I ate 4 ramen a day after I was appointed. Since then, more than 450 types of ramen from around the world have been sampled for research purposes. Because of this, I gained 10 kg in weight in the 2 years since I started working.
But it was worth it. ‘Jumbo Lunchbox’, a PB product developed by growing Paldo Cup Noodle ‘ Doshirak’ 8.5 times the size, sold out in a few days and gained popularity. This is the story of Daejong Kim , MD in charge of GS25 planning, and Jinwoo Lee, MD in charge of operation .
It was in February of last year that the idea of serving eight servings of cup noodles first came out. Normally, ramen is developed within 3 months at the earliest, but this time it took 1 year and 3 months to launch. MD Daejong Kim first came up with the idea, and MD Jinwoo Lee joined the idea, and immediately took first place in the new product competition in the company.
But ramen manufacturers all shook their heads. The reason was that it was too adventurous to design a new process to produce such a product that did not exist in Korea. The last place the two visited was Paldo. I decided to propose a PB
product using the square container of ‘lunchbox’, but the process of persuading Paldo was not simple. The two had to go on business trips to find manufacturing plants all over the country. This is because they had to find and combine companies that could manufacture large-capacity containers, noodles, and soup. Safety was the biggest issue. If you put 2.2 liters of boiling water in it, it weighs close to 3 kg. Because of this, the container may be bent or water leaked. I visited the manufacturing plant several times to create a container that would not sway and bend. MD Jinwoo Lee asked the person in charge of the container manufacturer, “Please make a container that will be safe for my 7-year-old daughter.” The material also used polystyrene ( PS ) instead of general plastic. This is to make the appearance of the existing lunch box enlarged.
The efforts of the two people were hidden even in the noodles. It wasn’t just the amount of noodles that was increased to 8 servings. Since the noodles are thin, the existing noodles, which quickly absorb the broth, could not be used. MD Kim Dae-jong explained, “Due to the nature of Cup Noodles for 8 people, we had to carefully adjust the mixing ratio of the palm oil and batter used in the noodles so that they would not swell even after eating for a long time.” Six types of noodles were tested. However, the difference in thickness between the noodles is only 0.1mm, which preserves the circular appearance. It is at a level that ordinary people cannot distinguish.
When the product planning reached the completion stage토토사이트, the two returned to the Paldo office with a prototype in February of this year. He did not forget to appeal the marketing effect of the Paldo lunch box, which had not seen the light of day compared to other products. Then the truth came through. It was a moment when the person in charge of Paldo, who tasted the prototype, also nodded.
After that, GS25 and Paldo finished product development together and coordinated the release schedule. MD Jinwoo Lee insisted on releasing it earlier than the original target of September. It was because there was a certainty that jumbo lunch boxes would be popular at picnic spots during the holiday season starting in June.
This choice paid off. The first batch of 50,000 Jumbo lunchboxes, which were released on May 30, were virtually sold out in three days. GS Retail has decided to increase production from next week and operate it as a normal order rather than an event product. We will use this experience to develop follow-up products.
The jumbo lunchbox, which was born after many twists and turns, also fits with GS Retail’s strategy to become a comprehensive distribution company that covers online and offline. Consumers first encounter such products and trends through SNS . After that, they find an offline store that has stock on their mobile device, buy the product, and then post a review online again. In other words, it differentiates itself from convenience-oriented online consumption and provides offline fun. PB products that only GS25 stores can provide are the key to creating this circulation. This process also has the effect of directing consumers to the GS25 store instead of looking for other nearby convenience stores.
In fact, this product was already unveiled earlier this year. It is a product briefing event where GS Retail invites convenience store owners to introduce new product launch plans and trends for the year.
Since it was an event attended by numerous franchise owners, there was a concern that the product planning process would be leaked. However, the two MDs offered it without hesitation. It was the confidence that no one would be able to imitate the development process they went through for more than a year. Franchise owners who attended the event also picked the prototype of the jumbo lunch box as the number one ‘hit’ product to be popular this year.