Ferrero research shows Valentine’s day still holds a flame for the confectionery sector

With Valentine’s Day being among one of the most notable global confectionery moments in the annual calendar, Confectionery Production quizzes Dan Rodriguez, category expert at Ferrero, on some of the core trends for cupid’s big day. Kathryn Brand reports.

As the company notes, in the US alone, consumers spend a huge tally of $20 billion for romantic occasions, with a total of 79% of respondents in a recent survey revealing that buying confectionery is a big part of those moments.

We catch up with Dan Rodriguez who offers his thoughts on what are some of the hottest confectionery items that are being snapped off the shelves this year, as the market continues to look for a recovery from the pandemic.

Q: What are your most popular confectionery lines for Valentine’s Day? And has this changed in recent years or do the classics still top the table?

A: Ferrero’s Valentine’s Day treats are very popular. Ferrero Rocher, which has Valentine’s Day gift boxes in many different sizes, consistently ranks among the top Premium Chocolate items each Valentine’s Day, and Fannie May is currently the fastest growing Premium Chocolate brand in the United States. And it’s not just our Premium brands, Ferrero’s overall chocolate portfolio has outperformed category growth for three Januarys in a row now.

Q: What new Valentine’s Day products have you released this year and what are your expectations for these products?

A: A lot of the new products we’ve released this year are from our everyday chocolate brands, such as the Baby Ruth Heart Box featuring mini Baby Ruth chocolates in a heart shaped package perfect for gifting. We’ve also expanded with our Kinder line – offering the new Kinder Chocolate Love Gift Box, featuring 25 pieces of individually wrapped heart-shaped Kinder chocolate featuring smooth milk chocolate with a creamy milk filling. We have strong innovation with our premium brands as well featuring enhanced graphics and a more premium experience across our Rocher line.

Q: What specific chocolate trends are forecast for this year’s Valentine’s Day?

A. We anticipate to see candy and chocolate being the go-to option for Valentine’s Day gifting this year. In a recent study we did with the research platform Suzy, nearly 80% of respondents said they planned to buy candy for Valentine’s Day – beating out greeting cards, which nearly 45% of respondents say they plan to purchase.

Q: Do you sell any alternative or more unusual Valentine’s Day products? And what sort of uptake do you have for them?

A: People do seem more open and interested in options beyond chocolate for Valentine’s Day. For Ferrero’s part, Tic Tac’s Big Berry Adventure combines bold raspberry and blueberry flavors with a stand-out design. Big Berry Adventure is all dressed up for Valentine’s Day with heart-shaped graphics and is a fun addition to the classic chocolate gift.

Q: Valentine’s Day has traditionally been a day for romantic relationships between individuals, however it is becoming increasingly popular as a day to acknowledge love for family and friends too. Have you seen a reflection of this trend in your confectionery sales or in new product designs?

A: Absolutely we’ve seen people increasingly buy not only for their partners, but also for their kids, friends, teachers, etc. In our survey with Suzy, more than half of respondents plan to buy candy for their children and a quarter plan to buy candy for their friends. At Ferrero we’re working to make sure to offer the perfect solution for all of these occasions. Brands like Butterfinger and CRUNCH are perfect for classrooms and friends; Kinder Joy is a great family bonding item around holidays; while Ferrero Rocher and all our premium brands are perfect for sophisticated sharing with Galentine’s Day friends and of course, for your special someone.

As the pandemic has driven more people to relish time spent at home, what impact is this expected to have on the confectionery industry, this year and in those to come?
Chocolate sales in 2021 were up over 9% versus 2020, accelerated by very strong Halloween and winter holiday performance. We anticipate that celebrations at home, chocolate and candy will continue to make up a strong share of the over $20 billion Americans spend on Valentine’s Day.