8 minute read
Big Night In
Still a big opportunity
Evening snacking is worth over £6.5 billion (Kantar), and although lockdown is easing, the appeal of the big night in is likely to continue as consumers remain cautious about going out.
The enforced big night in during the pandemic has seen a shift away from impulse packs, with 24% of consumers buying more sharing packs than a year ago (Norstat).
Matt Smith, marketing director of Tayto Group, explains: “A night in front of the TV or a Zoom catch-up with friends has become the norm, and people are treating themselves with a pack of their favourite snacks such as Golden Wonder Ringos, meaning wholesalers need to have a snacks offer that covers a range of brands and pack sizes.”
Tayto has expanded its £1 PMP range to include Spicy Bikers and is supporting the product with digital activity, including opportunities to win bikes and an independent retailer focused trade campaign. The company has also added a Sour Cream & Onion flavour to its Ringos range, and it has made its Cheese & Onion variant of TransformA-Snack available as a £1 PMP. In recent months, pork snacks have been the star performer in crisps & snacks, up by 10.1% (IRI). Tayto has launched the biggest ever campaign for pork scratchings, with the strapline ‘There’s no matching a scratching’.
The campaign will include national radio coverage through a partnership with TalkSport, as well as a heavyweight regional campaign in the Midlands (where sales of scratchings are particularly strong) across out of home, radio and digital. The initiative will reinforce the ongoing digital activity for the Mr Porky brand.
“While consumers are still spending significantly more time at home, there is an increased desire to make at-home occasions feel more special, and snacks are an affordable in-home treat,” notes Matt Collins, trading director of KP Snacks.
Some 48% of consumers eat crisps, snacks & nuts when watching a film at home, and 48% say snacks are a must for an evening in with family (Mintel). KP offers a wide selection of brands and products to meet big night in needs, including Tyrrells, KP Nuts, McCoy’s, popchips and Butterkist.
According to Jon Wood, commercial director of Calbee UK, shoppers are looking to try something different to inject some excitement into the big night in.
Calbee recently launched Loaded Fries, its first branded snack product under the Seabrook brand. Available in Cheese & Bacon and Chilli Heat flavours, the product comes in a 6 x 19g multipack, 130g sharing bag and £1 PMP.
According to Matt Goddard, wholesale trading director at PepsiCo, as we begin the slow transition out of lockdown, larger packs are likely to continue to dominate over singles. “Shoppers are still looking to enjoy a big night in at home and this is likely to continue once small, intimate events with friends and family are able to be hosted,” he says.
PepsiCo has introduced new pricemarked packs for a number of its multipack and sharing bag lines, including Walkers Classic Variety and Quavers Cheese six-packs. In addition, larger Doritos and Walkers Sensations sharing bags have been launched in the convenience channel. The £2 PMPs are available for Doritos Chilli Heatwave and Tangy Cheese, and Walkers Sensations Thai Sweet Chilli.
To make the most of the big night in opportunity, retailers should focus their display on products that are ideal for sharing, such as Starburst ‘tear and share’ pouches, advises Jo Sinisgalli, senior brand manager for gifting at Mars Wrigley.
“In order to drive impulse sales through maximised availability, core lines should always be updated and constantly well-stocked, as well as showcasing NPD,” she adds.
New from the company are ‘100kcal or less’ bars, a new format for Mars, Snickers and Twix. In addition, Mars Wrigley’s current ‘Get Your Ding Back’ campaign for Extra is aimed at driving chewing gum consumption at home.
Chocolate is still the top choice for those settling down for a night in with friends and loved ones, followed by sugar confectionery, biscuits and crisps, reports Mondelez International.
The company’s popular chocolate sharing bags are growing by 4%, driven by Cadbury and Green & Black’s, and a recent addition to the Maynards Bassetts range is Fruit Smoothie Jellies in 130g bags.
Mark Walker, sales director of Swizzels, emphasises that sugar confectionery is key for the big night in category, with sales of sharing treats on the increase.
Swizzels’ most recent launch is Drumstick Chocolate Bar. Currently available to cash & carries in the standard pack format, the product will also be offered in a PMP later this year.
Hanging bags are very important for the big night in occasion. Sales of 100-199g bags have seen growth of 6% over the past year and now account for 54% of total sugar confectionery sales (IRI). Swizzels has several products in this segment, including Squashies –the No.1 hanging bag brand in sugar confectionery (IRI). Squashies will be at the forefront of Swizzels’ summer marketing activity, which will include consumer competitions and digital and PR activity.
Ice cream is another popular choice for the big night in. In convenience, ice cream sales are currently worth £424 million, with handheld ice creams in multipacks proving to be the strongest segment, with sales worth £170 million (IRI). Sales of ice cream multipacks from Mars Chocolate Drinks & Treats have increased by 81% in the last year.
For consumers who prefer a hot snack or meal, Rustlers from Kepak is increasingly being used by retailers as an essential part of a big night in meal deal. Alongside the Rustlers Quarter Pounder, the No.1 micro-snack in impulse, Rustlers offer bigger eats that can meet the dinner occasion including Rustlers Double Decker, Rustlers Deluxe and the twin packs range. Soft drinks are an important part of the big night in. To help retailers cater for shoppers drinking more soft drinks at home, Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I has reduced the on-pack price to £1.50 of some of its most popular drinklater products, including Ribena 600ml squash and Lucozade Energy one-litre. The company also recently introduced a two-litre bottle of Orangina, price-marked at £1.79. AG Barr has announced the permanent return of Irn-Bru 1901. Made to the unique 1901 recipe, the drink is available in 750ml glass bottles, ideal for a big night in.
Adrian Troy, marketing director, says: “1901 proved super-popular with fans who really loved the recipe but were disappointed when stock ran dry. Now it’s back for good, so shoppers can enjoy it year-round.”
Socialising in the house with family or house mates has increased, with 2.1 billion at-home social soft drinks occasions for adults, up by 14.7% (Kantar).
The growth of mixers continues to outpace total soft drinks (Nielsen) as a result of a boom in sales of gin and an increase in consumption of mixers without the addition of alcohol (Kantar), reports Britvic. The company has launched its branded tonic water into convenience for the first time, with the pub classic available exclusively to wholesale in an 850ml bottle, in Classic and Low Calorie variants. Canned RTDs will likely see a boost in sales once restrictions are lifted, allowing friends and families to meet for small gatherings and evenings in together, predicts Kingsland Drinks, which last year launched Vin Crowd low-calorie wine spritzers and Mix Up pre-mix alcoholic drinks.
One of the biggest trends is consumers buying for the last-minute ‘meal tonight’ occasion, notes Hannah Dawson, head of category development, off-trade at Diageo. “This presents a huge opportunity, as 44% of shoppers plan to purchase from the beers, wines and spirits category as part of their store visit,” she says.
The growth of gin is showing no signs of slowing down, and Tanqueray and Gordon’s cater for this demand.
Value growth of still wine in convenience increased by 28% in the past 12 months, whilst volumes were up by 22% in the same period (Nielsen).
“The big night in has understandably become the norm during the last year and we’re likely to see this behaviour continue in the months ahead,” predicts Norbert Jozsa, head of category and insight – Europe at Accolade Wines. Hardys and Echo Falls are the top two convenience wine brands in terms of brand sales share. CCM
Wholesaler viewpoint
“Big night in is prevalent, and the prime football season is coming up soon as a key occasion to drive this theme. We are planning to make this more of a feature in depots.
“2021 is still a year with a lot of uncertainty; therefore, special events pre-summer will still likely be catered for in the home.
“Evening snacking is quite different to day-time snacking and so is likely to drive some different behaviours. Big night in is often centred on the need for a treat, in front of the TV, with three or more people and amongst 16-44 year olds (Kantar).
“We call out the big night in theme in our leaflets and offer promotions across products that drive the theme, such as popcorn, sharing snacks, soft drinks and alcohol. Big night in bundles across the grocery market are also targeting take-away type evening meals, such as pizza.”
