Testing new processed meat products for Gulf supermarkets

What is shaping meat & poultry

Meat, poultry and egg businesses are moving from wet markets to packaged and online formats, where hygiene, freshness and trust decide whether consumers switch.

• Packaged and online meat is growing
• Hygiene perceptions drive outlet choice
• Farm practices affect supply and quality

A processed meat manufacturer, working in UAE & Saudi Arabia. Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.

Organisation

A processed meat manufacturer

Sector

Meat & poultry

Team engaged

Market Research

Services

Consumer panel, Quantitative research, Offline data collection

The manufacturer wanted to launch new sausages and cold cuts in Gulf supermarkets but was unsure which products and flavours would appeal to Arab and expatriate shoppers. Several imported brands already dominated shelves, and retailers expected strong evidence before giving shelf space to a new range.

• Deliver on the brief: testing new processed meat products for Gulf supermarkets.
• Understand the views, needs and behaviour of shoppers.
• Produce results that can be compared across groups and locations.
• Give the client evidence it can act on within 6 weeks.

The work focused on 1,200 shoppers.

• shoppers1,200

Audiences we typically reach in meat & poultry

Meat and egg consumersRetailers and butchersOnline buyersPoultry farmersRestaurant buyers

Coverage: UAE & Saudi Arabia. Markets: United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

• United Arab Emirates
• Saudi Arabia

A structured quantitative design, so results could be compared across groups, locations and time.

1. 1Brief
2. 2Concept test
3. 3Taste tests
4. 4Insight

We tested product concepts online with shoppers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, then ran taste tests in supermarkets with coded samples in rotated order, in Arabic and English. Concepts were shown with realistic pack designs and prices, and taste tests included families with children, since many products were bought for school lunches.

Consumer panelQuantitative researchOffline data collection

shoppers

1,200

• Respondents were selected across UAE & Saudi Arabia using quotas set in advance for each location and respondent type, so no single area or group dominated.
• Online respondents were drawn from verified panel members who matched the screening criteria, with quotas on key profile attributes.

taste tests

400

• Trained local-language interviewers conducted interviews in person, supervised in the field.
• The online survey was mobile-friendly and offered in respondents' languages.

• Back-checks on a share of completed interviews
• Time and location checks on field interviews
• Supervisor accompaniment in the field
• Digital fingerprinting and duplicate checks
• Attention, speed and straight-lining checks
• Review of open-ended answers
• Logic and range checks on the final data
• Work carried out under our ISO 20252 quality procedures

• Cross-tabulation by key groups and locations
• Significance testing on the differences that mattered
• Comparison of concepts, messages or products against each other

• Mildly spiced chicken products tested best across nationalities.
• Retail buyers responded positively to the research evidence, and the range gained listings in two major supermarket chains.

Local taste testing avoided costly product failures.

• Build on the core insight: local taste testing avoided costly product failures.
• Focus effort where the evidence was strongest: mildly spiced chicken products tested best across nationalities.
• Re-measure after the changes to confirm the effect.

• The manufacturer launched them with clear halal labelling and recipe suggestions.

What changed in the business as a result of the work. Impact is described qualitatively.

• Insight report and management presentation
• Cleaned data file and data tables

• Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
• A natural follow-on question: why do consumers prefer one outlet?