Service

Product Development for Snus and Nicotine Pouches

What should the product be, for whom, and at what price? I help manufacturers and brands answer the commercial questions before the product is finished.

A commercial perspective on the product

I've worked in an advisory capacity on product development of snus and nicotine pouches. My contribution is the commercial side. I'm not a product chemist or a manufacturer and I don't replace your R&D, but I've worked on the purchasing side and seen which products sold, which didn't, and why.

What we look at

• Assortment gaps. What's missing in the category, and for which segment?
• Strength, flavour, format and size, and what customers actually compare when choosing.
• Positioning against existing brands.
• Price level and margin, including what the distributor and retailer take.
• Packaging and naming within the limits set by regulation.
• The route to the customer: own channels, distributor, e-commerce and retail.

Regulation from day one

Regulation affects the product and packaging from day one. In Sweden, manufacturers and importers must notify products to the Public Health Agency before launch, packaging must carry an ingredient list and a health warning, and marketing requires special moderation. Read more in Marketing nicotine pouches online and on the regulatory affairs and marketing page. Legal assessment is made by a lawyer.

Consumer insight from Snuskampen

To understand what consumers actually prefer, I run Snusbattle and Snuskampen, a head-to-head format where visitors choose between two products. The votes build a ranking that can be filtered by type, strength, flavour and brand. It provides evidence for what wins against what, and in which segments. See the reference on the homepage.

What you get

• Product concept and positioning, summarised on one page.
• Assortment and competitor overview.
• Price structure and margin calculation.
• Launch plan with channels.
• Written recommendations to take forward to management or the board.