Ok, I'll admit it: I love ramen noodles. I like adding things to ramen noodles (such as meat or extra vegetables) and I like that they're easy to make. I like eating them with chopsticks and feeling all exotic and like a show-off when I do it. I found the website ramenbox.com by accident while researching sushi (weird). Anyway, the concept of the website is that you choose a regular-sized box (20 slots) or a large-sized box (40 slots) and you choose your ramen like it's slot machine. You pick your flavors and brands and they pack it all up and ship it to you. Each ramen has a "slot" size, so you get 1, 2, or 3 slot ramen (so the bowls might take up 2 slots while the packages take up 1). Then they charge you $24.95 for the regular-sized box and $44.95 for the large-sized box and slap on a shipping charge of $5.
Keep in mind that this is a U.S. company, but I'm posting this because I thought that the underlying concept is neat and could apply to many different genres. However, just because this mix-and-match concept is cool, that doesn't mean that the Ramenbox idea is not somewhat flawed:
1) Aren't those prices high? Does anyone remember getting 3 Mr. Noodles packets for 99 cents? I used to get 3 Mr. Noodles packets for 99 cents. Not only that, the bowls take up 2 slots, so instead of 20 packs of ramen you might only get 10 if you order only bowls.
2) Doesn't every place sell ramen now? I think they sell it in gas stations. Do they sell it in gas stations? They usually sell it in convenience stores in universities and colleges. This isn't Jenny Craig, right to your door, portion-sized foods, these are all ramen that you can find in the supermarket. You can get them at Superstore, minus the shipping charge and extra effort (even though this is in the U.S. and doesn't apply to us).
3) Ramenbox only runs in the U.S., but it excludes shipping to Alaska and Hawaii. Alaska is cold, Alaskans would benefit from a nice hot bowl of noodles!
4) The goal is to ship to college kids, but in the FAQ it says if you're in university and living in a dorm, you need to have a pick-up point because they don't deliver to PO boxes or dorms. This makes sense, but all that extra effort for a box of noodles that will last 1.5 weeks? I wouldn't want to trudge through the snow to my pick-up point in the cold just to carry my box of ramen that might be delayed in transit, especially when I had to put it on my credit card and pay shipping. Should have just went to the store, then.
5) Isn't ramen full of empty calories and sodium? Ramen is great but it's not something to subsist on. I just think of some college kid with $800 worth of Ramenbox stacked to the ceiling.
The reason I like Ramenbox, though, is because of the concept, like I said. I like the mix-and-match concept and the boxing concept. I wish places like Staples would pre-box school supplies and sell the boxes to grade-school students (even though school supply shopping is super fun). I wish sometimes that underwear stores would offer boxes with 6 or 10 slots so you could mix and match underwear and walk out with it already neatly in the box. Little things like that. Well, and plus I like ramen.
Great advertising/marketing case study!
ReplyDeleteIn Asia where the whole instant ramen thing originated they have rather fancy varieties. Mr. Noodles are no match.
ReplyDeleteLike in Japan you can buy big bowls of instant ramen which have packets of oil, dried vegetables, pickles and the flavouring.
Funny thing is that people don't necessarily see that as junk food. It is just as legitimate a lunch as a sandwich.
If you like instant ramen, check out an Asian grocery store. Korean noodles are pretty good. There is one kind called Chapaghetti which is made with a kind of black sauce. You drain most of the water and add the sauce. It is actually rather filling. The noodles are made with potato starch. Rather tasty.
They also have the famous Shin brand which is spicy as hell.