KFC and Beyond Meat:
On January 10, 2022, KFC launched Beyond Fried Chicken in their first national rollout while supplies last. After researching the change in consumer tastes and preferences regarding the importance of health-conscious food options, through marketing intelligence including surveys and netnography KFC partnered with Beyond Meat in 2019. KFC President Kevin Hochman concluded that “younger people tend to be the ones that want to eat more plant-based. We envision this trend to continue to grow. We don’t think that plant-based is a fad, we think that’s something that’s going to continue to grow over time” (Molly Pickering).
Location Testing:
As the first quick-service national restaurant chain to introduce plant-based chicken, KFC wanted to utilize market intelligence to determine the effectiveness of this type of product. KFC practiced market intelligence through location testing. Location testing occurs when a new product is launched in a small area of the larger market, usually in a specific location. For KFC, Beyond Fried Chicken was location tested in a single storefront in Atlanta, Georgia, in August 2019. Within five hours, a week of nuggets sold out within five hours of its launch. This proved a significant success for KFC, and consumers did enjoy and wanted the product.
Increasing Exposure:
After the success in Atlanta, KFC expanded its location testing to Nashville, Tennessee, Charlotte, North Carolina, and locations in Southern California. Again, KFC saw a significant increase in success with a Beyond Fried Chicken sell-out in just one week.
Future:
KFC’s investment in market intelligence allowed them to participate in a national rollout of Beyond Fried Chicken in 2022. They proved there was consistent demand in different unique locations across the United States. Since 2022, there has been no permanent menu item of Beyond Fried Chicken. The market intelligence used by KFC proves that KFC will likely continue to make exclusive offers or launch a permanent alternative meat option depending on what their research dictates on the popularity of plant-based meat.
References:
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-01-29/la-fi-beyond-meat-kfc-fried-chicken-nuggets