Air Fryers, an opportunity or a fad?

Every now and again something comes along that changes the way we cook.

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The advent of the domestic freezer transformed household meals. Many foods that had been available only occasionally pr only to a few, became more generally accessible, tinned and preserved foods became a smaller part of our diets and many families enjoyed a significant increase in the variety of their day-to-day meals.

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The microwave increased convenience and decreased cooking times, again having a significant influence upon the foods that we eat.

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The George Foreman Grill changed the cooking habits of many and now we have the Air Fryer.

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Arguably, the George Foreman Grill and the Air Fryer are not as significant as the freezer or the microwave and maybe they will not be as long lasting. However, the brands that recognise and react to influences such as these will be the winners, while many that do not respond will lose out.

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I was running a research project for a significant international food brand recently where consumers consistently asked for Air Fryer cooking instructions. While the client may argue that cooking the product in an Air Fryer is no different from cooking it in an oven, many consumers needed the reassurance of specific instructions on pack and were using the product less often when they felt that it could only be cooked in their oven.

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Including cooking instructions for Air Fryers should now be a no-brainer, as it is for conventional and fan ovens.

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But the Air Fryer presents many brands with an even greater opportunity…

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Many foods that have traditionally been fried are now being baked in ovens by cooks keen to reduce their use of fat and cooking oils. However, while these may be much healthier for the family, most find that when baked these products are just not as enjoyable as when they were fried.

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The air fryer gives manufactures the opportunity to correct this. The chance to reformulate products to crisp-up a little better in the air fryer and to mimic more closely the experience of fried foods without so much of the fat or oils.

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While technically this is within the capability of most R&D departments, the real problem is getting the balance right in delivering a “fried food experience” while maintaining a belief that cook is serving a “healthier” meal to the family.

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Many of these cues will in fact have little or nothing to do with the nutritional health of the product, but they create a narrative in the mind of the consumer. A narrative that builds throughout their product experience to worry or reassure them.

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Tracking and understanding the consumers’ emotional response to the myriad of cues throughout their experience of preparing, cooking, serving and eating your product and understanding how to use communication and product features to create a narrative in the consumers’ mind of wholesomeness and healthiness as well as enjoyment does not come from standard qualitative groups or from hall tests. It requires a detailed psychological mapping of the consumers’ sensorial and emotional journey. It can, however, be the critical difference to maximising the opportunity presented to you by the Air Fryer.

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If you liked this article, you can read more here

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Chris Lukehurst is a Consumer Psychologist and a Director at The Marketing Clinic:

Providing Clarity on the Psychological relationships between consumers and brands

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