With the cost-of-living crisis leading to consumers staying in rather than going out, the Big Night In category is set to benefit from the increasing popularity of more substantial Big Night In meals, such as burgers and hot dogs – driven, in part, by the rise in ‘Americana-style’ dishes on menus across the UK.
Consumers are looking for quick and easy ways to create ‘fakeaway’ favourites.
Mark Frossell, Senior National Account Manager at St Pierre Groupe, comments: “Baker Street’s range of Burger Buns and Hot Dog Rolls are ideal for consumers looking to recreate classic burgers and hot dogs, served with a variety of toppings. Baker Street’s recipes have been specifically developed for this purpose – with burger buns ‘built for burgers’ and hot dog rolls ‘ready to handle’ the load.”
Food waste also remains a big topic and people are looking to buy more longer-life food and drink products to help combat this.
Baker Street is cleverly packed to stay fresher for longer and guarantees a minimum life of 35 days from delivery to depot, helping retailers ensure on-shelf availability and reducing the risk of wastage.
This is a benefit for consumers who are looking for food items with a generous shelf-life to help cater to impromptu entertaining on Big Nights In.
While consumers are highly price sensitive in many categories, shoppers still want affordable indulgence and where relevant, premium products.
“The past few years have taught consumers how to make the most of at-home events and as the difficult economic situation continues, it’s all about ‘levelling up,’ taking hosting to new levels, and offering shoppers an exciting range of take-home options for their Big Night In,” adds Frossell. “In warm weather, Big Nights In call for a barbecue, or if it’s raining, burgers and buns, and Baker Street is key to capitalising on these sales opportunities. The trend for ‘super-sizing’ meals is also one that Baker Street can cater to, with Jumbo Hot Dog Rolls and Mega Burger Buns recently launching into ASDA and selling well in response to the growing consumer desire for ‘Big’ nights in, in every sense of the label!”
Baker Street’s best-selling products for the Big Night In are our Baker Street Burger Buns and Hot Dog Rolls, which give retailers extended-life options that allow for variety. Both can be used for a host of tasty Big Night In meals, including traditional ‘American style’ burgers and loaded hot dogs.
“It’s important for neighbourhood retailers to merchandise the categories effectively and make the most of their unique position to capitalise on top-up shops and impulse purchases around the Big Night In, including in the bakery category,” says Frossell. “Savvy retailers will note that growth in the bakery sector is being driven by rolls, so this is a good time to look at cross-merchandising by meal occasion, space-saving OFDs that direct footfall to key displays in-stores and offering multiple facings to popular products.”
“Retailers should make the most of the leading brands’ promotional activity to engage shoppers and keep them returning for their Big Night In purchases,” suggests Frossell. “Baker Street is supported with a calendar of promotional activity and above the line campaigns throughout the year. The brand focus in 2023 is on further pushing brand awareness, driving trial, and extending distribution. The Baker Street brand offers long-life bakery products, and attitudes towards extended life products are changing. All of its marketing and advertising activity is designed to communicate the benefits of its long-life proposition for retailers and consumers, for whom food waste is a growing concern.”
Josh Corrigan, Customer Development Director, UK at St Pierre Groupe, comments: “The Big Night In has always been a major market for retailers, catering to shoppers’ last-minute purchases of treats for impromptu get togethers, movie nights, sports events, and more.”
With the cost of living crisis impacting consumer shopping habits, Big Nights In offer an affordable alternative to going out. Local businesses and independents with an attractive offering across multiple categories, can win custom from the major multiples in the current climate.
“Savvy retailers will note that bakery plays an important part in the Big Night In and premium brands like St Pierre continue to prove popular, offering an easy way to elevate at-home meals for these occasions,” adds Corrigan. “The trend of premiumisation, which emerged during the pandemic, is not slowing as nights in are still more cost effective than nights out. Restaurant-quality food at home is still an appealing proposition for shoppers.”
Bakery plays a major part in catering for shoppers’ requirements for home entertaining and neighbourhood retailers need to offer quality options for shoppers looking for easy upgrades to their usual at-home menu. St Pierre Brioche and Seeded Brioche Buns and Rolls offer consumers a simple way to elevate the everyday, at-home, for spontaneous get togethers and Big Nights In. Brioche is growing in value by 34 per cent annually, and St Pierre is the biggest brand in the category, with a 47 per cent branded share. St Pierre is also Britain’s fastest growing bakery brand, with brand sales more than doubling in the last year at 123 per cent (Nielsen data w/e 11/03/23), proving shoppers will pay a bit more for premium products that deliver on quality.
Consumers are still choosing premium options as they look for ways to treat themselves well at home, and this hunger for premiumisation is driving sales across the bakery category.
The underlying statistics are significant. The latest research shows 2 in 5 (40 per cent) of us plan on going out less frequently in 2023 (CGA), and three fifths (61 per cent) are spending more cautiously than before (Attest), but we still want affordable indulgence, and consumers are opting for premium options when they entertain at home.
“Retailers should capitalise on the opportunity by offering more premium lines such as brioche from St Pierre,” says Corrigan. “Pre-sliced for convenience and benefiting from an extended shelf life to help reduce wastage, the St Pierre Brioche range enables shoppers to easily upgrade on their usual bakery items.”
Rachel Wells, UK Sales Director, St Pierre Groupe, comments: “For consumers, every evening meal has the potential to be a Big Night In, which presents a significant opportunity for retailers to maximise this occasion. Bakery is a key category for the Big Night In, as it is versatile across a multitude of mealtimes.”
Overall bakery sales have stabilised following the unprecedented demand in the pandemic, but the sector remains one of the biggest in grocery (Nielsen Data 52 weeks w/e 13/3/23).
“It’s important that retailers offer a wide range of bakery items to keep mealtimes varied and ensure their displays excite and inspire,” adds Wells. “This includes providing a premium offering, such as bakery staples from St Pierre Groupe’s St Pierre and Baker Street brands, to give shoppers the option of ‘trading up’ and make their Big Night In more special.”
St Pierre Groupe is the fastest growing bakery supplier in the top 10 and is the fifth largest in the UK, with sales growing 49 per cent year on year (Nielsen Value Sales – L52 Weeks June 2023). In rolls, a key component of the Big Night In, our total sales for St Pierre Groupe have grown 68 per cent in the last 52 weeks, to more than 9 per cent of the total (Nielsen Value Sales – L52 Weeks June 2023).
“To make sure shoppers see their store as the ‘go to’ place for Big Nights In, retailers should give popular products like those from St Pierre Groupe more than one facing; offer good, better and best options to cater to the trend for premiumisation; and consider long-life options so you can stock up in readiness for a sales surge,” says Wells. “Many retailers also promote their bestselling lines, including brand bakery products, on Facebook and Instagram, and highlight their availability from their delivery services.”
David Louis, sales and marketing director of field marketing company, Field Sales Solutions, comments: “Consumers won’t deprive themselves of drinks experiences despite the cost of living crisis. New analysis of 40 million UK social media posts and discussions on drinks habits and preferences, reveals consumers will continue to try new ideas, and at the same time seek out deals.”
The Brandwatch study by social media consultancy Immediate Future, finds that although price is a major consideration, the habit of exploring and experimenting with new drinks that started in lockdown, is being determinedly maintained.
However, cost is important, and is the main driver for choosing a night in vs a night out and captures 67 per cent of social media mentions relating to savings on drinks spending. Despite this, consumers do not want to feel deprived, will seek out deals, and continue to try new things.
“The cost factor is one that retailers and brands can capitalise on by using instore promotions to tempt consumers to stay in, save money and still enjoy drinks experiences,” adds Louis. “It presents a significant sales opportunity.”
For drinks brand owners, the opportunity is enhanced due to the unexpected benefit of the HFSS law, that blocks snack brands from using instore displays in multiples that were widely used as sales drivers. Snack brands were one of the biggest occupants of prime supermarket ‘red areas’ that attract the highest customer attention rates. These spaces are now far more readily available and allow drinks brand owners a higher level of opportunity to capitalise on consumer interest in trying new drinks experiences while saving money by not going out for the night.
“However, there are key recommendations to follow to maximise sales potential,” says Louis. “Many drinks brands still aren’t using the latest field marketing techniques to optimise targeting of instore marketing.”
Until recently field data was based on relatively crude metrics such as store size. Now, however, advances in data capture and analytics incorporate thousands of variables that enable precise targeting. This can be married with other information sources, including big data, that enables each store to be analysed for instore marketing on a one to one basis. It allows promotions to be targeted effectively to produce ROIs that were not previously obtainable.
“Another opportunity frequently overlooked is the ability to gain additional free presence in multiples by using dedicated brand teams to acquire extra space at no cost,” Louis continues. “There is a myth that this doesn’t happen, but it does. Brand representatives that work positively with store managers can obtain permission to utilise empty gondola locations, and other fixtures. It happens far more often than is realised, with brands frequently paying a fraction of perceived cost for the instore presence they command.”
Building relationships with store managers also creates another important sales bonus. At a time when the reduction of retail staff means empty shelf space is rarely promptly replenished, brand teams that offer store managers a helping hand by offering to tidy fixtures and other generic tasks, receive favours in return when they are no longer present. They find their products are restocked by retail staff when others aren’t. It is not possible for any brand to employ merchandisers on a fulltime basis, but it is possible to create favouritism that leads to a brand being restocked while others remain missing from shelves.
There is also an advantage in closely evaluating consumer response to instore activity. Tracking and understanding what elements of promotions work best and what don’t, allows incremental changes to be made that together create notable sales uplifts. No matter how good the initial design and execution of a campaign, there are always elements that can be refined to increase sales. Instore response evaluation also enables future campaigns to be better planned from the start.
“Traditionally, heightened instore activity by drinks brands is mostly reserved for seasonal events and major international sporting competitions,” adds Louis. “However, the cost of living crisis combined with consumers determinedly being on the lookout for new drinks experiences, plus fallout from HFSS, provides a real opportunity to generate impulse buying. Applying effective instore marketing to this scenario can produce significant sales returns.”
Clare Newton, Trade Marketing Executive at Swizzels, said: “The cost-of-living crisis has led to a greater desire for affordable treats than ever before. At home family and social occasions have been growing in importance, making our hanging bags grow in popularity as they contain a selection of well-loved sweets with something for everyone – perfect for sharing with your loved ones.”
Consumers are starting to reduce the amount of activities that they participate in outside of the home, like trips to the cinema, they often switch to in-home entertainment, such as inviting friends and family round for movie nights- social events like this are perfect for sharing some sweets with friends and family.
Sugar confectionery has become an integral part of wholesalers’ and retailers’ sweet treat offerings, as they provide a great alternative to chocolate especially during the summer months.
Other categories performing particularly well on a Big Night In are the soft drinks category, chocolate sugar confectionery, savoury snacks category, batter and dough-based snacks category.
New, improved flavours will shape future sugar confectionery innovation with increased consumer interest in having a wider range of sweet flavours available and a broader variety of sophisticated sweets targeted at adults (Mintel).
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