverage. Diss. 2022.
Alom, Shahedin. “An Empirical Case Study of Kraft Foods (IPO) & Kyber Network (ICO).” South Asian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities 1.1 (2020): 136–151.
Desai, Vaibhava, and B. Vidyapeeth. “Digital marketing: A review.” International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development 5.5 (2019): 196–200.
Hartmann-Boyce, Jamie, et al. “Grocery store interventions to change food purchasing behaviors: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.” The American journal of clinical nutrition 107.6 (2018): 1004–1016.
Qazzafi, S. H. E. I. K. H. “Consumer buying decision process toward products.” International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development 2.5 (2019): 130–134.
Solomon, Michael R. Consumer behavior: buying, having, and being. Pearson, 2018.
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