How US salty snacks market can tap the opportunities
From BakeryAndSnacks.com
Growth in the most popular retail channel for salty snacks – supermarkets – is being outpaced by other retail channels, shows a new study, with supermarkets facing competition from lower-priced goods found at mass merchandisers and dollar stores, as well as the accessibility of convenience and drug stores.
Mintel’s 2016 US Salty Snacks Report reveals that, between 2010 and 2015, supermarket sales of salty snacks increased 18.2% to $3.2bn – behind the 29% increase in the total category to $10.2bn. In contrast, sales through convenience stores rose 32% to $2.8bn, by 35.5% through drug stores to $340m, and 35.1% through other types of retailer to $3.8bn.
“As grab-and-go foods, salty snacks can perform well in these channels with merchandising catering to the on-the-go snacker,” says Mintel senior food analyst Amanda Topper, adding that nearly a third of salty snack consumers buy snacks on impulse.
Drug stores and convenience stores can tap this behavior by offering single-serve formats, according to Mintel, and by stocking resealable formats that cater to away-from-home snacking.
“Within the meat snack segment specifically, resealable pouches prove to be popular and successful, allowing consumers to fuel up on-the-go,” says Tapper.