Ryan Rego

I publish consumer brand research on X articles and Substack

[Ryan Rego @Hopeful_Rego]

Found Pepsi’s famous prebiotic colas imported from US. Rs 750 a can.

[Ryan Rego @Hopeful_Rego]

I've now visited 10 supermarkets, family stores, chemists and sports retailers while researching India's hydration category.

One thing keeps standing out:
This category has a lot more room to grow.

Retailers repeatedly pointed to familiarity as a major driver of purchase.

Gatorade benefits from decades of brand building. Consumers know what it is, when to use it and why to buy it.

Many newer hydration brands are still building that awareness.

In fact, several value-focused supermarkets didn't stock hydration drinks at all.

That tells me the challenge is awareness rather than just distribution.

I feel that there is a huge opportunity in this space if a brand can nail consumer awareness. They should be able to teach consumers the following:

• When hydration products make sense
• How they differ from soft drinks
• How they differ from ORS
• Which occasions call for which products
The brands that build those mental associations could help expand the entire category.

From what I've seen on shelves so far, hydration still feels early in India.

[Ryan Rego @Hopeful_Rego]

@heyaCPK I spent time visiting several medical stores and more supermarkets as well as Decathlon today. Interesting things I learnt. Follow up tweet im publishing soon.

[Ryan Rego @Hopeful_Rego]

Yesterday I visited 5 supermarkets as part of my research for my hydration category deep dive.

A few observations:

• Ready-to-drink products dominate physical shelves
• ORS, Gatorade, Fast&Up and coconut water keep appearing across stores
• Hydration products are usually merchandised beside beverages rather than supplements
• Glucon-D is often stocked near hydration products, showing how closely energy and hydration are linked in retail. Folks are under the impression that Glucose is good for hydration.

A notable observation:
Amazon is full of electrolyte powders, effervescent tablets and sachets.
Physical retail is heavily skewed towards liquids.

Today I'm visiting 5 more supermarkets to see whether this pattern continues.

[Ryan Rego @Hopeful_Rego]

@Chirag360D Only at the fancy supermarkets…
This one was at Food Square.

[Ryan Rego @Hopeful_Rego]

@claudiainbombay @VidhyanSpeaks @MNCDFanonymous @MumbaiPolice @mybmc @Dev_Fadnavis @TawdeRitu @AshwiniBhide There are commercial cylinders which I think are blue in colour. They have better safety standards and capacity for continuous cooking just like for commercial purposes. If im not wrong, it's not allowed to use domestic red painted cylinders for commercial purposes.

[Ryan Rego @Hopeful_Rego]

Lex Luthor: Hey Superman, you gotta try this melon soda float.

[serinide @webegga]

ordered a melon soda float when everyone else got a beer and i feel like that dog with the propellor hat and big lollipop

[Ryan Rego @Hopeful_Rego]

Troovy ketchup uses jaggery instead of refined sugar and their claims on amazon are: They don't use refined sugar which is empty calories and causes quick blood sugar spikes.

Jaggery also does the same thing when it comes to blood sugar spikes. People argue that jaggery is worse when it comes to sugar spikes.

[Ryan Rego @Hopeful_Rego]

@DeepGadkari @ChanakyaShah Thanks Deep, I'm in touch with him. We are planning to schedule a call mostly by end of the week. Before that I wanted to do on ground research into hydration products (offline and online) so that I can have an informed chat with him.

[Ryan Rego @Hopeful_Rego]

Do check out this research report on the Indian sauces and condiments category!

To put this report together, I:
• Visited 8 supermarkets, several premium stores and local retailers across Mumbai
• Studied shelves across modern trade, quick commerce and e-commerce
• Analyzed pricing, positioning and category structure
• Spoke with consumers about their buying habits and frustrations
• Reached out to founders and operators for their perspective

A special thanks to Deb Mukherjee from Moi Soi and Vikas Temani from Sprig for taking the time to share their thoughts on the category.

One of the biggest takeaways: The category is gradually shifting from condiments to cuisines. Consumers are increasingly buying sauces to recreate dishes, cuisines and experiences at home.

If you enjoy consumer brands, retail, FMCG and category deep dives, please follow me.

Head on over to my X articles. I have previously published research reports on:
• Protein Powders
• Razors
• Chocolate
• Instant Noodles

I plan to do research on hydration products next.

[Ryan Rego @Hopeful_Rego]

https://t.co/VpsPYd6FDi

[Ryan Rego @Hopeful_Rego]

@pavansomwansi It's finally out! Do have a look!

[Ryan Rego @Hopeful_Rego]

I've spent the last few weeks studying the sauces and condiments category. This is what I learnt about the price ladder. A thread.

[Ryan Rego @Hopeful_Rego]

@TimmBrocks Thank you! Im studying the hydration category in India for my next research report. I will be sure to research the products you mentioned.
Cheers!

[Ryan Rego @Hopeful_Rego]

I was thinking about the hydration category today.

One thing I've been wondering: Could hangovers be a potential use case for hydration products?

Pedialyte is often cited as an example of a rehydration brand that gained popularity among adults for hangover recovery. As adult usage grew, the brand introduced products and marketing aimed at adult consumers, despite originally being developed for pediatric rehydration.

Consumers often discover uses that brands never intended.

While I don't condone drinking, I wonder how much of today's hydration category is driven by sports and fitness versus recovery after a night out.

@ChanakyaShah do you see hangover recovery as a meaningful use case for hydration products? Or do you think the market is too small for that?

[Ryan Rego @Hopeful_Rego]

Hey Chanakya! Im researching the hydration category next.
Sometime later this week let’s have a chat.
Before that, I would like to scour the market online and offline for the next few days to observe trends, insights, etc.
That way i think we could have a nice knowledge exchanging conversation.
Cheers!

[Ryan Rego @Hopeful_Rego]

https://t.co/VpsPYd6FDi

[Ryan Rego @Hopeful_Rego]

@saybwala @ChanakyaShah Got my hands on this. It’s full of electrolytes and several types of Vit B.
After my deep dive research report on sauces which i will publish mostly today on X articles, I will get to work on research on hydration products.

[Ryan Rego @Hopeful_Rego]

How I came across this thought? A friend who goes to AA meetings, was recommended by other members(according to their personal experiences) to stay hydrated (hydration products) as that staves off cravings.
That led me to the train of thought that after a night of partying, folks are dehydrated when hungover....

[Ryan Rego @Hopeful_Rego]

The winner.

[Formula 1 @F1]

Who will be lifting this at the end of the race? 🏆

#F1 #BarcelonaGP

[Ryan Rego @Hopeful_Rego]

@LarissaFernand Not everywhere yet. It will take time to change this everywhere. This pic i took i think last week at Reliance GoFresh

[Ryan Rego @Hopeful_Rego]

While researching the sauces and condiments category, I visited retailers ranging from neighbourhood stores to premium supermarkets across Mumbai.
One retailer summed up a large part of the category in a single sentence:
"Jisko pata hai woh hi kharidega."

He was talking about chilli oils, sriracha, ponzu, fish sauce, Thai cooking sauces and specialty hot sauces.
The comment stayed with me because I kept hearing variations of it across different stores. Consumers actively browse categories such as ketchup, mayonnaise and Schezwan chutney.

Many specialty sauces enter the shopping basket differently. It could be via A recipe video. A restaurant experience. A recommendation from a creator. A social media post. Or. A conversation with a friend.

By the time the consumer reaches the shelf, the decision has often already been made. That makes awareness, education and discovery incredibly important for emerging sauce categories.

A growing number of products are available across supermarkets, quick commerce and e-commerce platforms. The opportunity now is helping consumers understand where these products fit into their meals and everyday cooking.

Full sauces and condiments research report coming soon on my X articles and my Substack. I have visited 8 supermarkets, 10+ retail stores, spoken to a couple of founders, and interviewed my Instagram audience for this report.

I have also done deep dives on Chocolate, Razors, Protein Powders and Instant Noodles. Do check out my X articles and follow me!