New Delhi (India), April 15: D2C snacks bar ‘Snickers’ parent company has launched its new chocolate variant ‘Kesar Pista Snickers’ & ‘Galaxy’ through ‘Daalchini vending machines’ and has received tremendous response recording over one-fourth sales, which is higher than any other retail model through these technology-enabled kiosks. This huge consumer response highlights the changing consumer behavior towards retail platforms and how vending machines are becoming a go-to option for the D2C brands for launching a new product.
Launching a new product becomes more effective with Daalchini smart vending machine and their cloud-connected consumer-trend engine. It gives the brand managers early trends of the product. Brands can target their customers with right offers and gather extremely important feedback digitally with Daalchini’s RaaS {Retail-as-a-service} platform and A/B testing tool.
Since the pandemic, vending machines have been experiencing exponential growth and demand across the country. Driven by the IoT-enabled technology, digitally connected vending machines and smart stores in the F&B industry are becoming the new-age retail distributor for D2C brands, accelerating growth of the industry.
The F&B industry has seen a shift in the process of new launches, from entering exclusive deals to partnering with Vending machine operators. Earlier, Daalchini conducted an in-house survey with over 250 D2C brands and it was revealed that 58% of brands found it difficult or less likely to sell LUPs via their own websites. 53% found it difficult or unsustainable to sell via e-commerce and hence they sold bundled packs. This made it difficult for the brands to test and launch new products in the market. However, with Daalchini’s smart kiosks and consumer behavior tracking Vending Machines, it has become easier for brands to track consumer preferences after launching new products in the market, by providing them with the RaaS {Retail-as-a-service} platform.
Ms. Prerna Kalra, Co-Founder, Daalchini Technologies said, “Snickers experiencing highest sales from Daalchini’s Vending Machines highlights the changes in consumer preferences. And, the sales from them highlight the fact that Vending Machines are becoming a new-age retail channel, especially after the pandemic. We are aiming to do 7-12 similar large tie-ups with FMCG brands and Cloud kitchen on a national level. We aim to be their significant distribution partner with our online discovery and instant fulfilment mechanism.”
Daalchini has witnessed tremendous demand since the pandemic. It has collaborated with D2C brands such as Open Secret, Slurrp Farm, Yoga bar, BRB, The Whole Truth Foods, Cremica Opera, Cravova, Millet Bowl, etc. It has installed its vending machines in corporates such as Reliance, Vodafone, Times Internet, E&Y, Snapdeal, OLX, OYO, Genpact, Cushman & Wakefield, MX Player, Samsung, Vivo, Paytm, Optum, Thales, Smartworks, Housr, Whirlpool, L’Oréal, Redtape, etc.
Commenting on the development, Snickers spokesperson said, “We have launched 2 new variants in January 2022 – Snickers Kesar Pista and Galaxy chocolate at Daalchini Vending Machines and have received an overwhelming response. We got 35% of sales through the vending machines of these variants. We can target the right audience through smart vending machines and the sales & customer insights we get from the Daalchini app and partner interface are very helpful to understand consumer behavior and sales patterns. We look forward to a long-term partnership with Daalchini.”
Enjoying the taste of the chocolate, Dikhsa, who works at Altrade said, “Snickers Kesar Pista is good chocolate full of caramel and Pista flavor”; while Manish of Headsupfortails mentions, “I like it because this product is low in sugar.” At Samsung’s office Gurgaon, A. Bose said, “As a taste and quality-wise it’s a nice product” and Simran who works at Healthians and is very cautious about fitness mentioned, “As per fitness this is a good product and I like the taste too.”
Daalchini already has 700+ smart stores in 15 cities and more than 1.6 lakh Monthly-active-users. It also has 200+ franchises and 160+ brands and Cloud Kitchens selling on its platform.
Daalchini Technologies provides instant, affordable, healthy home-cooked food, snacks, ready-to-eat products, beverages and healthy food options to corporate employees through IoT-enabled ‘phygital’ (physical+digital) vending machines. It serves 100+ start-ups, co-working spaces, large MNCs, hospitals, educational institutes, and residential complexes. Daalchini is a brand of full-stack smart retail offerings that cater to on-the-go food consumption with a specialized supply chain designed to serve the 6-meals-a-day needs of our customers. Its product suite has a complete platform to launch vending machines, micro-markets, automated kiosks, and mobility solutions.