Dive Brief:
- Combining traditional media with digital, Thrive Market announced on Wednesday the launch of a hardcover cookbook with QR codes the e-grocer's members can scan to add ingredients to their online baskets.
- The “Healthy Living Made Easy” cookbook has over 60 recipes and features meals from chefs and health and wellness influencers like Mark Sisson of Primal Kitchen and Amanda Chantal Bacon of Moon Juice.
- Thrive Market claims the shoppable cookbook is the first of its kind. It’s debuting at a time when retailers are increasingly turning to features like QR codes and shoppable recipes to make meal prep easier.
Dive Insight:
With the new cookbook, Thrive Market is looking to make it easier for people to shop for and prepare healthier meals with ingredients purchased from its site.
The Los Angeles-based e-grocer achieved profitability in the fourth quarter of 2020 and has hit more than 1 million members during the pandemic. It's been scaling in recent months, from expanding its assortment to growing its private label line. The cookbook is its latest endeavor to incentivize shoppers to sign up for a membership, which is $60 annually or $9.95 for one month.
"Healthy Living Made Easy" is exclusively available on Thrive Market’s website for $30, and is currently on sale for $25. For a limited time, new members of the e-grocer will receive the cookbook as a gift with their first order.
Along with directing people to grocery shop through Thrive Market, the cookbook also ties into the values the e-grocer’s espouses, with recipes like gluten-free fish sticks and gluten-free strawberry oatmeal cakes tailored to specific lifestyles and diets. Icons identify which recipes are plant-based, gluten-free, vegan, egg-free, dairy-free and other options.
Thrive Market caters to more than 90 values and lifestyles and touts healthy and organic offerings. In keeping with the company’s sustainability focus, the cookbook is printed on carbon neutral and Forest Stewardship Council certified paper.
The cookbook also includes sourcing stories and information on hundreds of products. By highlighting the personal stories behind the food, Thrive Market is aiming to help shoppers feel more connected to what they eat.
Shoppable content has gained traction as e-commerce and at-home cooking has shot up during the pandemic. Kroger is collaborating with smart food platform Whisk to expand its shoppable recipe base across the U.S., while Walmart has teamed up with companies like Buzzfeed, So Yummy and Meredith Corporation, which includes Allrecipes in its brand portfolio, on shoppable content.
