Box of fresh food with recipes that can be ordered online

Photo credit / My Food Bag

My Food Bag

My Food Bag is a meal planning and delivery business launched in March 2013 by Nadia Lim, a nutritionist and winner of series two of MasterChef New Zealand.

The business was co-founded in December 2012 by Lim along with entrepreneur Cecilia Robinson and ex-Telecom chief executive Theresa Gattung. After just four years, it became the third largest retailer of food, behind the country’s two major supermarket chains (Dann, 2017). According to the company's latest annual report (My Food Bag, 2021a), revenue is sitting at $190.7 million with a year on year growth of 24% and over 66,000 active customers after eight years in operation.

The company is committed to making mealtimes easier for New Zealanders, providing them with healthy eating options, minimising food and packaging waste, supporting local growers, and giving New Zealanders the confidence and skills to be able to cook for themselves. All while ensuring that all aspects of their business are carried out as sustainably as possible (My Food Bag, 2021b).

Head Office is in Auckland and the company has a network of delivery hubs throughout the country relying on NZ Post to get the bags to customers' doors (My Food Bag, 2021a). My Food Bag is now delivering to 86% of where New Zealanders live which is to around 1600 distinct post code areas. They are always looking to grow by inviting prospective customers to let them know where else they need to be (My Food Bag, 2021c).

The My Food Bag Product Offering

My Food Bag operates a subscription-based model with customers signing up to their meal bags through their website to receive regular deliveries. Customers can skip deliveries when it suits them or opt out if they no longer wish to receive them.

The range of meal options available through My Food Bag has grown from just one or two when they launched their service, to nine different meal bags catering to a variety of diets including: low calorie, gluten free, vegetarian and vegan. These are then pitched to appeal to different target markets: families, gourmet foodies, those looking for choice, the time-poor couple and even someone cooking just for themselves (My Food Bag, 2021d). Options vary further depending on the number of people in the household and the number of meals required per week (Figure 1).

This campaign will focus on the My Choice Bag. Launched in 2020 this bag is relatively new to the range and gives customers up to 15 meal options each week thereby encouraging repeat and frequent purchasing by giving customers what they are looking for - choice (My Food Bag, 2021a).

A sample of 4 meal bag options from the My Food Bag website

Figure 1. Four meal bags and customisable options

Challenges Facing My Food Bag

My Food Bag are facing increased competition in the meal delivery market with several new companies having entered the fray in recent years including Hello Fresh, Woop, Fed and Eat Unlimited to name a few. Some of these are providers of the make-it-yourself kits similar to what My Food Bag provides, and some create and sell pre-prepared meals that can be frozen and reheated.

So far, My Food Bag have kept pace with these new entrants by continually expanding their product range, but also by launching new brands like Bargain Box - for the cost-conscious, Fresh Start - for the calorie-conscious, and Made - ready-made meals for those seeking convenience (My Food Bag, 2021a).

But innovation alone is not the only factor to ensure My Food Bag can retain their market share. Factors such as pricing strategies, improved quality, delighting existing customers and finding new customers are all part of the mix as well (Corporate Finance Institute, n.d.). This campaign will focus on how My Food Bag can strengthen their customer relationships through effective content marketing to create greater awareness, and ultimately lead to an increase in sales for the My Choice meal bag.