How Gem used consumer insight to shape its next chapter
Gem Case Study
CASE STUDY:
Gem
How Gem used consumer insight to shape its next chapter
The brief
Gem, one of Ireland’s most trusted baking brands, approached Zahra to help them better understand today’s Irish home bakers; their habits, motivations, and needs. With shifting lifestyles, emerging health trends, and changing shopping behaviour, Gem wanted to future-proof its brand by grounding upcoming marketing and product development decisions in real consumer insight.
Partnering through our easyFood community, Zahra designed and delivered a bespoke research project to uncover how Irish people bake today, and how Gem could stay relevant, modern, and loved in kitchens nationwide.
The Challenge
While Gem enjoys deep emotional trust and recognition as a heritage Irish brand, its team recognised that the baking category — and consumer expectations — are evolving fast.
- Younger consumers are discovering baking through social media, while older audiences still value tradition.
- Convenience, packaging, and inspiration have become just as important as quality and price.
- Despite high awareness, Gem risked feeling “familiar but dated” to new audiences.
The challenge was clear: how could Gem build on its legacy while modernising for the next generation of bakers?
The Approach
Zahra led the full end-to-end process – from research design and recruitment through to analysis, reporting, and presentation — under the trusted easyFood brand umbrella.
We combined:
- Quantitative research with 4,377 survey participants across Ireland, providing robust, nationally representative data.
- Qualitative focus groups spanning ages 15–75, giving rich, emotive context to the numbers.
This hybrid approach uncovered how, why, and when Irish consumers bake; what inspires them; what holds them back; and how they perceive baking brands like Gem.
Through clear storytelling, design, and data visualisation, Zahra translated complex findings into actionable insights for brand, product, and marketing strategy — including:
- Clear consumer segments and behaviour patterns
- Key emotional and functional drivers in the baking category
- Opportunities for innovation in product formats and packaging
- Messaging opportunities to modernise without losing Gem’s warmth and authenticity
The Impact
The final deliverables — a comprehensive report and executive insights presentation — gave the Gem team a 360° view of their category, customers, and brand health.
Key outcomes included:
- A clear roadmap for Gem’s modernisation, spanning NPD, packaging, and communications.
- Deep understanding of how Irish bakers balance nostalgia with a desire for ease and inspiration.
- Identification of unmet consumer needs around convenience, sustainability, and digital engagement.
- Data-driven opportunities to reposition Gem as both trusted and modern, supported by practical marketing, content, and innovation recommendations.
The insights are already shaping Gem’s product development, branding, and upcoming campaigns, helping the brand connect meaningfully with both loyal and new audiences.
Working with the Zahra team was an absolute pleasure. They handled the whole market research project from start to finish with real dedication and professionalism — from the qualitative to the quantitative research — and made the process so easy for us. The results gave us a clear understanding of where our brand stands in the market and valuable insights into brand perception. We’ll use what we’ve learned to shape new product development, strengthen our customer presentations, and guide our marketing plans. They turned a lot of complex data into clear, actionable ideas and plans we can use to grow our brand in the future.
— Agnes C., Gem Brand Manager
The Takeaway
This project showcased how Zahra’s blend of research expertise, creative storytelling, and food category experience can transform data into direction.
By tapping into the easyFood community and combining human insight with strategic rigour, Zahra helped Gem rediscover its role in modern Irish homes — not just as a trusted ingredient, but as an inspirational, contemporary brand that bridges generations through the joy of baking.