# Online Meal Kit Markets The Blue Apron Market Lets Customers Buy One-Off Meal Kits and Ingredients By Niko Pajkovic | Published 2022-07-21 | Business Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-blue-apron-market References: [specialtyfood](https://www.specialtyfood.com/news/article/blue-apron-expands-non-subscription-offerings/) & [blueapron](https://www.blueapron.com/)  Leading [meal kit subscription service](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cookunity) Blue Apron has expanded its [Blue Apron Market](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/summer-lobster-box) offerings to include new opportunities for customers to buy its food without the need for a full subscription. According to the company, the move to provide its customers with enhanced flexibility comes as a result of people returning to in-person work; unintentionally, the company had been catering to locked-down clientele for quite some time. The Blue Apron Market now offers users the chance to buy single items, [exclusive meal kits](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/create-share-kits), and even specialty ingredients packages, so they can create their own meals. A standout offering currently on the site is the brand's signature 'Summer Lobster Box' kit, which includes lobster rolls, potatoes salad, and greed salad. “We look at our e-commerce platform as a complement to our subscription model,” said Josh Friedman, chief product officer, Blue Apron. Image Credit: Blue Apron ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 5.7/10 - Popularity: 72% | Activity: 86% | Freshness: 12% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Business](https://www.trendhunter.com/business) > [New Ventures](https://www.trendhunter.com/newventures) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Expansion of Meal Kit Market:** Opportunity for meal kit companies to offer greater flexibility to customers by allowing one-off purchases and ingredient packages. - **Shift to In-person Work:** Companies can capitalize on returning to in-person work by catering to customers who want to create meals on their own time with meal-kit offerings without subscription - **Specialty and Exclusive Meal Kit Offerings:** Opportunity for meal kit companies to attract and retain customers with exclusive meal kit options ### Where This Applies - **Meal Kit Subscription Services:** Meal kit subscription services can offer more variety in their offerings to attract and retain customers - **E-commerce Platforms:** E-commerce platforms can be complementary to traditional business models and offer increased flexibility in sales and marketing - **Food and Grocery Retail:** Food and grocery retailers can offer greater convenience to customers seeking specialty ingredients or exclusive meal kits. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Seasonal Lobster Meal Kits](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/summer-lobster-box.md) - [Expanded Meal Kit Services](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-next-course.md) - [Chef-Crafted Non-Frozen Ready Meals](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/blue-apron-prepared-ready-meals.md) - [Breakfast Meal Kits](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/convenient-breakfast.md) - [Flexible Meal Delivery Brands](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/daily-harvest-2.md) - [Meal Kit Breakfast Menus](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/blue-apron-breakfast-menu.md) - [Wedding Registry Meal Kits](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/blue-apron-and-the-knot.md) - [Keto-Friendly Prepared Meals](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/blue-apron-ketofriendly-prepared-ready-meals.md) - [Tailgaiting Meal Boxes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/blue-apron-tailgating-box.md)