Bakery Trends: Make My Day Special

Ruby Cheesecake, made by Willem Verlooy

Bakery Trends: Make My Day Special

Ruby Cheesecake, made by Willem Verlooy

Consumers have strong emotional ties to the bakery category. Baked goods are often consumed for special occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries.

Christmas Donuts, made by Sarah Hartnett

Beyond celebrating the big occasions, they can also just have the power to make all our days a little bit better.

Discover the bakery trends that will make your consumers’ day special:

Seasonal & LTO’s

Seasonally inspired items provide excitement for consumers and are particularly important for the bakery category. Consumers are intrigued by the latest limited time only experience and they may not want to miss out on an experience.

Seasonal and fun items, break up the monotony of daily life and provide consumers a mini celebration. This mini celebration might come in the form of a long awaited seasonal flavor, a baked good synonymous with a certain holiday, or even the baked good themed for the latest hit TV series finale.

Bahlsen Pick-up Limited Edition Coco Flavor

Instagrammable Items

With photos of their latest beach vacation or of the incredible cookie they found at their local bakery, consumers are sharing their experiences on social media more and more. As a result, today’s baked goods need to deliver on more than just flavor.

60% of consumers under the age of 44 agree that "it is important to spend money on experiences" (Source: Euromonitor International's Global Consumer Lifestyles Survey).

When presented with the statement, "I like to share my new and exciting cakes and pastries containing experiences with others", 63% of Western Europe consumers agreed¹. As a result, today's baked goods need to deliver on more than just flavor.

Baked goods that wow consumers by delivering on a unique experience, especially a unique visual, can drive consumers to want to share their amazing experiences with others online. Bright colors and creative formats can play up the instagrammability of a baked good.

Internationally Inspired Items

As the world becomes smaller, we are seeing pastries from other countries, or regions, in our local bakeries. One widely recognized example of this is the French macaron, a traditional French cookie which has gained much popularity in the US over the last few years.

As consumers become more adventurous, we see that they are more curious about international flavors and baked goods. When presented with the statement, “I want to try new and exciting cakes or pastries containing chocolate experiences”, 71% of WE consumers agreed¹.

These internationally inspired baked goods can provide consumers the excitement of trying something new, almost like visiting an international destination in one bite.

Nostalgic Flavors

Finally, we see a trend in nostalgic flavors. Nostalgic flavors have the power to make a consumers' day by reminding them of a happy memory, or specific time in their life. Oftentimes these flavors remind us of childhood.

Some examples of this might be bakery products filled with Nutella or the trend towards edible cookie dough. Oftentimes the best nostalgic executions combine the flavors we love and know, but provide a new spin on the classic. For others, a nostalgic treat can be that classic cookie brand that reminds us of our past.

Sources:

1. Barry Callebaut Benefit Territory Substantiation Research Fall 2018