Grocery stores know that shoppers love snacks. Whether celebrating the weekend or consoling themselves in tough times, those tempting treats are real crowd-pleasers. Let’s put some figures on it, in case you’re not convinced:

• US retail sales of chocolate products top $6 billion annually [source: Statista]
• Hard candy sales were up 20% in the year to July 2022 [source: Candy Industry]
• In 2021, the average American spent $144.90 on chocolate [source: Dame Cacao]
• The confectionery sector is anticipated to achieve a CAGR of 3.67% from 2022-2027 and hit a market value of $221 Billion [source: EIN Newswire]

That’s a lot of sweet goodness to partake in. Ensure you have your slice by investing in a line of confectionery products. You certainly have plenty of choices. Atlantic Dominion Distributors carries a line of over 1,300 options when it comes to candy, gum, and mint products and 450 sweet snack options from manufacturers. 

Let’s look a little deeper at how candy, Oreos, Sugar Wafer, Pop-Tarts, and chocolate products can help maximize your retail revenue. We’ll take the top reasons one by one.

1: Confectionery is more diverse than ever before

The confectionery sector has diversified more than ever before. In-boxed chocolates alone you can choose between fair trade, luxury, budget, gluten-free, vegan, or organic products. This means you can select a product line to suit your ideal clientele or go wide to the net for as many customers as possible.

From fairtrade, organic truffles to classic Reese’s Pieces, the choice is yours – get creative with a display of classic American sweets or highlight a vegan selection. It’s not all about attracting younger buyers either. Did you know that over 58% of US confectionery purchases are made by adults?

2: Brand innovation is at an all-time high

New, eye-catching, palette-tempting products are coming onstream all the time, keeping wholesale convenience store suppliers like us busy! This profusion of choice means you’ll always have something new to brighten up your shelves. 

The latest hits in the confectionery at the Sweets and Snacks Expo 2022 include delicious chocolate-covered freeze-dried strawberries and Lindt & Sprüngli’s Oatmilk chocolate bars. Innovative technologies (freeze-drying) and ingredients (oat milk) allow confectioners to create ever-more surprising and delightful products. These novelties pique consumers’ curiosity and impulse purchasing follows.

3: Seasonal purchases are (almost) recession-proof

Little resists recessionary belt-tightening like confectionery. In 2021, it was reported that US consumers expected to spend an average of $115 on food and candy in non-gift holiday shopping, a $5 increase on 2020’s spend. We may be trying to cut down our food bills at other times of the year but Easter, Valentine’s Day, Halloween, and the winter holidays remain highly lucrative for one food sector overall – confectionery.

In fact, the many opportunities a retailer has for stocking up and offering sale deals on confectionery is one of the product line’s biggest draws. For many families, Halloween candy is practically mandatory, and what says “I love you” better on Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day than a box of luxury chocolates? Combined with gift flowers, those front-of-store displays can be highly profitable.

4: Candy draws the eye and tempts the senses

The visual, sensual, and even aromatic lure of confectionery makes it a real feast for the senses. This draws in passing trade and makes impulse buyers linger. Consumers love to add a chocolate bar to their shopping as a reward for surviving the supermarket sweep. And all those small purchases can really add up. 

According to Food & Beverage Insider, 71% of consumers usually purchase confectionery at their local grocery store. The National Confectioners Association reported a 9.2% increase in chocolate sales and an impressive 14.5% rise in non-chocolate sales in their annual State of Treating Report. We are all impulse buyers, in other words, when it comes to the candy aisles. We all still love a treat!

5: Confectionery products are long-lasting and have high turnover

Unlike other perishable products, confectionery, when displayed at the right temperature, has a long shelf life. A 2016 study revealed that “the high level of sugar present in confectionery products makes confectionery products less prone to microbiological spoilage,” meaning that these items can be stored on average between 12-24 months.

Only tinned and preserved goods can compete with that durability. Of course, choose your product line well and regularly cycle your displays and you won’t need to draw upon even a fraction of that duration. Confectionery, by its very nature, is high turnover. A tin of lentils might spend months in a consumer’s closet, but those Hershey bars won’t! Talk to wholesale convenience store suppliers about what products have the longest shelf life – the chances are a large proportion of them are confectionery items.

6: Employ nostalgia and benefit from the classics

There’s a reason why Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory remains a bestseller, and why Hollywood has made several movies of this perennial favorite – sweet treats are irrepressibly nostalgic. Leverage that glows of memory and sentiment by stocking a range of all-time classics, or boiled sweets in jars for an old-time sweet shop vibe.

Many of our confectionery bestsellers have been in constant production for a century or more. Think Good and Plenty, first produced in 1893, or Clark Bars, which dates back to 1917. The iconic Hershey’s brand has been in existence since 1900. Some European-originating brands like Lindt and Fry date to the early Victorian era.

A good convenience store food distributor will stock a generous range of these all-time classics, which consumers associate with good memories and shared celebrations.

7: Confectionery is eternal

All of this is to say that chocolate, candy, and gum are here to stay. No good grocery is complete without a well-stocked treat counter. Whether in boom time or bust, chocolate is a must. Stock your convenience store or grocery with a line of snack products from leading grocery store distributors, Atlantic Dominion. We are ready to leap off your shelves and into the pockets of tempted customers. 

Check out our snack and confectionery product lines today. Call now on (800)468-6612