Starting a Meal Prep Business presents its opportunities and downfalls equally; therefore, it is essential to know what your customers want in 2022. Given that meal prep has become a relatively competitive industry, perusing other businesses on ReviewsBird will give you insight into what customers are missing on the market and how to fill that void. In addition, restaurant reviews can supply you with inspiration and indicate demands that have not yet been supplied in the food industry.
The Covid-19 Impact
Since Covid-19 came and took over our everyday way of life, taking time and effort to make healthy and delicious meals became even more important than it ever was. People are putting more emphasis on boosting their immune systems to stay healthy. People working from home have limited time and options to go grocery shopping, so the temptation to have food delivered to your doorstep is always in the back of their minds. However, most restaurants have had to adjust their menus as some dishes are better served in the restaurant instead of delivering it. They do so to reduce the waste of their perishable resources and focus on providing meals in high demand. As a result, delivery options for consumer favourites have become limited in some places, presenting a hole in the market for those who wish to start a meal prepping business.
Hype and Fad Diets
Considering the impact that the food industry alone has on climate change, many have chosen to go on a Meat-Free diet or a Vegan diet. However, some may feel unsure of what foods to eat and create fun and exciting vegan meals. However, many companies have introduced vegan-friendly meal kits because many people choose the vegan or plant-based lifestyle. Vegan-friendly meal kits may be an easy option to consider if you’re not that familiar with the kitchen or unsure of what vegan-friendly meals there are. In addition, tapping into other niches can help gain you a competitive edge as a company.
Differentiation
If you really wish to stand out in such a competitive market, you could try a completely different approach; teach your customers how to do it themselves. Host workshops where they can learn new recipes from you that are nutritional and delicious all at the same time. You can teach people how to save money and time and nourish their bodies. You might break the industry by putting meal prep companies out of business, but that way, you also cut out the competitionf for yourself.
How would that look though?
Your marketing strategy could be built on educating your target audience about the benefits starting with saving time and money, as they only buy what they need and do all the work once a week. They know exactly what and how much you put into your body, since they would be writing the plan out and can see what goes into their meals. In addition, they will learn so much more about food and what to do with it by exploring new ingredients and produce. The next step would be to get creative and draw up a plan on how you would carry this out, considering the location, financing, and resources you would need to implement this plan.