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Who: Waitrose

What: Pepper & Chorizo Tartlets

Where: Chillers

When: Launched July 2014

How much: £2.60/279g

Why: The savoury pastries market has struggled of late, and had been under pressure from factors such as rising input costs and a consumer shift towards products seen as more healthy. In general terms, own label has fared worse than brands, with volumes down 8.8% in 2013 [The Grocer Top Products Survey 2013]. But own-label products that boast premium credentials such as this Waitrose tartlet can buck the trend, say experts.

Consumer verdict: First impressions were not great, with our testers unimpressed by the packaging, which some thought looked “cheap”; others felt it failed to fully promote the product. Opinions changed after the products were tasted, with many testers liking the taste and texture - though a few commented it was a little too soggy - and post-trial purchase intent rose significantly. Overall, 67% of testers felt the tartlet was better than items already on the market, and roughly the same number rated it as new and different.

Pre-trial purchase: 40%

Post-trial purchase:55%

Better than what’s out there: 67%

New and different: 66%

Overall score: 41/50

 

What is Fast Foodfax?

It is a subscriber service that has been running for more than 30 years, offering consumer assessments of new products and allowing comparisons with more than 17,000 products from our database. It is objective, impartial and totally independent, and each product is assessed using original consumer feedback from respondents across the UK. See here for further information.

Fast Foodfax is prepared by Cambridge Market Research , which works closely with The Grocer magazine on a variety of projects including the consumer judging element of the The Grocer’s Own-label Food & Drink Awards and New Product Awards. 

Tel. 01223 492 050 Email: Info@CambridgeMR.com

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