How savoury snack flavours become iconic

The study was conducted on behalf a global manufacturer of flavours and food ingredients, to better understand how selected flavours of savoury snacks and potato crisps become popular, establish themselves in consumers’ repertoires, and over time gain “iconic” status. The project was expert-led and covered several markets, providing knowledge that could support the client’s innovation activities. 

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THE CHALLENGE

Understanding Flavour Success

Snack flavours do not become iconic by chance. Their success is shaped by a combination of cultural factors, category dynamics, market history, availability, brand communication, and the ways in which consumers incorporate a given flavour into their everyday choices. For a company developing new flavour solutions, it was crucial to understand not only which flavours are popular, but why they have achieved a strong position and how that process unfolds over time. 

OUR APPROACH

Research objectives and Methodology

To understand how snack flavours become category favourites, Inquiry designed a qualitative research study combining clearly defined business objectives with expert market perspectives.

The study aimed to:

  • Identify the mechanisms through which specific savoury snack and potato crisp flavours gain popularity.
  • Reconstruct the history of selected flavours and the factors that supported their development in individual markets.
  • Understand the role of category experts in interpreting shifts in consumer flavour preferences.
  • Provide the client with insights to support product innovation and the development of new flavour propositions.

The research was based on qualitative expert interviews with specialists knowledgeable about the savoury snacks category, flavour history, the food industry, and the factors influencing product success. Coordinated from the UK, the study was conducted across three countries, enabling the client to compare market dynamics and identify both shared patterns and local differences.

Fieldwork and recruitment 

Expert recruitment was conducted in stages. At the initial stage, the study was introduced in broad terms as a project exploring popular savoury snack and potato crisp flavours in a given country. Once interest and expert fit had been confirmed, the client and the fuller purpose of the study were disclosed. Participants were informed about the interview recording, the way the material would be used, and the GDPR-compliant data protection rules. 

An important part of the process was obtaining consent for the expert’s name and role to be referenced as a contributor to the project. Participants were also given the option for only their role to be mentioned, without disclosing their name. Photos or video materials featuring the experts were not to be published or shared externally. 

EFFECTS

The results needed to make global decisions

The research was designed to support  the client’s innovation activities by providing in-depth insight into how flavour preferences emerge and become established in the savoury snacks category. The insights generated through the study could be used to inform the design of new flavour solutions, understand local market differences, and identify the factors that increase a flavour’s chances of achieving lasting popularity. 

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COLLABORATION WITH INQUIRY

What do our customers say?

Wow – that was a great group Tetiana. Thank you for managing to cover all those topics in so much detail. It was a real pleasure to watch and hear everyone’s opinions. It was all really easy to follow and the respondents and translator were all great. So many learnings and I’m already excited to speak to you next week

Leo Sanders, Inkling

Inquiry were a pleasure to work with. They were very responsive to our need for quick turnaround testing so that changes to the campaign could be implemented. We also appreciated their expertise and advice around the make-up and location of groups for complex sample requirements that allowed us to maximise our budget.

Hannah Wright, Zinc Network

Our collaboration with Inquiry Sp. z o.o. was very satisfactory, and the services were delivered with due care and professionalism. Inquiry’s staff demonstrated extensive knowledge in conducting research for the FMCG sector, which resulted in the high substantive value of the findings received.

Jerzy Kamecki, Valkea Media S.A.

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Ask us about our research

Successful innovation starts with understanding why consumers connect with certain products. This study showed that flavour success is shaped by more than taste alone — it is influenced by culture, category dynamics and consumer habits. At Inquiry, we help brands uncover these deeper drivers to create stronger, more relevant product strategies.

Agnieszka Górnicka, Chair of the Management Board of Inquiry

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