The United States is the largest consumer of candy in the world (although we fall second to Sweden in consumption per capita). The average American eats almost 25 pounds of candy per year, half of which comes from chocolate bars. To put that in economic terms, Americans spend an average of $8 billion every year on treats. Some will argue that a bulk of those purchases are made during Halloween, Easter, and Christmas (holiday purchases do make up about 51% of the market), but the truth of the matter is that people are eating candy every day.

Perhaps surprisingly, the top two best selling candy products in the world—M&Ms and Snickers bars—are manufactured by an American company: Mars, Incorporated. And while other countries around the world may consume more chocolate than the U.S., we certainly make up the difference by consuming more gum, mints, hard candies, licorice, caramels, and more.

Are you cashing in on these statistics? Do an inventory of your current product mix to see what kinds of candies you are offering. According to the information above, half of what you are offering should be chocolate and the other half should be other kinds of sweet treats.

Next, is your candy display toward the front of the store to immediately catch your customers’ attention? Do you also have a secondary offering at the cashier’s counter to take advantage of impulse buys? Do you use your store’s window space effectively to market your candy, especially around holidays like Halloween, Easter, Christmas, and even Mother’s Day? Keep in mind that approximately 70% of Americans believe that giving candy as a gift to others is an acceptable way to celebrate holidays. Why shouldn’t they come to you to purchase it?

Let Atlantic Dominion Distributors provide you with everything your candy-craving consumers are looking for. We have established relationships with major manufacturers like Hershey, Mars, Nestle, Wrigley, and Just Born, who create the brands people love, including Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Pieces, Kit Kat, Hershey Kisses, M&Ms, Snickers, Mars Bar, Mike & Ike, Hot Tamales, and all kinds of hard candies and gums.