Snacking
Feature
MEAT THE FUTURE
Despite the apparent stellar growth of veganism and vegetarianism, the demand for indulgent proteinfilled meat snacking products continues to drive sales in local retailing outlets in Scotland.
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he way that shoppers consume food and drink has changed dramatically over recent years with the trend for grazing giving way to a trend towards simply buying more and more food on the go. With busy lives and convenience a priority, local retailers are in the perfect place to meet all hot, ambient and chilled snacking demands. The most recent megatrend is of course towards healthier, better-for-you eating – and the snacking category has responded well with a raft of great innovation. But it’s not all about healthier snacking: there is still room for the odd indulgent treat. It’s all about balance, as we all know. Pavan Chandra, Marketing Manager at Peperami and parent company Jack Link’s, comments: “In the past few years, there has been a dramatic shift in the snacking world that reflects wider trends toward healthy living and changing preferences around protein and sugar consumption. Nowadays, protein is widely viewed as healthy, with its role having evolved from niche muscle building to having a broader everyday appeal where energy and vitality feature. As a result,
there has been an evolution of the snacks consumers are purchasing. Meat snacks, for example, have seen an increasing appeal from health-conscious shoppers, with rising sales year-on-year.” Peperami, the leading brand in the meat snacking category [Nielsen, Aug 2018], has
launched a 100% Classic Beef variant, an addition proven to be a natural fit to both channel and shopper, filling the gap in the market for convenient, high protein meat snacks. Similarly, to raise brand awareness in this category, Jack Link’s recently launched a new Biltong made from 100% lean beef to a traditional South African recipe. The product is gluten-free and protein-rich, appealing to on-the-go consumers. The biltong is made from British beef, marinated and cured with authentic South African spices. Jack Link’s is one of the fastest growing brands in the ambient snacking category in the UK, up 132% year to date [Nielsen, Oct 2017] and is dedicated to driving the category forward and bringing innovation to the market. As the ambient meat snacking category has grown +2.1% in the last year and shows no sign of slowing, the introduction of biltong, appealing to a broader audience and demographic, has come at the perfect time. Price marked packs (PMPs) can be very effective in driving sales of meat snacking products with PMPs in general growing at 13.1% YTD [Nielsen, Jun 2018].
MERCHANDISING ADVICE Q With the health agenda changing the UK’s eating habits, retailers need to ensure that chilled, high-protein snacks are prominently displayed in store. Q Food-to-go based merchandising is key to helping busy shoppers navigate. Having a dedicated chilled aisle could be the perfect one-stop solution. Q If products such as cheese, beer and cold drinks are placed together in a designated section (where alcohol legislation permits), consumers can quickly access the products they are looking for, encouraging incremental, complementary purchases. Q Clip strips and display units are a great short-term solution to drive visibility of meat protein snacks as alternatives to confectionery and crisps. Q Convenience stores should also ensure that food-to-go products with offers or deals are displayed in visible areas of the store, as this will further encourage consumer engagement. Q Last year, Peperami introduced a new case and pack design enabling retailers to merchandise product vertically, helping to increase visibility in store, reduce space requirements and maximise purchase opportunities.
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SLR | NOVEMBER 2018
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