The Lawson convenience store chain is a Japanese company founded in 1975. It is today one of the predominant chains in “the land of the rising sun” and they tend to create and offer innovative products for the Asian market.

Their product launch strategy is quite striking and experimental. They are known for regularly launching “limited edition products” or variations/tests of products, in order to analyze their market entry and reception.

Drinkable...mayonnaise?

Just a couple of days ago, a new product made an impact on the public: drinkable mayonnaise. Just as it sounds, it is a drink called Nomu Mayo, available since November 26, mayonnaise-flavored and looking for “mayo enthusiasts” to try it and enjoy it.

Mayonnaise is a popular condiment in Japan, being used in everything from sandwiches to sushi combinations. That is why Lawson decided to launch this product in an individual 200 ml cup format for ¥198 (about $1.30).

The reaction

The product caused a lot of mixed reviews and comments. Most of the positive comments are not of great praise for its flavor, but for how well the mayonnaise flavor is recreated. On the other hand, others describe it as “unbelievably bad” in terms of taste, or simply as a “lousy idea”.

The product was launched under the “test sale period” classification, so Lawson would be looking to gather sales results and customer feedback to conclude whether this was really a good idea, or just the complete opposite.

Japanese food culture

This product exemplifies the adventurous and particular Japanese food and beverage culture, responsible for introducing quite peculiar products to the Japanese market, such as the Unagi Cola, a sweet eel-based Cola drink; the Unchi-kun Candy, a cola-flavored candy also in the form of “poop” or the Gorira no hanakuso, a dried soy bean whose name translates as “gorilla boogers”.