Cornitos is working towards a more digitally focused approach: Vikram Agarwal

The Indian snacking market has continued to maintain its growth momentum even during the pandemic period. With work and study from home, people’s work-life balance has been disrupted, leaving even less time for normal indulgences like preparing and consuming snacks with one’s loved ones. This has led to consumption of more packaged snacks, ordered through the convenience of home delivery. Given the high focus on health and well-being, a gradual shift is seen towards healthy snacking and people wanting to know what ingredients go into the making of their snacks.

Numbers revealed by Statista show the steady growth of the snacking market, especially savoury snacks, in India. According to Statista, the savory snacks market in India was valued at around $5.57 billion in 2020, up from $4.72 billion in 2019. This market is further projected to grow to $6.25 billion in 2021 and continue the growth trajectory to reach $12.69 billion in 2026.

Cornitos has been one snack brand that has been innovating to create a niche for itself among the branded players as well as the unorganised sector. It has been positioning its Nacho Crisps (Tortilla) as a perfect in-between-meals snack. Keeping in mind the increasing focus on health, Cornitos Nacho Crisps are gluten free, cooked in corn oil, have Zero Trans-fat, Zero Cholesterol. The brand has also fortified its extensive distribution network pan-India.

In a bid to create a greater connect with the youth TG, the brand partnered with the Delhi Capitals team during IPL 2021 and gained a lot of traction from people by seeing an increase in their sales. Cornitos also launched its e-commerce website for people who have been working from home to easily access the benefits of its different products.

In an exclusive interview with Adgully, Vikram Agarwal, Managing Director, Cornitos, speaks about the brand’s increasing focus on healthy snacking, fortifying its presence in the market, snacking trends seen during the festive season, opportunities for building the brand during the pandemic, association with IPL team Delhi Capitals, and more.

The snacks market is a highly competitive one. You need a distinct product differentiation to succeed, so what has been your key value proposition to make Cornitos the preferred brand of choice?

The unique flavours and ingredients are what makes Cornitos stand out in the market. It offers exotic Mexican flavors with a touch of Indian spices that allures everyone. All Cornitos products are gluten-free, healthy, are cooked in corn oil and are zero trans fat snacks which can be enjoyed by anyone at any time. Our range of products includes Cornitos Veggie Nachos that have the goodness of quinoa, spinach, beetroot and Melange. Keeping in mind the shift towards superfoods, Cornitos has a range of seeds and nuts that are tasty and healthy. The products include Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, SuperSeeds, along with flavourful Corn Nuts. This year we also launched Corn and Wheat Tortilla Wraps that are easy to prepare and provide perfect substitutes for any meal occasion and can be used in a number of ways.

We have added innovative products like the Cornitos DIY Kits to our existing range of products and are available in three variants – Cornitos DIY Kit Shami Kebab Wrap, Cornitos DIY Kit Falafel Kebab Wrap, and Cornitos DIY Kit Hara Bhara Kebab Wrap. Cornitos has entered the economical price range market this year to target the masses in Tier 2 and 3 cities. Value for money and high quality ingredients make Cornitos the preferred brand of choice.

How have you positioned the product from a marketing point? Who is the typical audience you target, and can you tell us more about the audience profile?

Cornitos has a large and diverse distribution network across India. The range of our products is available in offline retail stores, E-retail stores and in modern supermarkets trade stores as well. The products are also available in cafes, airlines, multiplexes and cinemas and distributed through Horeca as well. Not just that, but the products are also exported to over 30 countries globally.

We have a large set of audiences across all age groups across the globe, since we are a healthy brand that offers products in different categories for everyone. Our unique product range offers diverse tastes and flavours that can be enjoyed by anyone at anytime.

Work from home has increased the consumption of snack items. How has Cornitos leveraged this opportunity and any tactical strategy you have adopted to exploit the market?

Last year, digitisation has been a major trend and consumers were opting for shopping from the comfort of their own home, hence Cornitos launched its e-commerce website last year, https://shop.cornitos.in/, with a range of offers that attracted consumers. Also, consumers are looking for healthy options, and taking that into consideration, we have launched innovative and healthy products – Superseeds, Corn Nuts, Corn and Wheat Tortilla Wraps, that can be enjoyed by themselves or as additions to the meals.

Also, we had even launched an innovative product, Cornitos DIY Kits, that are available in three variants – Cornitos DIY Kit Shami Kebab Wrap, Cornitos DIY Kit Falafel Kebab Wrap, and Cornitos DIY Kit Hara Bhara Kebab Wrap to make mealtime delicious. One pack of DIY Kit makes 12 kebabs and 6 wraps and can be prepared in less than 10 minutes.

Giving the growing move to stay fit and consume a balanced diet, what’s your view on this healthy trend and have you introduced any products which are diet-related?

All the products that Cornitos offers are healthy with no trans-fat and are absolutely gluten-free. The nacho crisps, veggie nachos, healthy super seeds, nuts and tortilla wraps are healthy choices, which even a health-conscious person can eat at any time. Following a healthy diet is important, but it’s not necessary to cut the craving for something delicious and flavorful. So, our products cater to all the fitness freaks present out there.

Our Veggie nachos are available in Quinoa, Spinach, Beetroot and Melange variants. Corn Nuts, the new addition to the nuts, are available in three variants: Spanish Tomato, Lemon Chili Cilantro, and Cheesy Jalapeno.

Impulse products should be within arm’s reach. How have you strengthened your reach and distribution especially in smaller towns? Are you looking at the D2C channel as well?

The Cornitos Economical Range gets premium category products in an affordable range to the consumers by offering them value for money with this range. It aims to please the masses, especially targeting the Tier 2 and 3 cities, with plans to appoint new distribution partners in each city. This range is available at mom-and-pop stores and local grocery stores.

The e-commerce website provides a direct connection from the brand to the consumers. With offers and a pan India delivery, the website is a great channel to connect with the consumers that are directed to the website via targeted digital advertisements and social media posts.

How have you been tapping into the festive season this year?

We introduced our new festive packs like Nachos Fiesta, Indie Nuts, Utsava- Bag of Happiness, Party Packs, Festive Blaaast. We also launched a new range of baked snacks to promote healthy snacking. All our products are available on the e-commerce website, retail stores, mom & pop stores. E-Gift Cards are the new addition that are available exclusively on the Cornitos’ e-commerce website (https://shop.cornitos.in/) and are the perfect gifting option for loved ones. We also ran special contests on our social media platform along with exclusive discount offer code FESTIVE21 on Cornitos E-Commerce website.

Could you tell us about your association with IPL franchise Delhi Capitals?

We had a more digitally-focused approach, wherein a range of activities were held under the ‘Crunch Ka Superhero’ campaign. The interactive contests and posts were posted on Facebook and Instagram handles of the brand in order to keep the spirits high of the consumers. The winner got a chance to win an autographed official Delhi Capitals team jersey by answering questions dedicated to the team. We also ran exclusive offers on our e-commerce website, where the consumers could support their favourite teams while munching on healthy snacks.