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How Confectionery Has Changed - Guest Feature with Doisy & Dam

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Confectionery has been reimagined. Going after a foodie-loving, yet ethically-minded audience can unlock success for Independent Retailers. But what exactly does this confectionery look like? Which ranges should they list in-store? Doisy & Dam chocolate is the perfect companion for a healthier and more aware shopper without dropping all the fun!

Here's what retailers need to know thanks to category insights from Olivia Sinclair, Marketing Manager at leading vegan chocolate brand, Doisy & Dam.

  • 49% of shoppers will change brands to try more sustainable products (Source: Nielsen State of the Nation Survey 2020| Q17)
  • 41% are willing to pay more for these products (Source: Nielsen State of the Nation Survey 2020| Q17)
  • 42% of the UK are more likely to try new brands than they were 5 years ago (Source: Nielsen Global Consumer Loyalty Survey (Q1, 2019) Disloyalty- Q40.)
  • Chocolate is one of the UK’s biggest FMCG categories, reaching 98.7% of British households in the past year. (Source: Kantar 12 w/e 8 August 2020)
  • There has been clear growth in chocolate since COVID-19: Blocks are up £67.4m (+61.6%) and Share bags are up £12.5m (+14.6%). Kantar 12 w/e 8 August 2020

What Makes Doisy & Dam a Category Winner

Our dark chocolate is fun, bold and delicious. Some of our favourites like our Ballers or Truffles take well-known classics and reimagine them with dark chocolate. Others, like our goji and orange or our maple, sea salt and rice bars take fun and new combinations and make the most delicious chocolate that you won’t want to put down. All of our chocolates are palm oil free, vegan and use only natural ingredients that your grandma would recognise!

These facts mean that we are in the right place to hit the growing trends of customers being more interested in health and wellness, sustainability and convenience.

We only make dark chocolate products, as we use high-quality cocoa that doesn’t need anything added to it. This is right on trend, as dark chocolate is driving the total confectionery market* and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.

We know people are fickle when it comes to their confectionery (confectionery is the 3rd most disloyal category**) – meaning people are keen to give new brands and flavours a go. By creating exciting and tasty dark chocolate combinations that will appeal to everyone’s taste buds, we’re excited to be right on trend.

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The Vegan Impact on Confectionery

We’re seeing the rise of veganism grow year on year, as demonstrated by the record-breaking 500,000 sign-ups seen this year by the charity Veganuary UK. This is matched by new vegan brands popping up and more studies discussing the benefits of a more plant-based lifestyle.

We really admire brands like Allplants – the vegan-ready meal company – who position themselves as flexitarians. We think this is bang on. Far from being exclusive, vegan treats can be enjoyed by everyone and have the widest audience.

This is also seen in bigger brands and supermarkets, with retailers expanding their plant-based ranges and offerings and well-known brands like Bounty, Galaxy and Topic chocolate bars creating vegan versions to ensure that there is an offering suitable for everyone

"Being a small brand means we can get close to our suppliers, retailers and customers"

Finally, in the last 12 months, we saw David Attenborough’s Life On Our Planet documentary come out, and that shone a light on palm oil and its link to deforestation. We made a promise when we started making chocolate to never, ever include palm oil in our chocolates (most companies do), because we actively want to ensure our chocolate does no harm. There is growing awareness around palm oil and its destructive nature, so we’re glad to be a brand people can rely on to match their values if they’re avoiding it from their diets.

Independent Retailers and Challenger Brands

People seek out shopping in Independent Retailers because they know they can get something different and unique that they can’t get elsewhere.

We’re also very strongly passionate about sustainably growing, and we know many independent retailers feel the same. Being a small brand means we can get close to our suppliers, retailers and customers, and we think that sense of community and transparency is what people love about shopping small.

Knowing that sustainability is a team sport, we don’t want to pit other brands against each other, but we are mighty proud of our commitment to making better chocolate with better ingredients and better ethics.

We have a commitment here to make all of our chocolates with only ethically sourced cocoa. We want chocolate that makes the world a better place and choose cocoa from growers in Colombia who are just as passionate about the planet as we are.

The impact retailers play in their community and the decisions brands make which impact the supply chain, are surprisingly similar.

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Why Consumer's Habits Are Changing

We have seen a change in consumer habits post-COVID, where 56% of consumers are shopping in neighbourhood stores or buying more locally sourced products* meaning consumers are favouring local independent stores.

Doisy & Dam has also seen that 61% of consumers are making more environmentally friendly, sustainable or ethical purchases with 89% likely to continue post-crisis***, this again supports the idea that consumers will shop in local and independent shops that can provide these kinds of products.

We think that a world where consumers are the most informed, they’ve ever been, asking the most of brands they’ve ever asked before and expecting transparency back to farm and field like never before, is great. It’s holding brands accountable and will reward brands who are using their business a force for good in the communities they work in, as well as delivering to the consumer the fun and exciting product they’re after.

This has also been a chance for brands who haven’t typically been so transparent to hit the Reset button and reflect on their business models and supply chains.

Ordering Doisy & Day with Epicurium

Have you started to reflect on new trends in your confectionery range? As experts in wholesome chocolate snacks, the team at Epicurium offer a carefully curated range of the best confectionery range for retailers – from surefire hits to some of the freshest new brands on the market. With independent brands stealing a march on the more established brand names, driven by authenticity and a strong online brand presence.

We think there is an opportunity to keep on innovating within sustainably sourced chocolate. Doisy & Dam is the ideal range for retailers looking to offer an on-trend, ethical confectionery range.

With a quick turnaround of 24-48 hours, no minimum order number and free delivery on any order over £80, our team here at Epicurium can have you tapping into the most on-trend confectionery ranges in no time.

*IRI Chocolate Report – Total Market – MAT to 09.08/20 vs MAT to 11/08/19

** Nielsen Global Consumer Loyalty Survey (Q1, 2019) Q42.

***Accenture COVID-19: New habits are here to stay for retail consumers. 3rd August 2020.

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