December 17, 2010

Taste is king – but don't forget the experience

The main reason why consumers buy chewing gum is because they like the taste. Whether Spearmint, Aniseed or Mango & Pineapple, taste has always driven sales.

But as Private Label and branders vie for a share of the market, how are they reacting to ever-increasing demand for more innovative and exciting products.

The big flavours

Since the early days of chewing gum, the top of the sales charts have consistently featured flavours based on mint. As the illustration below shows, Spearmint and Peppermint are undoubtedly the most popular flavours, accounting for around 35% of the US market in 2009-10.

The European market generally follows the same trend, though with some regional variations. As the illustration below shows, fruit flavours are very popular with Spanish consumers (and also the Portuguese), especially Strawberry. In terms of chewing gum properties, consumers in countries like these rate indulgence above fresh breath and dental care.

Looking further down the rankings, the selection of flavours becomes more diverse. Here, a high degree of innovation and rotation sees other mint flavours and exotic fruit combinations swapping places constantly.
 
Satisfying the ‘entertain me!’ generation

The table below shows the distribution of chewing gum consumers by age in France, Germany, Spain and the UK. It shows that the most frequent users of gum products are aged between 15 and 24.

Consumers in this age group are exposed to a huge number of advertising messages every day, offering a constant supply of new and exciting products with that special 'Wow’ factor. Whether it's the latest mobile phone, MP3 player or sportswear, companies are all trying to capture this lucrative market.

It's natural, therefore, that these consumers have come to expect all products to be innovative, unique and exciting – including chewing gum. The chewing gum industry recognises that taste alone is no longer going to sell; they need to develop products with the ‘Wow’ factor.

Listed below are some of the ways that gum manufacturers have succeeded in producing concepts that satisfy this demand.

• Involve me!
  Products with multiple individual flavours, such as strawberry and melon, which combine to produce a third flavour – watermelon.
  
• Excite me!
  Flavours that change over time, for example from fruit to mint or warm to cold.
  
• Tease me!
  Products where the consumer has to guess a mystery flavour.
  
• Spoil me!
  Indulgent and extra sweet products, such as Key Lime Pie, Strawberry Shortcake and Mint Chocolate Chip. The benefit of these seemingly unhealthy types of products is that they are still sugarfree.
  
• Fantasy names
  ‘Old wine in new bottles’. Recognisable flavours re-marketed with unique names, exciting packaging and fascinating textures for a full sensory experience.

In touch with demand

At Gumlink Confectionery Company, we have our finger on the pulse of these trends and invest heavily to deliver concepts that consumers want. At the ISM 2011 Trade Fair in Cologne, Germany at the end of January, we will be unveiling some of our latest exciting concepts to the world. For more information about the products we will be unveiling at the world's largest trade fair within sweets and biscuits, read our article Trading sweets isn’t just for kids.