Consumers buy ‘free range’ eggs because they believe this to be the most ethical choice. But ‘free range’ egg farms can have up to 10,000 chickens per hectare. We needed to use data to show consumers how truly free our chickens are.

So we invented 'FitChix' - the world’s first data gathering device to count the steps of our chickens. We then printed their steps onto our eggs. This gave our shoppers more insight into the eggs they buy, and empowered them to make more informed purchase decisions.

‘Free range’ is the the most popular egg category in Australia, making up 47% of total retail sales. Everyday consumers automatically buy ‘Free Range’ eggs because they believe this to be the ethical choice. What consumers don’t realise, is that the ‘Free Range’ label is used by egg farms with up to 10,000 chickens per hectare.

At Honest Eggs Co. we only have 30 chickens per hectare. Our method of regenerative farming is less wasteful, reduces stress on the land, and is a lot better for the chickens. We just needed more people to know the story of our eggs.

Our key objective was to bring honesty to the egg industry. We set out to accomplish this by building conversation about our point of difference, increasing our customer base and increasing stockists of our product.

The ‘FitChix’ campaign had the unique challenge of working directly against the public perception of ‘Free Range’ eggs. As evidenced by the following research, consumers have a positive perception of ‘Free Range’ eggs when compared to cage eggs.

“Qualitative analysis of focus groups and interviews involving 73 participants revealed that free-range and cage-free eggs are perceived as being better quality, more nutritious, and safer, and having better sensory characteristics, than caged eggs.“

Article by Heather J. Bray & Rachel A. Ankeny - Published 16 May 2017.

This lesser of two evils situation has allowed the Australian Free Range egg industry remain stagnate and capitalise on the status quo.

Until 'FitChix' came along…

The chickens at Honest Eggs co. have a lot more space to roam than other farms. But consumers couldn’t separate us from the big egg producers hiding behind misleading labels.

IDEA: We print our chickens daily step counts onto our eggs, so customers can see how free they really are.

To do this, we invented 'FitChix' - the world’s first step counter made for a chicken. Each week the device is put on a small number of chickens to track their movements. The data is then collated and their average daily step count printed onto our eggs before being distributed to 350+ stores across the country.

By telling the consumer this story on our product they can make more informed decisions at the point-of-purchase.

With the rise of wearable fitness devices and health metric tracking, consumers know what a good daily step count is. With this in mind, our strategy was to capture this commonly understood data from our chickens and share this with our customers.

To do this, we needed a device that was symbiotic with the chicken. So we invented 'FitChix' - a lightweight, chicken-friendly piece of innovative technology that records their natural movements. This device is put onto a small group of chickens every week to record their average daily step count. Once we acquired the data, we needed the perfect delivery method to show what makes us different. And luckily, our core product was the answer.

With so many vague labels and misleading packaging in the egg industry, the ‘eggs with steps’ provides consumers with an honest brand narrative at the point-of-purchase.

By using the 'FitChix' device to accurately record data on our farms, we were able to show customers the average step count of our chickens and how far they roam each day.

The data journey from farm to store is crucial in showing consumers how sustainable Honest Eggs Co. is compared to the overwhelming majority of other farmed eggs in the country.

The step counts on our eggs remain as a permanent fixture on every egg we sell nationwide.

The ‘eggs with steps’ provides consumers with a tangible metric to assess their purchase, giving them the information they need to buy eggs from truly free chickens.

Within the first two months of the campaign going live, we saw a +493% increase in online conversation. And 38 million earned PR reach - connecting with over 148% of the Australian population.

In the first three weeks, purchase orders from existing stockists increased 40% which maxed out our available supply. While sales revenue hit the limit and increased 25%.

We also got solid engagement from retailers with +222% new stockist applications.

Furthermore, one of the two largest supermarkets in Australia reached out to discuss how Honest Eggs Co. can spearhead their sustainable and regenerative range.

To continue to spread awareness, we’re going to keep doing what we do best. Sell honest eggs.