Who: Pladis
What: Jacobs Ciabatta Caramelised Onion Crackers
Where: Savoury biscuits
How much: £1.50/227g
Why: Jacobs launched its three-strong Ciabatta cracker range to tap “the growing trend of lighter offerings for lunch”. The Pladis brand claimed its lineup was a first for the savoury biscuit market, with “consumption of bread-based sandwiches at lunchtime in long-term decline”. Available in original, Sundried Tomato & Basil and Caramelised Onion, it sits in a category that dipped 1.9% in value sales last year to £426.8m on volumes down 2.9% [Nielsen 52 w/e 9 September 2017].
Consumer verdict: There was high pre-trial interest among our shoppers, with praise for the appearance and the “good brand”. After testing, almost half said they would definitely buy, while 38% were a “probably”. The crackers excelled in all key measures, particularly those associated with health. Our testers said they were “low in calories”, “good for packed lunches” and, simply, “lovely”. Their final score was well above the category norm, in spite of criticisms such as “too much flavour” and “a little dry”.
Pre-trial purchase: 65%
Post-trial purchase: 83%
Better than what’s out there: 72%
New and different: 83%
Overall score: 48/50
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