Hershey pioneers new innovation in retail AR at 2024 Sweets & Snacks Expo

Momin Bhatti, Hershey associate manager, corporate communications, said the company is ”super excited” about the launch of Reese's Caramel Big Cup, where the retail sales team has utilized augmented reality (AR) and image recognition (IR) to help retailers make data-driven decisions to optimize merchandise placement and increase sales.

AR generates an image of what the product would like in a specific location. IR tracks the merchandise and its in-store location to gather insights on how placement impacts sales and the shopping experience and ultimately designed to help consumers find the product in busy shopping aisles.

Bhatti said Hershey will be rolling the new technology out with other products as well, and is a great example of the type of innovation seen at this year’s Expo.

“We are very very excited to be here in Indianapolis, there’s a lot of energy on the floor, a lot of excitement. And we're particularly excited about all the innovation that we're able to showcase this event,” he said. “We're going to have a strong 2025 lineup as well and we're very confident in the innovation that we're doing across our brands.”

In a strong presence at the Expo, Hershey also showcased new product innovation for some its popular brands including:

•           Reese’s Caramel Big Cup

•           KIT KAT Pink Lemonade

•           KIT KAT Vanilla

•           Hershey’s Crunchy Waffle Cone Bars

•           Ice Breakers Sparkling Mints Pineapple Mango Seltzer Flavor

•           Dot’s Homestyle Pretzels Parmesan Garlic Flavor

•           SkinnyPop Cheddar Jalapeño 

Team USA

To celebrate the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024, and Hershey’s ongoing partnership with Team USA it also unveiled Reese's Medals with their legendary combination of chocolate and peanut butter.

 “We’re excited to expand Reese’s, the #1 CMG brand, to our first summer shape with Reese’s Medals,” said Chuck Raup, Hershey president, US Confection.

“It follows our hugely successful launch of Reese’s Caramel Big Cup, currently the #1 innovation in CMG. The gooey layer of caramel directly responds to consumers' desires, offering them a delightful twist on the classic Reese’s chocolate and peanut butter combination while opening new avenues for category growth.”