Mealztime Cordless Self-Heating bento box is a new startup seeking to provide a way for individuals to be able to heat up their own food while working out of home. The product has already gathered over 230,000 USD in support to start their operations (Mealztime 2022). The product itself is claimed to be capable of heating up 5 meals with a single charge (Mealztime 2022). The starting price is at 90 USD, and the production is estimated to be launched in November, 2022.
The product positions itself as a relative novelty in the food carrier sector, offering a functionality that is often sought after by individuals working outside of home. At the same time, it features a relatively high price tag of 90 dollars – something that could be compared to a cheap smartphone (Terry 2019). It is not a unique product on the market either. Amazon’s platform has several competitive products with a similar function – ranging from thermoses to crockpots and portable ovens (Amazon 2022). The price tags for these products range between 20 USD to 60 USD, making them a cheaper available option to Mealztime (Amazon 2022). Another challenge the market poses is associated with COVID-19 – with many people working from home, the demand for a self-heating bento box would not be as high as before the pandemic (Kniffin et al. 2021). Finally, the functionality of the bento box may be viewed as redundant, as most offices these days feature microwave ovens for the purposes of heating food (Clohessy et al. 2019). Thus, the scope of the bento box is limited to places where electricity and office equipment is not readily available.
Based on the analysis of the market environment and issues listed above, there are several recommendations for the product. The first recommendation is to lower the price from 80 USD to about 60 USD. The functionality of the product does not warrant a price much higher than that of the company’s competitors (Deepak and Jeyakumar 2019). Second, the product should be featured under a more general and familiar name. Bento boxes are popular in Japan, but in the US and Europe they are known as food containers (Deepak and Jeyakumar 2019). Likewise, the Chinese customers would prefer a different name as well. Finally, the product should be produced in China, India, or Vietnam, in order to save costs on production.
Reference List
Amazon. (2022) Battery-operated food warmer. Web.
Clohessy, S., Walasek, L. and Meyer, C. (2019) ‘Factors influencing employees’ eating behaviours in the office‐based workplace: A systematic review’, Obesity Reviews, 20(12), pp. 1771-1780.
Deepak, R. K. A. and Jeyakumar, S. (2019). Marketing management. Educreation Publishing.
Kniffin, K. M., Narayanan, J., Anseel, F., Antonakis, J., Ashford, S. P., Bakker, A. B., and Vugt, M. V. (2021) ‘COVID-19 and the workplace: Implications, issues, and insights for future research and action’, American Psychologist, 76(1), pp. 63-72.
Mealztime. (2022) Cordless self-heating bento box. Web.
Terry, B. (2019) ‘Beginning of the new smartphone era’, Marriott Student Review, 3(1), pp. 10-23.