6 min read
What are people looking for in chocolate? Chocolate trends for 2023
Given the increasing concern of the population for a healthy diet, as well as the disadvantages of consuming artificial ingredients, chocolate trends in organic products, which incorporate natural ingredients and no added sugars, are reinforced. In addition to these trends, there’s also a demand for premium chocolates, as well as vegan chocolates.
Taking into account these trends, having consumer insights into the chocolate market will allow you to validate your proposal, thus ensuring the success of your new product. Hence the importance of research, specifically concept testing, is a technique that will allow you to identify the potential of your product by validating new niches. Read on to find out all the advantages of testing your new product in the chocolate market!
The chocolate industry is a category of constant growth and innovation. An increasingly competitive market where consumers are looking for the highest quality, increasing the demand for products:
- Premium (quality of ingredients, as well as dark chocolates with high cocoa percentage).
- Healthier, made with natural ingredients and “no added sugars”.
- Organic and sustainable (certificates certifying the sustainable origin of cocoa), thus betting on responsible consumption.
- Vegan (100% vegetable options without sacrificing flavor): 60% of millennials and Gen-Z expect plant-based chocolate options from all brands.
Chocolate trends in which brands such as Nestlé are present, with the Rainforest Alliance certification seal, which can be found on its tablets that certify the sustainable origin of cocoa. Lindt, with its launch in 2022, specifically on World Vegan Day, of Lindt Vegan, a range of vegan chocolate bars made with oat milk. And Cadbury, which in 2021, and after two years of development, launched two variants of vegan chocolate made with almond paste to provide a similar taste and texture to milk ingredients.
Concept test for new chocolate product ideas
Considering the wide variety of types of chocolates, as well as the strength of the main chocolate brands in the UK and US, when developing the description of new chocolate it’s key to ask yourself, is your new product conceptually attractive to the consumer? If it’s not sufficiently relevant, your product will go unnoticed on the shelf.
Hence the importance of evaluating the concept of your new product in order to maximize its chances of success in the marketplace. The concept test will allow you to validate the description, identifying the interest of chocolate consumers in the product. Find out in this article what a concept test is and how to perform one easily.
For example, in the case of a new vegan milk chocolate with sustainability certification, the concept test would allow you to identify the valuation and interest in the new product and know the niche target willing to buy the new product. That is to say, which is the target that presents the greatest interest in the new product, and which aspects of the new chocolate it values and mobilizes the most.
Benefits of testing your new concept in the chocolate market
The concept test allows you to:
- Identify its potential, as well as possible optimizations.
- Know the target most suitable for the new product, identifying niche targets.
Specifically:
- Validate the concept
- Identify the potential of the “Reason Why” as well as the “Reason to believe”.
- Ensure that the attributes shown are credible
- Confirm fit with the brand
- Know the main motivations and barriers
All this information will allow you to identify the target with the greatest potential for the new product.
Main KPIs in a concept test
The key questions to validate and optimize your new concept in the chocolate market are:
- Product rating: likes & dislikes.
- Degree of relevance.
- If it is perceived as new and different.
- Grade of credibility, thus identifying if there’s some overpromise.
- Purchase intention (without a price and with price).
- Value for money.
- If it fits with the brand.
- The image conveyed by the new product, knowing what specific characteristics related to the new chocolate trends are associated with the new proposal.
Through the Zinklar platform, you can ask any of the above questions for your concept test, as well as perform any other phase of your innovation process such as an idea screening or a naming test.
Ready to test your new concept in the chocolate market and identify your niche target? Contact us!
