National Candy Month study reveals consumer desire for reduced sugar confectionery

As National Candy month progresses in the US, a key sopping rewards app, Shopkick has discovered that 47% of consumers are actively seeking out healthier confectionery options when considering their next treat, reports Neill Barston.

The study comes amid an ongoing global focus on wellbeing and health that accelerated during the pandemic, and has continued to gain traction in its wake, with manufacturers responding through ramping up programmes of reformulating products, or offering portion controlled offerings.

According to the latest Shopkick study of more than 7,000 people, a total of 87% regularly eat candy, though decreasing sugar intake emerged as a notable priority for many respondents.

Among the main insights from the research was that chocolate remains the favourite category among the majority of consumers (91 percent in 2023; 90 percent in 2022). Like last year, Reese’s and M&M’s are nearly tied for consumers’ favorite chocolate candy (56 and 57 percent respectively), followed by Snickers and KitKats (47 percent respectively) and Hershey’s (44 percent).

As regards flavours, besides chocolate, the next most popular category of candy is sweet (62 percent), followed by sour (33 percent), minty (30 percent) and spicy (10 percent). The candy brands consumers love the most in each category are Starburst (51 percent), Sour Patch Kids (70 percent), York Peppermint Patties (65 percent), and Hot Tamales (58 percent).

Notably, lower sugar intake was another considerable factor – of those who do not regularly purchase candy (13 percent), 50 percent say it is to decrease their sugar consumption. Of those who do regularly purchase candy (87 percent), almost half (47 percent) seek out “healthy” candy alternatives. Americans’ favorite “healthy” candies are BarkThins (31 percent), SkinnyDipped Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups (30 percent), and SmartSweets Low-Sugar Gummies (23 percent).

On shopping habits, the  vast majority of consumers (87 percent) are regularly buying candy. When it comes to frequency, 37 percent of shoppers buy candy a few times a month, whereas 18 percent buy a few times a week, and 17 percent buy once a week.

As regards budgets, when it comes to how much consumers are willing to spend to satisfy their need for treats, about half (48 percent) are willing to spend between $5 and $10. Other consumers are willing to spend less than $5 (34 percent), between $11 and $20 (14 percent) and between $21 and $50 (3 percent).

Significantly, a total of Ninety-two percent of candy consumers purchase them at grocery stores. Other popular candy hubs are convenience stores (41 percent), candy stores (17 percent), movies and concerts (12 percent), and online (7 percent).

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the best place to enjoy treats was considered to be at home (90%), while some consumers snack on sugar while traveling in cars, airplanes, trains and boats (67 percent) and at the movie theatre (32 percent), with 91% staying loyal to favourite candy brands.