There’s tough competition in snacks. Consumers are turning outside of convenience stores to buy their favorite treats. They’re also feeling the pinch of inflation, making value important in the center store—whether that value comes from convenience, flavor innovation, added health benefits or price.
Channels like ecommerce and mass merchandisers have upped their game to boost share of the retail market pie, according to Chicago-based Circana.
Now, a latter-day threat comes from social platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.
“Social e-commerce is allowing people to not only watch others consume foods and beverages but offer the capability to buy products,” said Sally Lyons Wyatt, global executive vice president and chief advisor of consumer goods and foodservice insights for Circana.
The TikTok Shop, an integrated social commerce platform within the social media platform, allows users to discover, engage with and purchase food and drink directly after viewing videos, livestreams and creator content. It debuted in fall 2023.
“Digital and social are driving double-digit growth, with TikTok Shop behaving like a legitimate retail channel and a disrupter to c-stores,” said Lyons Wyatt. “The advantages of TikTok Shop and traditional ecommerce is a low barrier of entry to engage consumers: brands can place brands on these platforms quickly and cost-effectively.”
To compete with ecommerce and social commerce, c-store merchandising must “evolve from static displays to active conversion drivers,” Lyons Wyatt said.
“Social media is accelerating awareness and trial of international flavors and driving consumer interest, which sees a noticeable increase in demand for bold, globally inspired profiles,” said Jacob Roinas, senior vice president of merchandising and procurement, for Temple, Texas-based McLane Co. Inc.
‘See customers in snacks’
Soaring gasoline prices triggered by the U.S. war with Iran pushed inflation to its highest level in more than three years, NPR reported on June 10.
Consumer prices in May were up 4.2% from a year ago, according to NPR, citing a report from the Labor Department. When customers enter stores, they’re looking to economize, so snacks are tasked with demonstrating quality and value.
“Some suppliers—PepsiCo comes to mind—are actively looking to reduce prices despite inflation while other categories such as confectionary suppliers increased prices around 6%,” said Jeff Keune, founder and principal consultant for 4910 Consulting LLC, Rolla, Missouri. “I believe that the approach of suppliers like PepsiCo is a strong one as consumers will feel the inflation in other areas and a well-placed price reduction could protect the business and volume.”
At Powell, Tennessee-based Weigel’s, which owns and operates about 90 c-stores, the strongest story with snacks continues to be immediate consumption, said Rebecca Gregory, center store category manager.
“Customers want something quick, easy to shop and satisfying without overthinking it," she said. "I don’t think the answer is making snack categories feel completely different, but making sure customers can see themselves in snacks. We must meet our customers where they are if we want to keep them visiting us."
- Weigel’s is No. 77 on CSP’s 2026 Top 202 ranking of convenience-store chains by U.S. store count.
Snacks with a twist
There are some bright spots in c-store snack sales: packaged rice cakes, functional popcorn, cheese snacks, corn snacks and pretzels are all doing well. Pretzels gained 4.2% in dollars and 2% units at the c-store level for the 52-week period ending May 17, according to Circana.
Data from Circana’s OmniConsumer Scan Panel 2026 saw flavored pretzels drive 87% of category growth.
“Pretzels have delivered solid dollar growth supported by strong innovation and expanded relevance,” said Lyons Wyatt of Circana.
Pretzels exude a better-for-you perception that’s been elevated further, said Lyons Wyatt.
“The addition of protein, whole grains and alternative ingredients is helping address past gaps around satiety and nutrition,” she said.
Pretzels are tapping into functionality with protein pretzels, while nutrient-enhanced formats are expanding the category beyond simple snacking.
“New flavors have brought new energy and broadened appeal, especially with younger consumers looking for variety and novelty,” said Lyons Wyatt.
To capitalize on consumers growing desire for protein (see protein waffles and pancakes as recent breakfast segments rolling out new varieties of that type), J&J Snack Foods Corp. debuted SuperPretzel Protein Soft Pretzels and Mini Soft Protein Pretzels.
“As protein continues to influence how shoppers choose their snacks, SuperPretzel is stepping in to fill an unmet need,” said Lynwood Mallard, chief marketing officer for J&J Snack Foods. “Protein has become part of everyday eating for many families, including snacking.”
Other pretzel arrivals place an emphasis on flavors that cross over into multiple snack categories—one is dill flavor and another cinnamon. For the latter, Snack Factory (Campbell’s Co.) released Cinnamon Sugar Bites, placing a twist on a classic offering that combines crunch of pretzels with a thin, crispy texture of chips.
“Today’s snackers are looking for more flavor without compromising on quality, and that’s exactly where (we) continues to innovate,” said Matt Venturella, senior brand manager at Snack Factory. “We’re leaning into the flavors consumers are craving most, to give consumers new reasons to rethink their pretzels.”
New curiosity fuels trends
Dill-infused snacks are becoming ubiquitous. Fruit-forward flavors are also trending, with mango snacks up 22%, Circana reported. And it turns out, freeze-dried snacks weren’t just a fad.
“We thought that the freeze-dried trend was a one-and-done a year ago, but it won’t stop growing, particularly in confection snacks,” said Lyons Wyatt.
While freeze-dried textures have stabilized after a period of rapid growth at McLane, Roinas said established formats like gummies continue to perform strongly.
“Texture remains an important but more challenging area for differentiation compared to flavor,” said Roinas.
The marketing team at The Kettle Brand said curiosity is a key snacking motivator for consumers.
The brand recently added two new flavors to its potato chip portfolio in Spicy Kimchi Chips Made with Avocado Oil, and Smoky Buffalo.
These chips deliver “a multi-sensory flavor experience” that consumer expect—crafted for snackers “who aren’t afraid to explore bold, authentic flavor,” the Kettle Brand team said.
New Pringles Smoky Bacon from Mars Snacking offers notes of hickory smoke and pork flavors, delivering a wood-fired smoky bacon taste. It joins Pringles Smoky Cheddar and Pringles Hot Ones Los Calientes Barbacoa Large Grab N’ Go.
“We’re constantly thinking of new ways to satisfy (consumers’) cravings, and bringing this suite of sweet, smoky, savory flavor to shelves (offers) an expansion of the unique snacking experiences Pringles offers,” said Mauricio Jenkins, U.S. head of marketing for Pringles.
Innovations like these are critical to kickstart a c-store potato chip segment that saw dollar sales lag 3.6% for the 52-week period ending May 17, 2026, according to Circana. Potato chips represent the largest market dollar value in the salty snack sector, with $2.24 billion in annual sales.
“I need something now’
Gregory of Weigel’s said snack categories “win when they can solve that ‘I need something now’ moment while still feeling like a more substantial snack. That is where portability, protein and price points all must work together.”
She cites jerky and meat snacks as one solution that blends portability with substance, and another is snack bars. Consolidated c-store snack bars grew dollar sales 10.3%, while nutritional/intrinsic health value bars were up 16.7% in c-store for the year period, Circana reported.
Jerky rose 4.8% in c-store dollars for the year period, while “all other dried meat snacks” were up 3.4%.
“We’re still seeing strength in jerky across multiple sizes,” said Gregory. “Our top two 3.25-ounce core jerky bags were up 20% in units and more than 30% in dollars combined. That tells us the customer has not walked away from traditional jerky but are being more selective.”
Shoppers are increasingly gravitating toward smaller pack sizes, a trend driven both by price sensitivity and changing consumption habits, said Roinas of McLane.
“At the same time, indulgence remains resilient,” he said. “Despite heightened awareness around health and better-for-you options, consumers continue to seek out treats and moments of enjoyment. The reality is that snacking is both functional and emotional: while shoppers may be making more deliberate choices, they’re not abandoning indulgence.”
Suppliers are tasked with delivering value through strategic pack-sizing, promotional activity or product mix adjustments, said Roinas.
“There’s a clear effort to strike a balance between maintaining margin and ensuring products remain accessible,” he said. “Retailers and suppliers alike are focused on preserving consumer engagement by offering options that align with tighter budgets.”
Wanted: Snack ‘excitement’
Innovation in snacks is the wildcard and key to keeping c-stores relevant with the sustained threat of ecommerce and social media transactional platforms such as TikTok Shop.
“Innovation definitely has generated excitement in the snack category,” said Keune, a former category management executive with Yesway and Thorntons. “Not only are new flavors and forms being introduced across candy and snacks, but some chains are also embracing the trend toward local. This can complicate some platforms, but a strong local brand often can compete with or beat the national brands.”
Limited-time items, bold flavors and new formats that reflect what customers are seeing on social are also ways for c-stores to deliver excitement in snacks, said Lyons Wyatt.
“It’s incredibly hard to predict exactly what will grab the public’s attention, which is why constant trial, innovation, structure changes and thoughtful promotions are key to keeping the category healthy,” said Gregory of Weigel’s.
Innovation continues to play a critical role in driving consumer excitement across the snack category, said Roinas of McLane.
“Smaller and emerging brands often help identify and accelerate early-stage trends while larger manufacturers bring the scale, resources and distribution to expand those innovations to a broader audience,” Roinas said.
The winners that comprise the very unwieldy packaged snack sector “will be the ones that balance protein, portability, flavor, value perception and format, along with whatever secret magic ingredient makes customers decide, ‘Yep, that’s the one,’” said Gregory.
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