The best goods in stores as chosen by shoppers
THE annual Product of the Year winners have been officially revealed for 2024, with some key items included in the range for convenience store retailers to stock up on.
Once again, the team at Product of the Year have surveyed consumers from across the breadth of the UK to vote on their favourite launches to market from January to November 2023, highlighting some important trends for c-store owners to take note of.
Helga Slater, managing director at Product of the Year, said: “Every year, we survey 8,000 to 10,000 consumers, across criteria ranging from recipe tweaks to packaging design, to find the products that make the biggest difference to the lives of your customers.
“It’s an incredible stamp of approval, like no other in the fast-moving consumer goods world and the only survey that is voted for by consumers for consumers in the UK.”
And there were a number of trends to be found in the Scottish market in particular, according to market research firm Kantar, which collects the data for and carries out the Product of the Year survey.
The firm has highlighted some specific categories that have been in growth in the last year, such as gut health and probiotic products, no-and-low alcohol, plant-based foods, free-from and grooming.
Evidently an emphasis on some self-care has been at the top of the bill for plenty of Scottish consumers and Slater reckons the winners for 2024 more than reflect this.
Products including Actimel Plus, Heinz Beanz Bowls and Gillette Labs Neon Night Razor and Intimate Trimmer i3 have all received the firm’s easily identifiable red stamp for this year, all of which fall into some key consumer demands that Slater has outlined for Scotland.
Beyond these select categories, Slater noted that there had been a shift in consumer trends across the UK, with a focus on the more homely options showing the demand for nights in with shoppers during 2023.
Slater said: “A number of key trends were apparent this year. Home comforts and ‘feel-good’ culture made their mark within food and drinks.
“Sweet/dessert products including Fruit-tella Curiosities, Cadbury Crunchie Celebration Cake and McVitie’s White Chocolate Digestive Biscuits, all made the winners list.
“As did some very colourful alcohol brands, Strongbow Tropical Cider and Joy Wine – a new range of sweet, and highly Instagrammable, wines from Concha Y Toro.
“Within the food categories, there was a big trend for short cooking times and convenience, with Ben’s Original One Pan Creations and Heinz Beanz Bowls making waves.”
Almost emblematic of this trend towards homely options from consumers, as well, is the win for Arla product Starbucks Chilled Classics Skinny Multiserve, showing how consumers see more value in the iced coffee sector in stores over the traditional coffee shop.
Adam Hacking, head of beverages at Arla, said: “We are proud and honoured that the Starbucks Chilled Classics Skinny Multiserve has received the Product of the Year Award 2024 – a true testament to our commitment to excellence and innovation within the ready-to-drink iced coffee sector.
“This recognition provides validation to our dedicated and passionate team, and their pursuit to create exceptional products for out consumers. We would like to extend our thanks to retailers who have supported the launch of this product.”
The full range of winners for 2024 can be found on the Product of the Year website for retailers keen to find out which products consumers picked and loved from 2023.
And, over the page, retailers can find five key winners from this year that Scottish Grocer has highlighted as strong options that store owners should consider stocking up on to help make the most out of the appealing Product of the Year red badge that can be found on the products.
