Five ways to catapult your snack sales

Which brand of chocolate sandwich cookie do millennials like best? Which counter-top racks for snack chips and candy attract the most impulse sales?

Operators need to answer questions like these to succeed with snacks, an important business opportunity in today’s growth-challenged foodservice marketplace. To hone your knack for snacks, consider the following best practices for category management.

Check vital signs. Operators need to know the demographic mix of their patrons by age, gender and income, because insights about their dietary habits and purchase motivations should inform merchandise selection.

Also, operators should stay on the lookout for actionable insights and trends. For example, consider the study this year by The Culinary Visions Panel and Y-Pulse on how millennials snack by age and lifestyle.1 One of the findings was that middle millennials—those in the 26-30 age group—snack the most during the late afternoon and before dinner. They’re also the group least likely to bring snacks from home, and they favor convenience stores and quick-service restaurants for their snack choices.

Follow the leaders. Which has more impact with consumers—a brand of cookies that has been a favorite for over a century or a brand that was launched last year? Obviously, there’s no substitute for the reputation that top-selling brands of cookies, snack chips and candy have built up over the years. Also, because consumer preferences are unpredictable and changeable, it’s essential for operators to regularly review the sales trends of the snacks on their shelves and replace any slow movers with fresh brands.

Eyeball the trends. Keep up with trends that have bearing on the products and brands consumers want. For example, the trend of replacing or augmenting standard meals with snacks and small plates has become so mainstream that Chicago research firm Technomic has dubbed it “the snacking lifestyle.” And with more consumers seeking better-for-you snacks, it’s wise to balance a selection of indulgent treats such as candy, cookies and snack chips with snacks made with whole grains or reduced levels of sodium and saturated fat for mindful snacking occasions.

Use tools with an edge. Displaying the right products in the right place is essential for building snack sales. A well-organized counter-top rack of snack chips, packaged cookies, gum and candy helps customers quickly and easily find what they want when they are in a hurry. A supplier partner may be a big help in this regard by supplying racks, displays and attention-getting point-of-sale materials.

Partner with the powerful. Of course, some operators build a snack business from the ground up and figure it out by themselves, for better or for worse. However, it might be wiser to join forces with a supplier that has extensive experience in the snack field, as well as one that offers market-leading brands of cookies, crackers, candy and breakfast biscuits.

1. Dividing the Millennial Generation: Snacking Behavior by Age and Lifestyle, 2014, The Culinary Visons Panel and Y-Pulse.