Quaker Oats Muesli aims to bridge the gap between millennials and breakfast

Sonam B Vij, associate director & category lead – Quaker, PepsiCo India, says consumers are shifting to healthier lifestyles that are backed by convenience.

According to a recent Euromonitor International and Quaker report, 44% of urban millennials skip breakfast and delay meals due to increased household chores and late start to the day. The study also outlined the significance of having meals on time and consuming a nutrient-rich breakfast.

However, despite skipping the first meal of the day, most consumers have become nutrition-conscious and shifted to a healthier lifestyle, over the recent past.

Quaker, an oats brand from PepsiCo, has now entered the ready-to-eat (RTE) cereal segment with its Oats Muesli offering. The brand’s foray is backed by industry estimates that the breakfast cereal (BFC) category in India is seeing a growth of 6-8% CAGR. The subcategory of Muesli has emerged as one of the fastest growing segments in the market, with 16-18% CAGR, as per the brand's research.

Speaking with afaqs!, Sonam B Vij, associate director & category lead – Quaker, PepsiCo India, says that while health and wellness have seen a great momentum over the last few years, what has also happened is that the consumers have shifted from healthier choices to a healthier lifestyle.

“The second trend that has picked up post-COVID, is convenience, now that people have started going back to work and life is nearly back to normal. Hence, these were the trends that we looked at while coming up with Quaker Oats Muesli.”

It is interesting to note that Muesli has an estimated market size of Rs 275 crore and constitutes around 15% of the BFC category in India.

Quaker Oats Muesli is available in two flavours, namely, ‘Fruits and Nuts’ and ‘Berries & Seeds’. The core target audience includes urban millennials and people who are looking for convenient breakfast options.

Elaborating on the TG, Vij says, “People who have hectic morning schedules and are usually figuring out a lot of things in the morning, are our target consumers. These can be either bachelors or nuclear families. The target audience includes people who are struggling with time during the morning hours.”

The pandemic months saw a peak in in-home consumption. People were looking for convenient and easier-to-prepare meal options. This makes one wonder about the reason behind the timing of the product’s launch.

Vij reveals that it is not that the brand thought about launching the product recently. “The product has taken its time from being a thought to its final market delivery. Though the consumers were skipping breakfast earlier too, there was a lot of consumption happening through the day. Now is the best time for us to launch a product like Muesli.” 

As per the brand, the launch will be followed by a TVC campaign and 360-degree surround plan. The marketing mix will look at both digital and mass media channels. The product will be available across channels like modern trade, retail and e-commerce.

As a result of the pandemic, Vij states, buying through e-commerce has definitely picked up. “More consumers are looking at different purchase channels. Online now has become a little more important than it used to be earlier.”

The 700 grams Quaker Oats Muesli pack is available in the Rs 440-460 price range. The bigger packs make sense for family consumption but may not be the ideal quantity that an individual millennial would like to add to his grocery list.

According to Vij, while developing the packaging, the brand spoke to the consumers to try and understand the price points. What the brand noticed was that people were looking for larger packs, as it provides more value, as compared to a small pack. They wanted something that at least lasts a few days.

The packaging and pricing have been done keeping in mind the product’s core TG, who may not have the time to buy groceries time and again, points out Vij.

While Muesli is a quick fix, it isn’t the usual Indian breakfast. Indians are spoilt for choice, when it comes to their breakfast menu. Hence, positioning Muesli for the Indian consumers may be tricky.

She states that it is a product that is going to provide the Indian consumer with nutrition, taste and convenience.

“The idea is not to compete with any breakfast, as it can also be eaten with one’s current breakfast as an add-on. The idea is to reach out to those 44% people who are skipping their breakfast. We want to play a role in the lives of the consumers so that they can get back to the habit of eating breakfast,” states Vij.