Dried meat snack sales were down in unit sales and nearly flat in dollar sales in convenience stores in 2023, according to data from Chicago-based market research firm Circana.
And while the snacks may be facing more competition, jerky and other dried meat snacks can still stand out thanks to innovations and creative retailers.
John Guerra, owner of Lincoln’s Country Store, Warren, Maine, sees the drop-off. But, the single-store operator has a merchandising work-around: Lincoln’s popular on-site deli churns out a host of packaged, proprietary dry-aged meat snack and jerky products—with full control over selection.
It's a destination draw, and less reliance on name brands gives Guerra an upper hand—and ability to dodge headaches.
“When I worked in supermarkets, we built endcap displays around the broad ‘protein’ concept, and meat sticks/jerky fit squarely into the equation,” said Guerra. “We filled them with exotic products, like ostrich jerky and unique dried flavor-infused bacon varieties. They were ‘outliers’ that people went out of their way to buy.”
Not all convenience retailers have the built-in advantage that Guerra enjoys with a deli and full-fledged meat department. Thus, they’re tasked with delivering a higher level of innovation around dried meat snacks—this as consumers seek other snack alternatives to fill their daily snacking regimens.
“The analogy I use is the pumpkin spice obsession, which led to pumpkin fatigue,” he said. “Meat snacks have the same type of dilemma. The category needs something new to hit the market rather than one more teriyaki or peppercorn offering.”
Protein and Portability
The “other dried meat snack” category registered underwhelming dollar and unit performances for the 52-weeks ending December 3, 2023, as c-store dollars were relatively flat (0.9% loss) and units were down 7.6%, according to Circana.
Flash back three years earlier, and category dollar sales enjoyed growth that exceeded 5%, with units only flat.
Consumers had long gravitated to meat snacks for advantages of value, protein and portability. Add values like grass-fed and spicy formulations, and sustained category dollar tailwinds appeared strong.
The protein advantage has now been threatened because “the world of protein has exploded,” said Sally Lyons Wyatt, Circana’s executive vice president, global CPG/FMCG thought leadership-food and beverage. “Where meat snacks once served as the ‘go-to’ portable category for consumers to get quality, portable protein, other categories have stepped up,” including protein drinks.
Lyons Wyatt said that while meat snack price points aren’t a deal-breaker, consumer budget constraints during inflationary times mean fewer trips and smaller baskets impacting all store categories. This includes private-label meat sticks, which lost c-store dollars as well, down9.2%, Circana reports.
Innovation in meat snacks can help build category momentum.
Frito-Lay and Jack Link’s launched Jack Link’s Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili beef jerky and meat stick variety in 2023.
The new offer, regarded as a first-of-its-kind mashup for this category, was accompanied by Jack Link’s Flamin’ Hot flavored Original beef jerky and meat sticks.
Branding Matters
Meat snack/jerky brands aren’t necessarily taking a Jack Link’s-esque adventure around innovation, but rather identifying nuanced competitive advantages. “In keeping with consumer trends, we adjusted our jerky package sizes to provide better value to consumers,” said Lauren Kottre, director of marketing for Tillamook, Oregon-based Werner Gourmet Meat Snacks Inc.
To promote display, Werner introduced several shipper display configurations that “come fully built and stocked. They provide maximum product quantity in a minimal footprint,” Kottre said.
Knowing social media builds excitement for this category, it’s become “a key part of our marketing strategy,” said Kottre. “We found product imagery is key when telling the brand story. Our tagline is ‘Ready for Everything,’ and showcasing this mantra in combination with the value propositions our snacks provide on social media has been instrumental in generating consumer sales in both direct and retail settings.”
Social media can spread the word about key brand attributes, including packaging (Werner revamped theirs in 2019) and lower-sugar SKUs joining its lineup.
Kottre said the team also realized that the meat-snack/jerky protein advantage needed to be better expressed to consumers, some of whom migrated to other options.
“Consumers are very much looking for quality in snacks, and that means protein. ‘How can I maximize this snack to feel full’ mentality? This drives the selection of snacks,” she said. “We’re emphasizing ‘snackable portability,’ all focused upon consumer taking our snacks with them no matter the setting.”
Kottre said people are still interested in “all-day-snacking” and scouting for optimal meal-replacement options—with protein at the center of it.
Lower sugar intake is a universal consumer goal, and meat snack suppliers are accommodating. “We aren’t seeing a strong emphasis on the ‘zero-sugar’ value, but ‘lower sugar’ is definitely a proposition that consumers are leaning on,” said Kottre.
Limited-Time Offers
At Country Archer Provisions, a rise in demand for organ meat was at the root of its 2024 release of Ancestral Beef Blend Meat Sticks, crafted with grass-fed beef and a blend of liver and heart—or organ—meat.
“We set out to create a nutrient-rich snack specifically for these consumers,” said Eugene Kang, co-founder and CEO of Country Archer Provisions. “Packed with beef liver and heart, low in sugar, and abundant in protein, this meat stick offers a protein-packed punch.”
To pull the category out of its channel slump, Lyons Wyatt of Circana said limited-time offers are a sure-fire way to bring some people back into the fold—get it while it lasts. Another tactic is to create “dual-placement [or even triple placement] of meat snacks/jerky with individually wrapped 1-ounce varieties positioned at checkout” coupled with in-line presence, the latter combining singles with multi-packs.
“People might not be thinking meat sticks or jerky at the point of sale, but they might be thinking ‘protein.’ So, it’s an impulse reminder about the protein they want is right in front of them—and affordable protein,” said Lyons Wyatt.
Suppliers are eager to crack the code on wresting back market share from other snack categories, including salty snacks, popcorn, pretzels and more.
Display Efforts
Conagra Brand’s behavioral sciences team helps decipher consumer behaviors and need states, said Nicole Larmann, meat snack brand director for the Chicago-based company, with a portfolio of Slim Jim, Penrose and Duke’s. “The goal is to leverage trends that have staying power, rather than flavors and formats with fleeting popularity,” Larmann notes.
With an eye on flavor excitement, Conagra rolled out Slim Jim Chile Limon Monster during fall 2023, generating more than $1 billion in sales across snacks, Larmann said.
Slim Jim launched a partnership in later 2023 with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), regarded as the largest sponsorship deal in WWE history.
“The union of two social media powerhouses is off to a great start, and we’ll continue to activate both at retail and upcoming WWE events,” said Larmann.
To support solid display efforts within convenience of its three brands, Conagra offers merchandising tools and countertop displays designed “to give our products prominence at retail. The c-store environment can be crowded, and consumers are typically moving through quickly, so high visibility is key,” she said.
Larmann said newer debuts such as Duke’s Shorty Sausages allow consumers supreme flexibility to buy a 5-, 7.5- or 12-ounce package, while Slim Jim Monster Twin Original “shows how we deliver value with a multi-unit package.”
“It weighs in at almost 4 ounces—the most meat we’ve sold in a long-stick product and offers more meat than the top-selling c-store jerky: it’s a 38% savings versus buying two individual Monster Originals.”
One caveat is that “value means different things to different people,” said Lyons Wyatt of Circana.
“Value could mean having functional benefits, or it means ‘convenience’—it’s there in front of me. Value can mean portability, and since I’m going into the office more, it serves that need.” Retailers can capitalize if they discern all these disparate differences, she said.