It’s all about chocolate as usual, this Valentine’s Day, and there’s plenty of options for retailers to consider when planning a range of gifting options.
Valentine’s Day is all about happiness and love – and there’s no love quite like the love of chocolate. Stocking a good range of gifting options for your shoppers will definitely be appreciated, particularly among those very busy shoppers who somehow manage to forget to pick an appropriate present up for their loved one until the very last minute.
And it must be top quality. Who wants to receive a box of cheap chocolates from the love of their life on 14 February?
Ferrero UK has some great options among the huge list of products it recently launched as part of its spring collection – and that spring 2021 range is being backed by a £5.8m ad campaign so the company’s many famous brands are likely to be front of mind next month as the big day approaches.
With coronavirus still very much influencing customer behaviour and purchasing decisions, Levi Boorer, Customer Development Director at Ferrero, comments: “People will likely be eager to make spring events like Valentine’s Day even more special and turn to more premium brands to add some sparkle.
“Although there has been physical distance, gifting has remained key, with shoppers happy to spend extra in order to treat loved ones after what has been a challenging year. Both Rocher and Collection are performing ahead of the category, with the former in value growth of +2.6% [Nielsen, Sep 20]. Our aim will be to focus on this success, with our trusted brands and products helping to ensure retailers can provide exactly what shoppers are looking for in store as we approach Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Easter.”
Ferrero Rocher
Lovestruck shoppers looking to treat their better half on Valentine’s Day can’t go wrong with Ferrero Rocher and the confectionery giant’s range is being supported across multiple channels at each occasion throughout spring.
Last year Ferrero Rocher T16 (200g) grew by a whopping 24% [Nielsen, Mar 2020] while Ferrero collection grew by 15%, according to the same stats, showing just how important it is for retailers to stock the core range.
Ferrero Rocher T24 (300g) also remains the number one boxed chocolate SKU at Valentine’s Day, giving retailers a popular gifting solution that will retain its relevance after the event too.
Thorntons
Thorntons Classic was the fastest growing boxed chocolate brand at both Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day last year [Nielsen]. To help grow the brand further, the company has launched Thorntons Classic gift-wrapped ‘With Love’ packs which benefit from a more premium design to entice new shoppers to the brand.
The wider Thorntons brand experienced early growth of +6% during spring 2020 [Nielsen, Apr 2020], prior to the national lockdown impacting store visits, and was the only confectionery brand in the top seven to grow in terms of both value (+6.3%) and volume (+21.2%) in that initial period.
“Shoppers are emotionally invested within the confectionery category as the brands help them celebrate the moments they share with loved ones,” adds Boorer.
“With our established core range, media campaigns, POS solutions and new products, we want to do all we can to support retailers during Valentine’s Day and the other spring occasions. We always strive to offer retailers and shoppers the right balance of seasonal specials, which drive awareness and interest to the category, in addition to helping drive sales all year round with the core range.”
