January brings with it a clamour for ‘better for you’ products as consumers seek to combat the excesses of the festive season. It marks a key opportunity for convenience retailers to showcase how they can offer a strong range of products for shoppers looking to get their year off to a healthy start.
by Émer O’Toole
With a growing emphasis on healthy food, customers want to purchase snacks that deliver some added value, whether that is a source of nutrients such as fibre and protein which can keep you fuller for longer, or baked products that can be an alternative to fried crisps.
With people becoming more demanding when it comes to the foods that they eat, it is important that retailers ensure the products they stock meet with the needs of their customers. Consumers want more variety, especially from the snacking aisles and that means that there needs to be a range of ingredients, flavours and textures that fit within the better for you fixture.
Parents in particular are increasingly concerned about what their children drink. The growing issues with obesity and the government’s developing childhood obesity strategy has brought consumption habits, calorie control, weight gain and sedentary living to front of mind, and this is one of the reasons Highland Spring says it is seeing consumers switch into bottled water from sugary soft drinks. Grace Aloe Zero is a smooth aloe vera drink with zero sugar. Grace Aloe Refresh contains 50% less sugar than regular Grace Aloe Vera drinks, with just 105 calories or less per bottle. Both ranges contain only natural flavours and colours and 100% of your daily recommended Vitamin C per bottle, which helps reduce fatigue.
Vimto Remix caters to customers increasingly looking for flavour innovation across dilutes, carbonates and RTD formats; and is available in in Mango, Strawberry & Pineapple flavour. Vimto research reveals that as many as 54% of consumers are currently looking for low sugar in their purchases. However, no-added-sugar currently only accounts for 21% of the soft drinks range stocked in most c-stores, and this shows that retailers need to expand their range to cash in on sales.
The healthier biscuits category is also growing. Belvita Breakfast Biscuits was created on the research that one in three people in the UK skip breakfast, according to Mintel. Therefore, on-the-go breakfast formats are an important opportunity for retailers. MOMA’s gluten-free Coconut and Chia Porridge Pot is another popular on-the-go breakfast. It contains a blend of oats, chia seeds, coconut pieces and coconut milk powder. It provides customers with a slow release of energy as well as key vitamins and minerals required for a healthy breakfast.
With the government and the media continuing to focus on obesity, and low calorie and low sugar products, better for you will continue to be a key trend in 2017. This will also result in the demand for more innovative products and flavour choices, so retailers should keep an eye on trends in the category.
Free-from
The free-from trend has had a significant impact on the rise of healthy options. Display free-from and better for you products on dedicated fixtures that are clearly labelled. Explain which products contain what ingredients, as will help retailers to showcase that they cater for this trend. This will also help consumers to make quick and informed choices. According to MOMA, 15% of consumers are now buying gluten-free so there is a considerable appetite for free-from options, with the appeal of these products becoming more widely accepted by consumers. MOMA adapted their porridge range to be entirely gluten-free in April 2015, using gluten-free oats, to cater for those with allergies and also for consumers looking for a healthier breakfast option. Since then, MOMA has seen a 65% increase in porridge sales.
- Have a full range of free-from products that you are able to showcase, which include a variety of ingredients, not just potato.
- Choose a selection of snacks that are baked and better for you, which can feature at till points to drive impulse sales.
- Create theatre in store with meal deals or big night in to direct people to make choices that will build on incremental sales.
- People often want to try something different. As well as picking up their preferred choice, give them the chance to try new snacks by holding sampling sessions.
- Make sure that better for you snacks are clearly distinguished as offering additional benefits such as high in protein and fibre, which will keep people fuller for longer.
