KitKat Mini Moments are an assortment of five snack-sized flavors, including caramel, mocha, cookies and cream, hazelnut, and the original KitKat milk chocolate. They are primarily developed for “gifting or self-treat,” according to NITR’s general manager, Stewart Dryburgh.
Growing purchasing power of millennial travelers
Dryburgh told ConfectioneryNews it is the industry’s role to find innovative and engaging ways to encourage sales outside price-driven promotions.
“With the emergence of various traveling demographics that have a growing purchasing power, we see an opportunity to get back to full values through valued added innovative products,” he said.
Nestlé said earlier research showed Millennials are crucial to the travel retail channel as they currently represent 52% of all travelers and 50% of all buyers, with a spending power of $13bn worldwide.
Stewart Dryburgh
"KitKat Mini Moments is designed to drive full value sales for retailers through consumer relevant innovation and the highest quality product. KitKat Mini Moments presents a great opportunity to drive confectionery sales in the travel retail environment."
“This is especially true for the Chinese market as 40% of the country’s travelers are Millennials. KitKat Mini Moments is positioned to appeal to Millennials and consumers who actively seek new experiences and flavors,” Dryburgh added.
Nestlé first introduced KitKat to China, where Mars tops the chocolate category sales, in December 2015, and the brand has reported initial success with a formulation tailored to local palettes.
Nestlé has previously targeted travelers using local KitKat flavors. When it debuted its Sake-flavored KitKat in Japan last year, the company said it was created to deliver cultural experience with national ingredients and flavor for foreign tourists. It also launched 19 other KitKat flavors, each tied to a regional ingredient, to appeal to domestic travelers.
Aligning with ‘perfect store’ concept
NITR suggested the launch of KitKat Mini Moments is in line with its “perfect store” concept, which the company introduced at the TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference in Singapore last year.
The concept aims at assessing how consumers of different nationalities behave and how they can be influenced at different touch points, this site previously reported.
“Increasing store penetration, conversion and spend is crucial in challenging times,” Dryburgh said. “This can only be achieved through continual understanding of the evolving travel retail consumer which is why we continue to heavily invest in research.”
“These form an integral part of the perfect store… offering retailers an insight-driven category approach that delivers sales growth while enabling the conversion of travelers into shoppers and shoppers to buyers.”