Baking up a national snacking strategy: Expanding the client into new territory

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Customer Understanding Product & Service Innovation

Freshly baked loaves of bread being placed on a cooling rack

Our client, a beloved household name known for sweet rolls, sought to break into the competitive snacking aisle with their new Pretzel Bites product. We developed a deep consumer understanding of snacking behaviors, identified whitespace opportunities, and built a go-to-market strategy that secured national distribution and set the stage for sustained category growth.

Outcome 1: Secured national distribution across Kroger, Target and Walmart
Outcome 2: Developed a consumer-led go-to-market plan for FY25
Outcome 3: Mapped whitespace opportunities to fuel future product innovation

The challenge

Known for its signature sweet rolls, the client was venturing beyond traditional baked goods into the dynamic and competitive snacking aisle. With Pretzel Bites as their first major launch outside their core offering, our client needed strategic guidance to establish a credible presence in the broader snacking market. Success required a deep understanding of what drives snacking behaviors, uncovering unmet consumer needs and aligning the brand’s strengths with new market opportunities.

Our client’s challenge was to extend beyond their heritage identity and scale within the snacking category. They needed to validate demand with retail buyers, sharpen product positioning, and build a national launch strategy that resonated with consumers. Research had to uncover the emotional and functional needs driving snacking occasions, assess satisfaction with existing options, and reveal where the brand could play credibly and distinctively – ultimately supporting ambitious growth targets for FY25.

The approach

We designed a multi-phase research program, starting with a seven-day online community and individual interviews to explore snacking behaviors in depth. We followed with a nationally representative mobile survey of 500 snackers to quantify key jobs-to-be-done and whitespace opportunities. Applying our proprietary ‘jobs to be done framework,’ we mapped where consumer needs were underserved and how the client’s strengths could meet them. The insights were activated through strategic recommendations across product positioning, messaging, promotions and retail execution.

The impact

The work directly informed our client’s FY25 Pretzel Bites go-to-market strategy, driving national retail expansion into Kroger, Target and Walmart. Backed by robust consumer evidence, the brand unlocked shelf space and strengthened its credibility in a new category. Additionally, the research revealed broader whitespace opportunities in snacking, giving the client a future-focused roadmap for innovation beyond Pretzel Bites and laying the foundation for sustained category leadership.