Fabienne Föhn, what is your role at Betty Bossi?
I am responsible for New Business at Betty Bossi. This covers a wide range of topics. First and foremost, it's about developing new services, business areas and product groups. This process is agile, we want to try things out, but of course we also want to achieve scaling. I've been with Betty Bossi for over 18 years and previously worked intensively with kitchen utensils and appliances.
Over 50 percent of our products are developed in-house because we have been practicing agile product innovation for years.
It sounds as if Betty Bossi was already agile before the term became so popular among companies.
We have been prototyping for years by making models out of cardboard, wood or 3D printers and then testing them immediately with customers, getting their feedback before they go into mass production. New business has always been a passion of mine and I have already carried out several projects in my career. Last year, we realized that there was great potential for growth in the area of health.
What does this realization mean in concrete terms?
In Betty Bossi's mission statement, we have now included the two topics of sustainability and health. The key question that concerns me is: How can Betty Bossi contribute to improving the health of Mr. and Mrs. Schweizer in connection with nutrition?
How do you do that specifically?
Mr. and Mrs. Swiss cook at home with Betty Bossi. This is also shown by studies that have produced very good results. We have a culinary brand that enjoys a high level of trust among a broad section of the population in Switzerland. Every month, a total of 1.54 million readers read and enjoy the Betty Bossi newspaper. In addition, 2 million users per month use bettybossi.ch. This makes Betty Bossi the leading culinary platform in Switzerland.
How do you pursue product innovation at Betty Bossi?
We carry out global trend scouting. We go to all the relevant trade fairs worldwide, look at new stores and concepts in Japan or the USA, take products from there back to Switzerland and then test them in the kitchen. However, around 90 percent of these products do not meet our requirements or those of our customers. We develop these products further or reinvent them. Another method is brainstorming and workshops, where we try to find out what our customers' needs are.
How do you go about it?
We watch people grating vegetables, for example, and think about how we can simplify this process even further. This results in new concepts, sketches and prototypes. We then look at these again together with the customers: How do they handle these products, how do they use them, how practical are they? Finally, we decide on a solution, which is then developed to perfection in various iterations. Then it goes into mass production. This whole process takes around 18 months.
What are Betty Bossi's most successful products?
Among other things, this is probably the "Spätzli-Blitz". It became a big hit. Around twelve product innovations are launched every month to meet all consumer needs.
You also pursued product innovation with Innohack. What was it about?
About health. We come from a culinary background: healthy and balanced recipes and knowledge transfer are our strengths. What does the perfect plate look like if you want to eat a healthy and balanced diet? We have a high level of expertise, not only in theory, but also in recipes and preparation. However, even if the will is there, nobody can always eat a perfectly balanced and healthy diet. Nutrition is not always optimal and the body needs more nutrients in certain life situations, such as stress, old age or other situations. There are food supplements for this. These are intended to supplement the normal diet.
Why did you decide to work with Innohack?
I needed someone who could go through the new business and the product idea with us again in terms of concept and content and also question things. I was looking for a sparring partner and Innohack seemed very innovative to me. We then created a landing page together, where the new offer for a healthy and balanced diet appeared for the first time. However, I was primarily interested in a content challenge, which we then carried out in the form of a workshop.
What did you do at this workshop?
At this workshop, Yves and Raphael scrutinized our concept once again and asked us where we want to be in three years' time, what our key success story is and where we want to go. And how can a market study help us achieve this?
So it was primarily about concept work and not about market research?
The conceptual approach during the one-day workshop they did with us was sensational! I have worked with many external agencies over the last 18 years. Innohack surprised me in a very positive way. They took us by the hand, asked critical questions, which were necessary, and worked with us on the concept. They listened to us and didn't just do their thing. Raphael and Yves were very empathetic and immediately put themselves in our customers' shoes. They gave us valuable input, which led us back to goal-oriented discussions.
That sounds like a good collaboration.
Yves and Raphael understood exactly what it was all about and I didn't expect that from this workshop at first. The workshop was very user-oriented and to the point. Innohack then also implemented the findings very well structurally on the website.
What was the result?
The evaluation was clear: in the first workshop we defined the goals, and in the second workshop the results were precisely aligned with these goals. Innohack presented us with facts and figures and made us actionable recommendations. Raphael and Yves responded to us very individually. We also carried out A/B tests with the landing page. We drew a conclusion from this, and then we did another C-test with adjustments. They were very proactive in their approach. They should communicate this asset more. That they can give strategic workshops and also make a valuable contribution to the new business development.
What has emerged from this collaboration, what are the next steps?
We have now completed the C-test. It is clear to us that we are entering this business and we are now busy with the implementation.
Will Innohack be involved again?
I don't know yet. But we are already working with them again on another project.
In my opinion, Innohack not only offers market research, but they have also provided us with excellent support and helped us to innovate.
Fabienne Föhn, Head of New Business Betty Bossi
Betty Bossi has stood for culinary expertise for 60 years and is one of the best-known brands in Switzerland. As a leader in the market, Betty Bossi positions itself through print and online products, fresh convenience products at Coop and practical kitchen and household helpers.
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