Have you ever walked around thinking, “Time to get some healthy food from 7-Eleven?”
No? Well, you might think a little differently if you lived in Japan, where the store is a bit more discerning about its offerings.
7-Eleven Japan has a nifty in-house brand called Cycle.me, which not only offers health-conscious snacks and drinks, but even has a little clock that tells the best time to grab it. Considering how mentally taxing it can be to try and eat healthier, this cool approach takes the guesswork out of finding the best food for building energy, sustaining it, and preparing for sleep when it’s time.
While the brand’s design is grey and fairly nondescript, it serves to make a point. 7-Eleven is known for loud, showy offerings, so a wall of Cycle.me’s straightforward, minimal packaging stands right out. Upfront sans serif text, clock icons, and pictures of the food provide everything the consumer needs to make clear choices without any extra noise. If only America could get on board!
In the era of “The 100-Year Life”, Health is becoming a key societal issue. However, too many healthy food options can confuse people.
So, the Japanese start-up “dot.me” has partnered with Seven-Eleven Japan to launch an innovative health food brand “Cycle.me”. The brand is based on “Chrono-nutrition”, which focuses on “when to eat”, Knowing the right timing makes the choice much simpler. Research on the body’s “internal clock” shows that the impact of nutrients varies depending on the timing of meals. Morning, daytime, night. For each time period, We developed products containing recommended nutrients, such as protein bars, beverages, chocolate crunches, jellies, snacks, and instant noodles. There are a wide variety of products to meet diverse lifestyles. Many Seven-Eleven stores in Japan operate 24 hours, enabling people to buy products anytime. This aligns effectively with Chrono-nutrition.
The package design indicates the ideal timing to eat by a clock symbol mark. It is simple and functional, offering only the essential information about the ingredients. We created brochures and displays to help understand Chrono-nutrition. At the store, they introduce a new approach of selecting healthy foods. Traditionally, packaging must be vibrant to stand out. we thought the opposite – that the brand color’s gray pops out in a colorful space. We presented the concept of Chrono-nutrition through a digital platform and to gain media exposure, organized pop-up stores.
Cycle.me has spread to more than 21,000 Seven-Eleven stores all over Japan. Japan tops the world in store count, with 20 million visitors daily. About 1 in 6 people shop there every day. It generated a lot of buzz and received extensive coverage on TV. Through open innovation, more companies are joining us. Cycle.me created a simpler way to choose healthy foods and instilled healthy eating habits that can be maintained effortlessly.
