New marketplace makes snacking healthier

A new online marketplace offers a curated shopping experience that focuses only on healthy snacks

Spotted: While Amazon has become the default marketplace for many, others are not happy with the large scale (and monopolistic policies) of the mega-marketplace, and would prefer a more curated marketplace experience. Now, those looking for healthy snack options have an alternative – Bubble Goods. The new marketplace targets those looking for a place to buy ‘healthy’ snack options, such as coffee brand Woken and popcorn brand BjornQorn.

Bubble focuses on mid-tier brands – those that are typically distributed at a local level, and are moving into selling online to a wider audience for the first time. Bubble offers these brands a chance to connect to a wider customer base, while giving customers a chance to find a broader range of healthy snacks.

Like many e-commerce grocery players, Bubble saw rapid growth during the pandemic, as people turned increasingly to online shopping. However, the company is not focusing strictly on growth, instead working to develop a rigorous approval process for the products it carries. This includes a strict ban on ingredients like artificial sweeteners, preservatives and trans fats.

Bubble Goods was founded by Jessica Young, a former director of product and operations at direct-to-consumer smoothie brand Daily Harvest. At Bubble she is using similar digital-first strategies to connect with a health-minded audience. “You can take two approaches: you can build things really big… or you can build something for a specific audience and do that really, really well”, said Young. “We’re in that latter camp…it’s really centred around quality.”

Many customers, especially younger ones, now prefer a curated shopping experience. This feels more authentic, and can also save a lot of time spent sifting through myriad undesirable products, such as those with poor green credentials. At Springwise, we have seen this growth in curation through innovations like an online marketplace that stocks only low-impact products, and a marketplace that focuses on wellness.