How to: Sweeten ice cream and dessert sales

Functional
In days gone by catering to customers motivated by health concerns would have come down to a binary choice: full fat or low fat. With today’s consumers likely to be ‘watching their macros’ – keeping tally of their carb, fat and protein intakes – and swayed by functional claims relating to active ingredients, things are a little more interesting. The meteoric rise of brands such as Halo Top, which delivers indulgent sounding flavours (Cookies and Cream, for example, or Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough) that are nonetheless low in calories and high in protein, suggests consumers are pleased to have their cake and eat it. The ultra-processed recipes, however, won’t please true foodies. Time, perhaps, to lay upon customers the old adage that a little of what you fancy does you good.

Kids
According to stats from Kantar Worldpanel, kids’ ice cream – handheld ice creams deliberately marketed to children – encountered an impressive 20% year-on-year growth in the 52 weeks up to November 2018. Holding just under 12% of the total market share in ice creams this is still a small category, but one that’s growing fast. At the premium end of the market innovation centres around perceived health benefits, with fruit, yoghurt and free-from products doing well.

Alcohol
Another big category for growth last year was ‘adult refresh’, with Kantar Worldpanel reporting that year-on-year sales of ice lollies specifically aimed at adults, and with flavours such as mojito, grew a whopping 38%. There are plenty of producers in the category, with Lickalix and Poptails by Lapp among others persuading shoppers to abandon their own efforts and buy a commercially-made ‘poptail’ when they’re on the go. Last summer was an important moment for the category, with Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose and even B&M stocking alcoholic lolly lines to snap up sales from Aldi, which launched its 4.5% ABV poptails in summer 2017.

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