Staying in is popular with younger people
To secure their longevity and sustained success, brands must ensure they appeal to the next generation of shoppers.
And, according to Big Bear Confectionery, younger people are some of the most enthusiastic consumers when it comes to the big night in.
• Andrew Ovens, marketing manager at Big Bear Confectionery said: “Helping drive sales is the ever-growing popularity of on-demand TV and stay-at-home streaming. 75% of millennials would rather stay in to avoid increasing cinema costs.”
In order to cash in on the popularity of the big night in – and appeal to younger consumers – sharing formats will inevitably be key.
“Convenience retailers need to ensure that sharers are front and centre in their store,” said Ovens.
“In independent research we recently commissioned on key decision-making factors, sharing bag formats were over four times as popular amongst younger consumers.
“This trend is reflected in our sales with Poppets, which is particularly popular with under-15s, selling particularly well in this format.”
Suppliers are putting a greater emphasis on portion control and showing shoppers how they can treat themselves in a permissible way.
• Young people are also synonymous with social media, being far more engaged with social networking apps than any other generation.
And according to Bert Croll, sales director for Lees of Scotland, social media can also play a key role in attracting footfall from big night in shoppers.
“Social media is a great tool for reaching a wider audience in a simple and cost-effective way,” he said.
“There are a lot of opportunities for brands to communicate with consumers on the likes of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and start conversations by piggy backing on the back of popular trends which are likely to be talking points at family nights in.
“Retailers should also consider sharing posts about their big night in offering in the lead up to the weekend, to ensure that snacking products are front of mind.”
And although sharing formats are crucial, Croll said that didn’t mean health concerns would go out the window.
“Lees offer a range of products, such as sharing tubs of Mini Snowballs, which are perfect for any night in and can be enjoyed by the whole family.
“But tasty treats don’t have to be full of calories. Each Mini Snowball contains only 50 calories and contain no artificial flavours.”
• This was echoed by Levi Boorer, customer development director at Ferrero.
Even when it comes to impulse purchases, he said that an “overall societal focus on wellbeing” is making people more aware of what they are buying.
“Suppliers are responding to that in a number of ways, such as putting a greater emphasis on portion control and showing shoppers how they can treat themselves in a permissible way.
“At Ferrero we make products that are to be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet and lifestyle, which is why our products have always been available as individually wrapped portions and more than 95% come in portions less than 150 kcal.”
