Free’ist Sugar Free Caramel Crunch Popcorn
Who: GM Marketing Ireland
What: Free’ist Sugar Free Caramel Crunch Popcorn
Where: Popcorn
How much: Rsp: £1.50/130g
Why: Launched in 2013, the Free’ist brand set out to make products suitable for diabetics that would also tap growing consumer interest in health and wellbeing. Four years later, popcorn brands are booming, with value sales last year up 13.6% year on year [IRI 52 w/e 16 July 2016]. This SKU is part of a five-strong range that also features coconut & vanilla, toffee apple, lightly sea salted and sweet & salty variants.
Consumer verdict: The prospect of a low-calorie, sugar-free caramel popcorn sparked interest among our consumers, who were buoyed by the “competitive” price. However, the “plain” packaging received negative feedback from some triallists, who considered it “boring” if “informative”. On tasting, people were impressed with the “great taste” and “crunchy texture”, with 54% rating the taste and texture as excellent. The flavour had just the right amount of sweetness, according to consumers, which complemented the light “not sticky” popcorn.
Pre-trial purchase: 70%
Post-trial purchase: 89%
Better than what’s out there: 68%
New and different: 70%
Overall score: 49/50
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