Why Do Consumers Love Chocolate?
Why Do Consumers Love Chocolate?
Chocolate is Inherently Linked with Indulgence
As the biggest chocolate company in the world, we investigated the key reasons consumers eat chocolate. The reasons we discovered are on the indulgence side:
- # 1 : Treat myself: 51% of global consumers1 said they eat chocolate to treat themselves. This shows consumers see chocolate as an all around pleasure.
- # 2 : Satisfy a craving: The reason that 47% of global consumers1 indicated for eating chocolate was to satisfy a craving. Chocolate can also be an energy-fueling food.
- # 3 : To indulge: For 45% of global consumers1, they eat chocolate to indulge. Chocolate is the ultimate mood-boosting food.
When asked which product they would choose to consume if they were to celebrate something (ex. for a birthday, promotion, anniversary, a small celebration just because, etc), 51% of global consumers said chocolate!1
HAVANNA (Brazil) - Comforting truffles and pralines with dulce de leche
LOVE COCOA (UK) - Celebration tablet with champagne
HANDS OFF MY CHOCOLATE (The Netherlands) - The name says it all
Flavor is a Key Consideration
Every year, thousands of chocolate products are launched across the world. From tablets, to pralines, bars and other experiences, consumers crave novelty.
Across the globe, milk chocolate is the preferred type of chocolate (48% of consumers), followed by dark (28%).1 But don’t forget Ruby chocolate, launched in 2017, it’s the newest chocolate type that excites younger generations with its natural pink tone.
Today, consumers have high expectations when it comes to indulgence. While it’s about all the senses, taste is always the first criteria of purchase when it comes to chocolate confectionery with 67% of global consumers saying flavor is the most important factor in helping them decide which chocolate to purchase. Reason #2 is how indulgent the product looks (37%) and reason #3 is interestingly about sugar content (23%).1
Mindful Indulgence: The Future of Chocolate
Even though indulging and celebrating remains very important to consumers, they increasingly want to take care of their own personal health. Our research has shown that 78% of consumers agree that chocolate needs to be tasty and good for me.1 This has been reinforced by the pandemic. At the same time, they want to care for other people and the environment. We call this Mindful Indulgence. The triple play: tasty and good for me and the planet (= the environment and other people). Such products can be created in multiple ways: with plant-based ingredients only, reducing sugar, organic products, or sustainable products. But they need to taste great, too!
CADBURY PLANT BAR (UK)
Made with almond milk, two indulgent flavors: Smooth Chocolate and Salted Caramel and 100% sustainably sourced.
JOY BITES by RUSSEL STOVER (USA)
No sugar added, positively framed. Comes in a range of delicious flavors: peanut butter, sea salt & caramel, roasted almonds or smooth creamy chocolate.
RISA (Philippines)
Supports small-scale Filipino farmers by keeping its whole bean to bar production process strictly local.
Source:
1 - Barry Callebaut proprietary consumer survey fielded digitally in August 2022 using Qualtrics, in Brazil, China, Japan, Germany, France, UK and US, n=2969
