Sustainable Consumption in UK Food Markets

Task 1

Introduction

The expansion of awareness of consumers involving issues of environmentally sustainable consumption habits, has contributed to the attachment of renewed significance to business operations formulated on the basis of such issues. Clinton and Whisnant (2019) have assessed this situation to be indicative of increment in numbers of consumers primarily associated the burgeoning middle classes. This has an enduring effect on the food markets at UK as well as throughout the world. In this context, Dentchev et al (2018) have specified that particular emphasis is required to be attached to the development of sustainable consumption based business management for the purpose of sustaining growth of different business organisations currently operating within the food market. Furthermore, the shift in the consumption patterns could as well suggest the transformation in edible consumption amounts on a per head basis from commercial perspectives. The requirement, thus, is to maintain effective business growth through development of sustainability management within the commercial undertakings of different operators of the commercial food sector within the UK so as not to jeopardise the customer base on which the business sustenance and growth perspectives are incumbent.

Problems identification and assessment of the requirement to address such issues

Lozano (2018) has observed that the pervasive sustainability aspect in the healthy foods and consumption practices development sector, is required to be engaged with by the commercial entities operating in the same sector. This has been further illustrated by Franceschelli, Santoro and Candelo (2018) to be the most effective method to progress towards addressing the issues associated with food generated allergies. The sustainability considerations encompass the food ingredients such as dairy products, glutens, nuts, apples, meats, vegetables and various others. According to Govindan (2018), it is of vital significance that the focal point of any business effort has to be concentrated upon development of food products which could simultaneously be tasteful and healthy. In this context, Govindan (2018) has observed that it is never adequate only to formulate concern regarding the issues of sustainability in the perceptions of consumers to instigate sustainable consumption behaviours which could become manifested in a spontaneous manner. The role of marketing has become the most significant factor in identification of obstacles and formulation of strategies for compensate for the obstacles concerning development of sustainable business ventures. As per the opinion of Rainey (2010), it is of vital significance for business organisations to formulate their strategic decisions regarding corporate sustainability on the basis of the extent of their corporate functionality and operational engagement. To this effect, the competitive business sustainability development model has required to the selection of the food sector operator organisation of Prep4Me. Since, the forthcoming study is incumbent upon the successful development of sustainability measures regarding the business progression of Prep4Me, the research process would be cognisant about the trends of consumption which are currently influencing the sustainable behavioural practices of the consumers of this selected industry. Thus, the research process would be emphasising on evaluation of particular strategies regarding sustainability through assessment of existing marketing techniques and resources which could be utilised by the company under consideration.

Rationale

According to Kopnina and Blewitt (2018), the competitors of Prep4Me, in the form of Slimming World and Weight Watchers, generally tend to form contractual agreements with celebrities to represent their brands as brand ambassadors. However, the most inadvertent impact of such marketing approach has been outlined by Jackson (2019) to be the acute psychological implication on customers of healthy foods in the form of incremental disconnect with the brand identities endorsed by the hired brand ambassadors. The primary reason of this psychological implication could be envisaged as the realisation that celebrities have the advantage of remitting the expenses of foods that they endorse in the form of special dietary routines as well as the hiring costs of trainers to maintain their health because of their higher income. In this context, Lee and Seo (2018) have observed that such observations could imply the gap between the average consumers and the celebrity endorsed products of Slimming World and Weight Watchers. This gap could be manifested in the form of the general consumers not finding these marketing campaigns relatable to their healthy consumption behaviours. This realisation does not augur well for blending of products launched by food operators and the increasing trends of healthy eating by consumers. To this effect, the marketing strategy for Prep4Me would be required to be a sustainable one with emphasis on the element of self-motivation for customers of prepared meals. Further importance has to be attached to the factor of prevention of detrimental environmental/ecological impacts. According to Martin-Rios et al (2018), it is of paramount significance to favourably manage the impacts of launched prepared meal products on the health conditions of customers.

Task 2

Product proposal concepts

The unique selling point of the Prep4Me has been that the company has concentrated on highlighting to the clients that they could be assured of the outcomes of consuming the prepared delicious meals by the organisation with extensive emphasis of customer preferences.

Planet

According to Sgarbossa and Russo (2017), Prep4Me has concentrated on the awareness formulation within the targeted customer segments regarding the preventive methods through which obesity could be managed. This involves utilisation of healthy dietary consumption practices which could assist the consumers affected by inadequacy of time for preparation of healthy meals for personal consumption and thus, have become reliant upon externally sourced meals.

People

De Bernardi and Azucar (2020) have determined that Prep4Me has oriented itself towards safeguarding of customers from the adverse effective of unhealthy consumption practices concerning edible substances which could be combined with situations where the consumers do not have any requirement to indulge in rigorous physical exercises. Such situations could effectively ensure the failure of controlling their weight increment on part of the consumers of prepared meals. In this context, Prep4Me concentrates on constituting the prepared meals with ingredients which could become effective in terms of preventing obesity. This process involves active dissolving of accumulated body fat through the application of natural elements without any side effects. Prep4Me also does provide the online application services based meal preparation assistance through which customers could be provided online recipe books. This service is meant to enable the customers to assist themselves since not all of the customers of Prep4Me could be reached physically. This service is provided at a reasonable price as well.

Profit

The research of Vojtovic, Navickas and Gruzauskas (2016) has suggested that the development of upgrading of efforts regarding the environmental policies and management of resources entail the initiatives of Prep4Me towards propagation of marketing and brand image improvement. The emphasis is on incurrence of low upfront costs through comparatively higher effort investment to obtain maximised competitive leverage in comparison with the previously mentioned market competitors. To this effect, Lüdeke-Freund, Schaltegger and Dembek (2019) have observed that the methodical application of effort towards the direction of successful propagation of marketing and brand image formulation involving healthy meals offered by Prep4Me involves the base line approach which could be further illustrated as institution of proper improvements of environmentally sustainable product development policies and management of available resources in the most efficient manner. The objective assessment of aims of the marketing campaign by Prep4Me could be could be countenanced as enabling the primarily common folks, comprising the bulk of the consumers of prepared meal products, to maintain the most preferred measures of health conditions (body weights) through continuation of unfettered consumption of edibles offered by Prep4Me.

Task 3

Intended operational marketing spectrum with targeted audiences

Choice awareness improvement for the consumers is essential concerning the increment in sales of sustainable edible products. According to Rainey (2010), for Prep4Me, the components of this process are as the following:

1: Expansion of propriety and relevance.

2: Entrenchment of brand identity.

3: Ensuring availability.

4: Resolution of any inadvertent factor such as trust deficit.

5: Quality management.

6: Management of applied pricing strategies (with special attention devoted to consider purchasing power of low income groups including pensioners).

In this context, Franceschelli, Santoro and Candelo (2018) have emphasised on the necessity of accurately forecasting consumer responses to introduction of healthy edible and consumable products by Prep4Me. This process could be further segmented and categorised within four specific frameworks. Through the opinions of Dyllick and Muff (2016), such segmental frameworks could be distinguished through concentration of operational focus on various fundamental elements of marketing campaigns such as demographics of the targeted customer segments, assessment of cognitive preferences of consumers, lifestyles and habits of consumption and, finally, the macro and micro motivations regarding purchase/expenditure on food products.

Initial segment related to purchase motives of consumers

Nosratabadi et al (2019) has specified that encouragement could be provided to consumers pertaining to purchasing of products of Prep4Me. The effort would be required to be directed towards motivating the consumers of prepared meals to favour the healthy products offered by Prep4Me. The element of ethical consumption based social sustenance could be the cornerstone of such marketing campaign and product propagation processes for Prep4Me. Furthermore, the requirement would be on foregrounding the natural and environmentally sustainable natural ingredients which the company utilises in preparation of healthy food products. This proposal has been taken forward by Lee and Seo (2018) in the manner of suggesting the necessity, by Prep4Me, to consistently highlight the fact that the company is extensively concerned with the environmental sustainability measure as well as the probable impact of offered prepared edibles on the health of consumers. The two most significant aspects for Prep4Me to formulate the marketing campaign on have been outlined by Kim, Yoon and Choi (2016) to be social equitability and fair trade practices performed by the company concerning the busy professionals who experience dearth of time in terms of preparation of their personal meals and have to depend on takeaways instead.

Second segment involving consumer demographics

Dentchev et al (2018) have conducted the study which highlights that specific demographic characteristics are to be utilised for categorisation of consumer segments. Such particulars are age, gender, income extents, obtained qualification measures, professional engagements, social acquaintances, residential locations and class lineages. Sgarbossa and Russo (2017) have subscribed to the idea that such particulars generally formulate the indicators through which determination of consumer preferences could be performed by Prep4Me concerning the purchasing of readymade healthy meals. Furthermore, such research into the market conditions could as well point out the fact that instantaneous preparation of meals could be mostly favoured by middle to high income segments with commensurate socio-economic status with acute dearth of resolve regarding self-preparation of meals. Such dearth is caused by constraints of time for professional personnel within 20 to 55 years of age who have to experience a hyper busy professional existence. Such customers of prepared meals could be considered to be the most prospective consumers of the products offered by Prep4Me.

Customer pen profile persona

Concerning the overall assessment of the nature of such customers of Prep4Me, the following prospective customer profile has been developed by Sgarbossa and Russo (2017) as a hypothetically pertinent one for products of Prep4Me:

Third segments involving cognitive customers

As per the conducted research of Martin-Rios et al (2018), factors such as behavioural attitudes and knowledge of the customers regarding the product and service offerings of Prep4Me are emphasised on while formulation of this segment of consumer category. This observation has been further illustrated by De Bernardi and Azucar (2020) as indicative of research necessity into cognitive preferences of the customers involving particular psychological values such as self-transcendence, self-enhancement, transformation of acceptability, formulation of perception about any offered product on the basis of existing majoritarian perspectives and assumptive evaluation of the quality element of such products and services. The collective influence of such factors could be understood as determination of sustainability practices regarding healthy consumption substance purchasing initiatives on part of the consumers. According to Lee and Seo (2018), this particular segment encompasses the part time professionals, working personnel and students afflicted by the want of time to prepare their meals including singular occasions since their busy schedules prevent them from mustering the time required for such undertakings.

Fourth segment pertaining to habits and lifestyles

Sanders and Wood (2019) have assessed the fundamental constituents of this final segment and have outlined the particularities pertaining to habits and lifestyles of probable customers of Prep4Me in the form of expenditure habits and lifestyle practices regarding the consumption behaviours of targeted customers of the company. Minas (2019) has observed that the conditional lifestyle practices of such consumers have compelled them to practice healthy eating behaviours from an obligatory perspective and the element of conscious choice is primarily non-existent in this context. This segment primarily encompasses consumers with restricted mobility such as personnel working from their residences as well as pensioners living solitary existences. The opportunity of self-preparation of meals is minimal for such consumers and they have greater proclivity towards appreciating the readymade meals so as to maintain their health and required body weight through prevention of unhealthy consumption practices involving hyper saturated/concentrated fat contents. The added benefit of meals prepared by Prep4Me is the ability to be stored for longer durations in refrigerators.

Task 4

Competing organisations

According to Govindan (2018), the leading competitors of Prep4Me within the current market scenario are Weight Watchers and Slimming World as these organisations compose the market possession which constitutes the majority of shares in health foods consumption and weight management based market scenario.

Weight Watchers (WW)

According to Moore (2018), the marketing campaign of Weight Watchers is oriented towards presenting the company as a wellness organisation which has been focused on the sustaining a leading market position in the wellness and healthy food consumption industry. This marketing stand is effectively suggestive of the emphasis of Weight Watchers (WW) on the encouraging healthy consumption and lifestyle practices in the targeted customers. This company currently has 18000 employees with gross annual revenue of $1.4 million. According to Jackson (2019), the notion of serving the desire of consumers to sustain the particular condition where they could consume intended meals without further apprehension regarding jeopardised weight management, has been the core consideration on which Weight Watchers operates. Concerted efforts are instituted by the company towards development of such a prevailing assumption about the marketing procedural objectives of Weight Watchers. Complete removal of artificial ingredients from produced meals is the primary strategy of Weight Watchers to maintain the element of sustainability within performance management practices pertaining to the company. Carraça, Leong and Horwath (2019) have further indicated that WW utilises the strategy of food specific points provisioning to individual consumers pertaining to their daily consumption thresholds.

Slimming World (SW)

The research of Ehrlinger et al (2017) has brought forth the fact that Slimming World has been operating as a weight reduction service provisioning organisation with concentration of focus on perspectives of weight management of customers across the entire age spectrum. Gaining and sustaining of additional weight are also assisted to by WW. The primary orientation of the company, concerning corporate practices, is provisioning of encouragement to the clientele to undertake consistent physical exercises so as to maintain their health standards. To this effect, the organisation has initiated the Body Magic programme. According to Girelli et al (2016), the gross revenue of WW is $ 4.3 million and exisitng workforce personnel strenght is 73. Furthermore, Kim, Yoon and Choi (2016) have stated that SW is a signatory of the Public Health Responsibility Deal of Department of Health, UK and thus, has supported 15000 clients since 2011 regarding healthy lifestyle practices. In this context, the preceding comparative analysis of competitors of Prep4Me has been instrumental to outline the drivers of value creation involving sustainable business practices. These could be understood as the following:

1: Curtailment of operating costs.

2: Business risk propensity mitigation.

3: Improvement of brand visibility.

4: Innovation of new products.

5: Formulation of community relationships.

6: Curtailment of cost overheads and material wastage so as to better generate additional assets for the company.

7: Prevention of damage to human and environmental health.

8: Assessment of imparted impacts on the bottom line of business components such as customers, suppliers and communities in general.

Value proposition

This objective of Prep4Me would require the exact and specific communication of benefits to the clientele involving sales pitches so as to comprehensively manage the benefit statement of the organisation. The necessity of utilisation of social media has required the application of the Triple Layered Business Model Canvas. Placement of orders by customers and updating them abut weight reduction guidelines could be facilitated through the online application launched for this purpose by Prep4Me. Furthermore, intervention policies would be required to be formulated in the manner to enable co-shaping of sustainable variants of their food consumption patterns by customers. To this aspect, establishment of the interactive dynamic framework in between the food applications of Prep4Me and the mobile app is paramount in terms of ethical propositions. Clinton and Whisnant (2019) have explained this to be the effort towards transitioning towards circular, bio-product based and less carbon dependent system of consumption.

Circular strategies

Smart material choices

Prep4Me emphasises on smart material choice based strategies through sourcing organic ingredients from the local farmers exclusively and only electricity driven vehicles utilised for delivery of goods. The purpose is to preserve the environment through absence of toxic emissions.

Embedding intelligence

Prep4Me utilises digital receipts for online order placement services so as to infuse greater sustainability practices in the business processes through avoiding utilisation of paper and resultant waste.

Closed loop

Digital applications are utilised to generate advertisements and the prepared meals are delivered through recyclable glass containers.

Task 5

Sustainable business model

The significance lies in the fulfilment of existing necessities and future exigencies in terms of offered business propositions by Prep4Me. To this effect, the selection of the Triple Layered Business Model Canvas (TLBMC) has been undertaken so as to ensure that multiple avenues could be explored in terms of realisation of the existing opportunities of fulfilment of the market objectives of the company under consideration.

For the proposed business model of Triple Layered Business Model Canvas (TLBMC), please refer to Appendix I

The business objective of the Prep4Me is to provide the most suitable and healthy meal delivery mechanism augmented with meal plans constituted through pertinent recipes so that the customers of the company could singularly focus on consumption of their most preferred food. Prep4Me is required to ensure that the prepared meals could be developed according to the unique aspects of the physical and macro necessities of the clients. The majority of the competing products do not possess the unique attribute of the Prep4Me in ensuring that the consumers of such products could control their weight in spite of copious consumption of meals prepared for them by the Prep4Me. Furthermore, the additional service of meal plan preparation and delivery to the intended customers who, could be having their properties at a close proximity, is also another point of differentiation of the offered services in terms of quality against the market competition. Lee and Seo (2018) have concentrated on incentivising the targeted customers to prevent them getting inclined towards unhealthy foods such as slices of cakes and junk foods. This is necessary to make healthy foods account for the majority of daily food intake. In terms of the evaluation by the dieters, the consumption of perfectly healthy foods generally receives low point values. The counting of points would be vital involving the nutrient and protein rich ingredients to determine the consumption of zero-point foods launched by Prep4Me.

Reference List

Carraça, E.V., Leong, S.L. and Horwath, C.C., 2019. Weight-focused physical activity is associated with poorer eating motivation quality and lower intuitive eating in women. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 119(5), pp.750-759.

De Bernardi, P. and Azucar, D., 2020. Innovative and Sustainable Food Business Models. In Innovation in Food Ecosystems (pp. 189-221). Springer, Cham.

Dentchev, N., Rauter, R., Jóhannsdóttir, L., Snihur, Y., Rosano, M., Baumgartner, R., Nyberg, T., Tang, X., van Hoof, B. and Jonker, J., 2018. Embracing the variety of sustainable business models: A prolific field of research and a future research agenda. Journal of cleaner production, 194, pp.695-703.

Dyllick, T. and Muff, K., 2016. Clarifying the meaning of sustainable business: Introducing a typology from business-as-usual to true business sustainability. Organization & Environment, 29(2), pp.156-174.

Ehrlinger, J., Burnette, J.L., Park, J., Harrold, M.L. and Orvidas, K., 2017. Incremental theories of weight and healthy eating behavior. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 47(6), pp.320-330.

Girelli, L., Hagger, M., Mallia, L. and Lucidi, F., 2016. From perceived autonomy support to intentional behaviour: testing an integrated model in three healthy-eating behaviours. Appetite, 96, pp.280-292.

Govindan, K., 2018. Sustainable consumption and production in the food supply chain: A conceptual framework. International Journal of Production Economics, 195, pp.419-431.

Kim, S.Y., Yoon, J. and Choi, I., 2016. What matters to promote consumers’ intention to patronize sustainable business-and-industry (B&I) food services?. British Food Journal.

Lee, Y.H. and Seo, Y.W., 2018. Strategies for sustainable business development: utilizing consulting and innovation activities. Sustainability, 10(11), p.4122.

Lüdeke-Freund, F., Schaltegger, S. and Dembek, K., 2019. Strategies and drivers of sustainable business model innovation. In Handbook of Sustainable Innovation. Edward Elgar Publishing.

Martin-Rios, C., Demen-Meier, C., Gössling, S. and Cornuz, C., 2018. Food waste management innovations in the foodservice industry. Waste management, 79, pp.196-206.

Nosratabadi, S., Mosavi, A., Shamshirband, S., Kazimieras Zavadskas, E., Rakotonirainy, A. and Chau, K.W., 2019. Sustainable business models: A review. Sustainability, 11(6), p.1663.

Sanders, N.R. and Wood, J.D., 2019. Foundations of sustainable business: Theory, function, and strategy. John Wiley & Sons Incorporated.

Sgarbossa, F. and Russo, I., 2017. A proactive model in sustainable food supply chain: Insight from a case study. International Journal of Production Economics, 183, pp.596-606.

Vojtovic, S., Navickas, V. and Gruzauskas, V., 2016. Sustainable business development process: the case of the food and beverage industry. Zeszyty Naukowe Politechniki Poznańskiej. Organizacja i Zarządzanie.