Neha runs a small millet-based snack counter inside a Bengaluru tech park. Ragi chips, jowar puffs, baked chakli. Taste is decent. Prices fair. Still, sales were average.

One day she overheard two young customers talking:

“Yaar, yeh toh mere type ka snack lagta hai.”

“Healthy bhi hai… aur boring bhi nahin.”

That sentence changed how Neha thought.

She stopped explaining nutrition first.

She started asking one question instead:

“Office snack chahiye ya ghar jaate waqt?”

People opened up.

Someone said, “Gym ke baad.”

Someone else said, “Late-night craving, guilt-free.”

She began arranging snacks by use-mood, not category.

Sales improved.

Lesson (simple, usable):

People don’t buy food only for hunger.

They buy food that fits who they think they are.

👉 Try this yourself:

Don’t ask customers what they want.

Ask when and why they’ll eat it.

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How this decodes the “big wisdom”

For food businesses, discovery and identity mean:

• “This suits me”

• “This feels like my kind of food”

• “I don’t feel awkward buying this”

You’re not selling items.

You’re helping people recognise themselves.

My clear take

When food feels aligned with self-image,

price becomes secondary.

Small sellers already have this advantage—

they just need to listen better.