Dessert Trends:
Holiday & Seasonal
Dessert Trends:
Holiday & Seasonal
Here are our top four Dessert Trends for this year's holiday season:
1. Novelty Products & Decorations
Novelty Products & Decorations
Decorations and novelty items are on the rise, especially during the holidays. Barry Callebaut’s 2019 research shows that 37% of North American consumers prefer to buy novelty products. These may include finished treats or products that help elevate homemade recipes, making food experiences even more special.
Food companies have picked up on this trend, recently launching specialty items such as chocolate curls and shavings. Decorations like these help home bakers elevate the look of their creations while customizing the recipes. These decorations enhance experiences for both guests and home bakers, delighting guests and allowing bakers to express themselves.
This year, invite your customers to elevate their holiday or seasonal staples with new and exciting decorations that bring a twist to their classic dessert recipes. For finished treats, use your product line to be successful by catering to the customer's search for novelties extensions.
Limited Edition & Seasonality
The same 37% of North American consumers that look for novelty products, also seek limited edition products, which are a great way to evoke the feeling of exclusivity. This feeling can be created by offering a continuously evolving and updated product line that includes limited editions. Examples include Godiva’s Wonderful City Dreams collection and Hostess’ Moonberry Twinkies, which are both only being sold for a brief amount of time.
When it comes to a limited offering, seasonality is also an important variable. Starbucks is no longer one of the few companies changing their offering according to the season; many CPG companies have followed suit. Different seasons and festivities are celebrated by adapting either the recipe of a product and/or its packaging. For instance, Hershey launched a variety mix of candy for Halloween wrapped in glow-in-the-dark wrappers.
Whether you are creating seasonal flavors or adapting your packaging, give shoppers a new reason to interact with your brand in order to increase brand intimacy.
Sharing Experiences
63% of North American consumers said they like to share new and exciting cake & pastry experiences with others. Not only do home chefs proudly show off their creations to loved ones, but they also share them on social media. In fact, research shows that 43% of consumers in the US share pictures of their food online at least once a week. Next time you are on social media, check your feed, and you are likely to find plenty of food pictures and videos shared by friends and celebrities.
Hence, as a company, stay a part of the conversation and offer instagrammable products that help make treats insta-worthy. This can be done by offering a social-media-friendly experience. This can be achieved through fun launch events, packaging, product presentation, or by inviting people to share their delectable food moments with others around the globe: #trending.
Customization
Shoppers want to feel that products are “designed for them.” In fact, 57% of surveyed food shoppers say they are often or always influenced by how well a product is tailored to meet their needs or personality. This experience can invoke a feeling of being special & exclusive in both buyers and gift recipients. One example of customization is found in Kellogg’s Pop-Tart boxes where customers can personalize the packaging with a picture or text. Another example is BaristArt, which allows you to instantly “print” a portrait on your latte.
Providing your customers an opportunity to connect with your brand in a unique way will make you memorable and set you apart from the competition.
This holiday season, pay attention to your own consumption behavior and you may notice that some, if not all, of the above habits apply to you as well. Transferring this knowledge in your innovation game plan for 2020 and beyond will ensure your brand stays relevant and ahead of the trend curve.
