CHICAGO — Convenience-store retailers looking to boost their foodservice profits may want to take a fresh look at the dessert category. Forty-one percent of consumers eat dessert after a meal at least once a week, according to the 2019 Dessert Consumer Trend Report by CSP’s sister research firm, Technomic. Beyond that, consumers who eat dessert after a meal twice a week or more often eat dessert 4.5 times per week on average.
But traditional sugary treats may not get the job done. Consumers are seeking innovative, unique and better-for-you options now more than ever, and retailers should implement these trends into dessert if they want to boost this sector.
Here are four ways to do that …
Forty-six percent of consumers said they eat fruit as a dessert at least once a week, according to the report. This outpaced cookies (42%), ice cream (36%), cake (26%), doughnuts (21%) and more. It is driven by cravings for healthier desserts as well as demand for more fruit-based pies and cobblers, according to Technomic.
“Fruit leads compared to other more indulgent desserts,” Technomic said. “Fruit is a common side for meals and many consumers may consider it to be the dessert portion of their meal.”
Forty-one percent of consumers said they would be more likely to purchase and pay more for desserts that are made from scratch, according to the report. Also, 51% of consumers said desserts made with “real” ingredients such as real cane sugar, real butter or pure vanilla extract are appealing.
“ ‘Real’ and ‘made-from-scratch’ claims are most likely to increase purchase intent of desserts, and they are also the attributes that consumers say they are willing to pay more for,” Technomic said. “As a plus, these attributes are also often closely associated with freshness and quality in consumers’ minds.”
Thirty-one percent of consumers said they are more willing to try dairy-free desserts than they were two years ago, compared to 26% who said the same in 2017, according to the report. This has especially been driven by younger consumers’ attention to vegan and flexitarian diets, Technomic said.
“Adopting a dairy-free dessert or two on menus may drive incremental sales, especially if an operation’s core customer base is younger consumers,” Technomic said. “Beyond vegans, lactose intolerance means dairy-free desserts also have the ability to appeal to a broader group of consumers as well.”
Thirty-four percent of consumers said they would be likely to order desserts that contain cannabidiol (CBD), the nonpsychoactive component of cannabis, if offered at foodservice establishments, according to Technomic. Legality issues persist, though, leading to a generational shift among who’s interested in these items. While more than 50% of Gen Zers and millennials are interested, only 36% of Gen Xers and 18% of baby boomers said the same.
“CBD desserts have the potential to pique curiosity and give dessert sales a shot in the arm,” Technomic said.
Get today’s need-to-know convenience industry intelligence. Sign up to receive texts from CSP on news and insights that matter to your brand.
CSP’s Top 202 details the largest chains in the convenience-store industry and the biggest M&A stories of the past year. Welcome to a deep dive into the c-store landscape.
Category sales performance in Beverages, Candy, General Merchandise, Packaged Food/Foodservice and Snacks.
The industry’s largest distributors by sales volume
Corporate retail news affecting the convenience-store industry
The latest information on products and trends in the convenience-store and foodservice industries.
Peek inside new convenience stores to uncover the best in retail store design across North America.