Doughnuts are going to celebrate 10 years of existence in India. The global doughnut market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 5% from 2017-2021. The biggies in the party, Dunkin Doughnuts, M.O.D and Krispy Kreme are sugar-glazing it ahead…but till how long? It is still a sweet snack in India for occasional indulgence; unlike in the West where it is an everyday accompaniment with coffee and tea. Pizzas and burgers have gotten there; playing up to the Indian palate in flavours of the soil. Also, they have transcended from being a snack to a meal, like it is across the globe. But what about doughnuts?
Does it have the potential to replace a maska bun, a samosa or a vada in the chai ki tapri? This is after all India.
A repositioning of the doughnut will go a long way. To reposition a brand you have to open a new window in the mind of the consumer. The pizza, burger and much earlier on the sandwich did it by incorporating Indian flavours of the tandoori and the tikka. Will the doughnut also have to make way for a new experience?
Imagine your regular doughnut going eggless and taking on flavours of the Indian sweet to escalate from an exotic indulgence to a regular bite? Dunkin Doughnuts have introduced a Kesar Badam Doughnut and a Milk Cake Doughnut among other Indian flavoured ones.
A chicken tikka sandwich is easily available almost anywhere you go. A cheese chili sandwich in Mumbai is not even a derivative of the sandwich in the west; it is a local hero. In India, can the doughnut be likewise seen at tea time every day?
*This article is inspired from “Financial Express: Going Beyond Your Average Doughnut”- Chandni Mathur and “The Economic Times: Doughnut Celebrates a decade in India, but how glazed is its future?”- Rajiv Singh
