"We have 'resident equity' in this market": Uma Talreja, CMO, Burger King India

Burger King, scheduled to make its long-awaited India foray this Sunday, has tied up with eBay for a special offer. The brand has already received orders for over 1,200 Whoppers.

You may have bought books online. You may have been braver and bought your latest denims and your sister's cell-phone from an e-commerce player as well. But have you bought a nice, juicy burger online? No? Well, get ready because international burger chain Burger King is coming to India (yes, finally!) with this special online launch offer.

Burger King will open its first store in New Delhi's Select Citywalk Mall on Sunday, November 9. The plan is to follow this up with the launch of around ten more stores by year the end. However, what makes Burger King's entry into this market unique is the pre-launch offer, wherein one can actually place an order on ecommerce site, eBay.

Not too long ago, handset company Xiaomi launched its products on Flipkart (and how!) and cola giant Coca-Cola launched Coke Zero on Amazon India. Burger King's model is slightly different, though. While you can pre-order the burger on eBay, you will have to go to the physical store to sink your teeth into the bun. The eBay coupon only entitles one to cut the queue on Day Zero and get the trademark Whopper burger for Rs 128. The brand, however, has not revealed the in-shop/retail price of its burgers as yet.

"We are excited to partner with Burger King," said Latif Nathani, managing director, eBay India, "Our association is an attempt at offering a wider choice to our consumers. It harnesses our belief of working in partnership with brick and mortar companies. I am sure there will be a frenzy of eager customers queuing up to pre-order the Whopper."

This is a strategic move for Burger King as it will help generate pre-launch buzz on social media. Moreover, this will help the team estimate the extent of the opening-day rush at the store. The brand has already received orders for over 1,200 Whoppers so far. This, along with the prospect of walk-in customers, gives the team reason to smile.

"On Facebook, we have asked people to share their favourite thing about Burger King," explains Uma Talreja, chief marketing officer, Burger King India, adding, "We realised that even though we weren't present in the country, people who travel a lot already love the brand. Thus we already had that 'resident equity' in this market. These people are now are endorsers and are spreading the word among those who're new to the brand."

Burger King will also launch a media campaign on the day of its store launch. Recall how Kentucky Fried Chicken (now KFC) entered India in 1995 but had to pack up and leave soon after, because it was not prepared for a market as diverse and demanding as India. KFC's return in 2004 signaled the launch of its vegetarian menu, crafted especially for the Indian consumer. Since then, the brand has found its fair share of takers and loyalists.

Wouldn't Burger King, known world over for its beef burgers, face some heat on this front? Well, the team appears to have done its homework. It has omitted beef completely from its Indian menu; instead, it has created three special Whoppers for this market - vegetarian, chicken and mutton. Moreover, the team has tested its offering on 3,000 customers to better understand what this market prefers in terms of the bun size, softness and fat percentage.

Burger King plans to target 18-35 year olds. Within this bracket, Burger King's Talreja has identified two distinct types of potential customers - youngsters who will drop in specifically after shopping/watching a movie, and young families who want to have a good time at an affordable price.

Incidentally, even though Indians eat out on regular days as well as on special occasions, the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) segment can stake claim to no more than 17 per cent of the 'eating out' pie. And burgers, in particular, form a meager two per cent of the total food services market, which is pegged at Rs 2,47,680 crore (according to a Technopak report).

While Talreja feels there is enough place for more players to enter the market, she is aware of the fact that her brand will fight for space with all casual eating-out places, including Indian and Western fast food chains as well as standalone shops.

Harish Bijoor, CEO, Harish Bijoor Consults, a Bengaluru-based brand marketing consultancy, is of the view that Burger King's tie-up with eBay mimics the pre-launch, jump-the-queue type of deals that Harry Potter books and iPhones have struck with online portals in the past.

"It might work well," Bijoor opines, "because a burger chain's target group can very well over-lap with that of an e-commerce portal."

"But," he cautions, "this can only create hype for a few days, after which the brand will have to work hard to stand out from the rest," something it can do by getting its products and overall "eating experience" right.