The heightened concerns of hygiene in the pandemic have made the meat-eating consumers shun buying meat from their local butcher shop and purchase it online.
Moreover, with closed or limited hours of their favourite biriyani or kebab joint, people felt the heat of a mundane weekend after juggling office and home that pushed people to don their chef hats to cook some Mughlai cuisine at home.
This gave an impetus for the online purchase of meat and fish from the D2C meat brands such as Licious, Zappfresh, FreshToHome, TenderCuts, and Meatigo in a market largely dominated by unorganised local players.
According to a RedSeer study, India’s meat market is poised to become a market worth Rs 460K+ crore by 2024 which will be growing at a CAGR of 6.5 percent.
After tasting success in the metropolitan cities, these D2C meat market players are planning to extend their offline reach to tier-II and tier-III cities.
‘‘
According to a RedSeer study, India’s meat market is poised to become a market worth Rs 460K+ crore by 2024 which will be growing at a CAGR of 6.5 percent.
D2C meat brands making the cut into lower-tier cities
It is natural to think that online purchases of meat and fisheries will not find as many customers as metro cities, but the aspirational mindset of the consumers of tier-II and tier-III cities sets off their experimental taste buds to try new cuisines. Hence, there is an immense potential in these cities that businesses need to unlock.
To cater to unique consumer tastes, Licious has enhanced its portfolio with a ready-to-cook (RTC) and ready-to-eat portfolio to include regional delicacies like chicken ghee roast for South Indian consumers and Kosha Mangsho for east consumers along with breadcrumb coated snacks and tandoori items. Licious plans to expand in 20 more cities.
Similarly, another D2C meat player FreshToHome plans to add new products under its RTC and RTE categories and plans to open 100 new stores across India in the coming 12 months.TenderCuts, a popular D2C meat outlet with its established presence in cities like Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru is planning to expand into 100 stores by March 2022.
Low rentals for physical shops are motivating these D2C meat businesses to strengthen their presence in cities than metros.
The expensive and branded meat
Meat sales spiked during the pandemic that gave rise to these D2C meat companies to quickly ramp up their supply capabilities to serve the needs of the consumer and gain trust. With its integrated value chains, a wide array of meat products, quality assurance, and convenience they are paving the positive perception of branded meat which will flourish their business in such cities. However, not forgetting that Indian consumers are price-conscious, a challenge might be awaiting in terms of price point. For instance, lets’ compare the prices of basic fish meat Rohu that in general costs Rs 150 a 1kg but when branded it costs Rs 250- 325.
The D2C meat market going offline in tier-II and tier-III cities hold immense potential as consumers are now concerned about healthy protein intake and are likely to purchase more from brands that engage directly with them. The brands are also driving the importance of hygienic meat that will be a major factor for driving sales in those cities.
