Which Sweet Snacks Are Your Consumers Craving?

Cookies, candy and ice cream are classic childhood snacks. Since consumers often see snacks as treats, it’s no surprise sweet options remain consumer favorites as they age. However, with the changing definition of snacking and an awareness of health moving to the forefront, sweet snacks have evolved on restaurant menus. Operators need to find the sweet spot—pun intended—to compete for share of this uber-appealing snack type.

The Sweet Spot

Consumers find sweet snacks more appealing than all other snack types, including better-for-you snacks, regional Hispanic snacks, snackified entrees, breakfast snacks, late-night snacks and plant-based protein snacks. Almost three-quarters of consumers (74%) find sweet snacks appealing, with 36% saying they find them very appealing. People between 25 and 34 are the most likely to find sweet snacks alluring, with 82% agreeing. Other demographics to consider:

• Women (76%)

• Millennials (81%)

• Westerners (76%)

• Mixed ethnic background (91%).

Despite the fact that consumers find sweet snacks more appealing than all other snack types, the percentage of consumers who say they would like to see added sweet snacks on restaurant menus is lower than all other snack types. Just 46% of consumers would like to see more sweet snacks at restaurants, though skews are greater for 25- to 35-year-olds (61%) and Hispanics (62%).

Maybe your customers see sweet snacks as unhealthy.

Combat this by offering better-for-you sweet snacks! Operators can use quality cues like fresh, natural and real as well as fruits or other healthful ingredients to add a better-for-you halo around sweet snacks. Plus, many healthy ingredients are innately sweet, such as acai, cacao and strawberry, which is a double bonus for operators looking to menu better-for-you sweet snacks.

• ON THE MENU: Dunkin’ Donuts’ Multigrain Instant Oatmeal uses multigrain oats, real brown sugar, dried fruit and other natural flavors to give this sweet snack a better-for-you slant.

Sweet Snack Preferences

When it comes to sweet snacks that consumers purchase most often, the classics rule. Ice cream and cookies lead with about three-quarters of consumers saying they purchase these types of sweet snacks at least once every 90 days. Not all demographics agree on their favorites, however. Here are some notable demographic variances in sweet snack preferences:

• Women are more likely than men to purchase all sweet snack varieties, with the exception of pie (39% of men, compared to 36% of women).

• Ice cream is the favorite of every generation except millennials: 77% prefer cookies, while just 71% enjoy ice cream.

• Ice cream is also the favorite of every ethnicity with the exception of Hispanics and those with a mixed ethnic background, both of whom prefer cookies.

• After cookies and brownies, the second runner-up is a tie among various age groups: candy for consumers 18 to 24 and those 45 and older; cupcakes for 25- to 34-year-olds; and equally cake and candy for 35- to 44-year-olds.

• Hispanics (37%), mixed ethnic background (36%), and Asian (22%) consumers all are more likely to purchase ethnic desserts, such as churros, than black/African-American (15%) or Caucasian (13%) consumers.