Indians who are increasingly becoming globetrotting are also becoming foodies as they are increasingly getting exposure to global cuisine. They are becoming more open to trying out food from different regions and this has been revealed by a study done by IpsosInnoQuest which a division of global research firm Ipsos. Ipsos in its recent study ‘unique food consumption interest’ found out that 57 per cent Indians are open to trying out global cuisines.
Biswarup Banerjee, Head of Marketing Communication, Ipsos commented on this study, “We live in a world of greater food choice, with a heavier emphasis on health, freshness and variety. But that also means that consumers are more willing to experiment with different types of foods, including some that might be considered unique or foreign to their traditional family meals.” Some of the other findings of the study are:
- 45 per cent urban Indians prefer to buy restaurant brands available grocery stores. This has been attributed to increase in urbanisation and more women going out to work in nuclear families. This has resulted in paucity of time for cooking. Globally it is a different trend and only 23 per cent of global consumers expressed interest in it.
- 39 per cent Indians prefer to buy ‘Do-it-yourself food kits’ but when it comes to global consumers only 36 per cent prefer the same.
- 39 per cent Indians like traditional Indian food especially home cooked regional food but whereas 41 per cent global consumers expressed their interest in it.
- 31 per cent urban Indians and 44 per cent global consumers prefer to consume packaged foods which have handmade quality
- Globally, 45 per cent people expressed interest in food from different regions
- Though there are many brands of food products made by famous chefs only 17 per cent of global consumers prefer the same.
The study further reveals that products associated with famous chefs will get 37 per cent traction in India which is good news for such brands. The findings suggest that as more Indians are ready to accept the cuisines from across the world, the marketers need to really analyse the local market and come out with products accordingly. As Indians are getting exposed to global cuisines, the marketers should come out with products that satisfy their taste buds but the word of caution being Indians have a habit of think global and act local.
