17 - The marketing of gluten-free cereal products

Abstract

The increasingly competitive nature of the health and wellness market, and the inherent risks associated with the new food product development process, highlight the importance of involving the consumer in the development and strategic marketing of gluten-free foods and beverages. The gluten-free market should be viewed more as a long-term strategy for future growth in the health and wellness market and less as a short-term strategy for high profitability, owing to the niche market nature of the gluten-free market presently. It is likely that the target market of gluten-free cereal products will extend in the future to not just include people with celiac disease but also those who desire products without allergens or other ingredients that may negatively influence their health. In this regard the identification of key extrinsic (marketing) and intrinsic (sensory) product attributes that influence consumer acceptance will need to be identified and incorporated into the development of new gluten-free foods. The development and marketing of gluten-free cereal products will therefore need to change in the future to reflect changing consumer lifestyles, and ensure that gluten-free cereal products are designed with the consumer in mind. Involving the consumer in the process of developing and marketing gluten-free foods through market research provides for a more systematic means of managing consumer knowledge in new food product development. Firms that adopt this market-oriented approach to business will benefit from a deeper understanding of consumers' choice motives and value systems. Being more market-oriented will assist R&D personnel become more consumer-led in terms of product design, assist marketers to identify new and emerging market segments, and more accurately inform strategic marketing decision making when bringing gluten-free foods and beverages to the market.