Consumer Research: Rotisserie Chicken Insights
With rotisserie chicken stands sold out for months during COVID-19 and in observance of National Rotisserie Chicken Day, Brisan Group partnered with Griffith Foods to understand what consumers do with a rotisserie chicken in their kitchen.
Snapshot
Consumers choose rotisserie chickens primarily for convenience.
Consumers perceive rotisserie chicken as healthy.
Consumers are interested in seeing more flavors of rotisserie chicken offered at grocery stores.
Consumers are interested in meal kits for their rotisserie chicken with an emphasis on the following meals: tacos, salads, casseroles, wraps and pot pie.
Why Consumers Choose Rotisserie Chicken
Let’s dive right into the juicy details! In order to better understand why consumers choose rotisserie chicken, we gave them six different options ranging from price to convenience. Here’s a look into what they said:
94% of consumers responded that the reason they choose a rotisserie chicken is due to convenience. It seems consumers are continuing to find ways to put prepared meals on the table without extra work, so it’s no surprise buying a cooked bird shaves off time.
“Simply put, consumers are looking for a hassle-free way of putting meals on the table that isn’t time consuming.”
Consumers also added that taste is an important part of their selection.
Additionally, we discovered that the majority of consumers believe rotisserie chicken to be a healthy meal option so it’s no wonder these pre-made birds are flying off the shelf.
How Consumers Are Serving Rotisserie Chicken
Tacos? Soups? Casseroles? Let’s find out!
Most (92%) consumers reported serving rotisserie chicken as is. Which specifically means that for this particular category of consumers, TASTE & FLAVOR of the rotisserie chicken is paramount.
However, consumers are still finding other ways to eat a rotisserie chicken. Approximately half of consumers are shredding or cutting up the chicken and using it in new recipes, including the following: tacos, salads and soups.
So, How Often Are Consumers Purchasing Rotisserie Chickens?
In light of COVID-19, we decided to ask our consumers whether or not their rotisserie-chicken-purchase habits have changed since the start of the pandemic.
Interestingly, about half of our consumers reported no change in frequency. Although, almost 30% of consumers responded that they are purchasing rotisserie chicken more often as they feel it’s a good value, versatile and makes home cooking easier. However, this is a slight decrease (21%) in overall rotisserie chicken consumption due to the fact that consumers are grocery shopping less in store and more online. Purchasing a cooked bird requires physically selecting it based on consumer’s preference.
Overall, we learned that the average consumer purchases a rotisserie chicken once a month or more often.
Frequency: Pre & Post Covid-19
Why the Peak of Rotisserie Chicken During COVID-19?
It seems that the peak associated with rotisserie chicken during COVID-19 is largely driven by the fact that it’s an easy and convenient way to get a dinner on the table. With so many people stuck at home, consumers are likely experiencing fatigue cooking every single meal. Having a ready-to-eat option could be one way to alleviate the stress of preparing a meal from scratch. Get more insights on how consumers cope during a pandemic.
Chicken, Customized
We discovered that consumers were interested in seeing more flavors of rotisserie chicken offered at their grocery store. On top of that, consumers reported serving rotisserie chicken with sauce and gravy. Together, this could be an opportunity to capitalize on a category of consumers who would like the ability to customize their rotisserie chicken. Sauce and gravy kits or seasoning packets and special instructions could offer a breadth of flavors while allowing consumers to add their personal touch.
More Than Just a Meal Kit
Over 65% of consumers responded they would be more than interested in purchasing a meal kit to go along with their rotisserie chicken. A few potential future meal kit options include the following: tacos, salads, pot pies, casseroles, wraps and soups.
This potential product innovation could aid in the ease and convenience of preparing a meal while also contributing to an increase in rotisserie chicken sales.
Key Industry Takeaways
Since most consumers eat rotisserie chicken ‘‘as is’’, the overall taste and flavor of the chicken is paramount.
Many consumers consider rotisserie chickens to a be great value. To increase value even more, there is possibility to innovate with customized packages that could include sauces, gravies and other ways to add flavor rotisserie chicken.
Meal kits are a great opportunity, as they match the current behavior of consumers and is something they would be interested in purchasing in the future.
Overall, consumers perceive rotisserie chicken is healthy which can be a useful buzz word to utilize when marketing to consumers.