Susan Nash, Trade Communications Manager at Mondelez International, peers into a Creme Egg-shaped crystal ball and offers her view on what next year will bring.
Health and wellness have never been as important after almost two years of facing the challenges of the pandemic. Many consumers are placing an even higher focus on their wellbeing – physical, mental, or both – than ever before. In fact, 25% [IGD, Feb 2021] of shoppers are more influenced by health when grocery shopping than pre-pandemic.
Wellbeing means different things to different people but through our observation of consumer trends and behaviours, we have identified four key drivers of growth within the health and wellness sector. Consumers are looking for permissible options: things that are “better for me”, functional nutrition offerings or snacks that are more authentic, natural and simple. If retailers can hit these key areas through different products in their snacking range, they can help health-conscious shoppers make better choices and grow category sales.
The new Cadbury Nuttier range offers shoppers a more permissible treat alongside authenticity through its whole fruit and nut content – all with a hint of indulgence with its Cadbury milk chocolate coating.
Consumer conscious
Consumers are also now more conscious of where things come from. 90% of consumers are equally or more concerned about environmental issues since the pandemic [bcg.com]. In August, we announced a move to recyclable packaging for our Philadelphia and Dairylea brands. This is part of our ‘Pack Light and Pack Right’ strategy which supports our 2025 global goals to reduce virgin plastic in our rigid plastic packaging by 25%, achieving 100% recyclable packaging and labelling with recycling information.
Most recently, we’ve announced that Cadbury Dairy Milk made in Bournville and sold in the UK and Ireland is to be made with packaging containing up to 30% recycled plastic. This will be rolled out on more than 28 million sharing bars in 2022.
Shopper dynamics
In the past 18 months, we saw a significant shift in shopper dynamics, impacting the buying habits of certain formats. Impulsive on-the-go snacking purchases dropped as shoppers stocked up on bigger packs they could enjoy at home. More recently, as restrictions have eased, we have seen the on-the-go occasion begin to recover which is driving more sales in snacks like bars and on-the-go biscuits.
With shopper habits constantly evolving, it’s important retailers carry a strong range of both on-the-go and single serve products to suit more impulsive shoppers out and about, as well as larger formats and multipacks for sharing or in-home occasions.
Big launch
Our biggest launch this year brought shoppers a new taste from Cadbury: Cadbury Caramilk. The great-tasting new bars are made with a beautifully crafted golden blend of white chocolate with a smooth texture, sourced from 100% sustainable cocoa. Available in multiple formats – including a single bar – Cadbury Caramilk is helping retailers recruit new shoppers with its unique taste from a trusted, recognisable brand, tapping into a much-loved Australian chocolate classic.
When it comes to seasonal occasions, timing will be particularly important with Easter falling two weeks later in 2022, a real opportunity to grow sales. However, over half of Easter confectionery is consumed before Easter, showing how important it is to capture consumers right at the beginning of the season to drive spend and impulsivity.
Retailers should split Easter into three phases: a quick start, building momentum, and then gearing up for a ‘gifting finish’. The first of these phases runs from January until Valentine’s Day.
This phase focuses on shoppers looking for small treats for themselves, such as Cadbury Crème Egg and Cadbury Mini Eggs. With around three quarters of shoppers who purchase Easter confectionery early intending to buy again [Nielsen, Apr 2021], it’s important to have the products they’re looking for.
New for ’22
Joining the Cadbury family for 2022 is the Cadbury Dairy Milk Hot Cross Bun Bar. The new cinnamon crunch-flavoured bar taps into the ritual of sharing hot cross buns. Tablets are the heartland for the Cadbury brand, so this addition to the novelties range is sure to be a hit in-store. The new 110g bar will be available in cases of 18 at an RSP of £1.40.
Cadbury Creme Egg will appear in an new promotion, with the egg half-covered in white chocolate. The strapline ‘How do you NOT eat yours?’ will span across POS to highlight the promotion, which includes a consumer competition. But it doesn’t stop there: when a shopper wins, so does the store; retailers can win Amazon vouchers up to £1,000. Stay tuned for more details in the New Year!
