What consumers want from frozen treats

Getting your frozen treat offering right can be tricky, especially if you have limited freezer space. But that doesn’t mean you can’t offer something for everyone.

According to Rupert Ashby, CEO of the British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF), “Retailers should stock a variety of flavours to cater for a range of tastes. As a general rule, we’d suggest a minimum of something fruity, something chocolate-based and something new and trending like liquorice or matcha tea flavours. A premium vanilla ice cream that can be paired with baked goods and puddings will usually do well too.

“Don’t be afraid to experiment and rotate your offering according to the season. Many artisanal ice cream producers make small batches so there’s often no need to commit to high volumes.”

Of course, ice cream appeals to everyone, including families and children. Therefore, it’s important that indies take this into consideration when stocking individual ice creams and lollies. As Rupert explains, “Make sure there are one or two affordable options for children. Parents begrudge paying for premium products that will most likely end up melting down the stick and will often shop with an ‘all of us or none of us’ approach.”

Fine food retailers also have the significant advantage over the multiples of offering something truly indulgent. “I think the big supermarkets have the bread-and-butter stuff covered, but independents have the chance to find the special little gems made ethically by smaller and often local producers”, Felix Baudenbacher, founder of NEED adds.

“Since the pandemic consumers have really taken to supporting their local retailers so there is a lot of goodwill out there – make sure that goodwill is rewarded by offering high-quality products that are produced ethically as well as by providing an outstanding shopping experience through store design and customer service.”

Matt Whelan, managing director at Fieldfare, advises, “Be sure to stock products that cater for the growing vegan and free-from markets, as well as traditional dairy ice creams. Try products for yourself, so you can stock the best and give your customers honest, personal recommendations.

“Your relationship with your customers is what makes you different from the multiples, so make it work for you. There are great tasting, high-quality ice creams out there, like our dairy-free range, and if you stock these with confidence your customers will enjoy them and keep coming back for more.”

There are plenty of ways to tempt your customers to indulge, so go wild this year as the weather heats up, and stock up on innovative frozen treats.