Freeing the ‘slam’ across the gluten barrier
Dr Arry Tanusondjaja, senior marketing scientist at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, delves into how Arnott’s removed the barrier to entry for its products by introducing a gluten-free range, and explores what this means for the brand.
Earlier this month, Arnott’s released their ranking of Australia’s favourite biscuits for 2024. Guess who’s on top of the ladder? It’s Australia’s much-loved Tim Tam Originals. Despite their popularity, a section of Australia’s population could only read and weep in the past. Not anymore!
In April 2024, Arnott’s also released their gluten free range by producing nine of their popular biscuits and snacks. These include Tim Tam Originals, Scotch Finger, and Barbecue Shapes. There were probably many Australians who rejoiced at the introduction of this range — according to Coeliac Australia, around 1 in 70 Australians have coeliac disease which make them unable to eat any products containing gluten. Worse, only 20% of this number are formally diagnosed.
When Gregg’s — a British bakery chain — introduced vegan sausage rolls in 2019, they recorded 11% year-on-year sales. They also reported that two in ten buyers of the vegan sausage rolls were new consumers. Since then, they tested the market by releasing more vegan offerings to serve the changing dietary habits of British consumers.
