Mars has announced its convenience store strategy and new product launches for 2025. As we move closer to the new year, Q4 is a time for new product development research and reveals, campaign strategies and marketing announcements.
The global household name, which operates across multiple confectionery categories, chose the US National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), held in October 2024, to detail the trends and demands influencing its strategy for the convenience store sector.
“Convenience stores play an integral role for Mars’ consumers, helping to make our beloved brands like M&M’S, Snickers, Skittles and Orbit an easy and viable option for their routines,” says Mike Gilroy, VP of trade development and sponsorship at Mars Wrigley.
Adventure shapes Mars’ 2025 strategy
Trying new confectionery products, ingredients and finishes is at the forefront of the trends and factors shaping Mars’ 2025 branding and strategy. Data indicates that almost three-quarters (71%) of adult consumers find new products and brands in convenience stores.
Today’s shoppers are asking for a wider variety of products in new formats and textures.
“Consumers on the go are more likely to be adventurous with their purchases, making variety key,” says Gilroy. Mars has created new formats and texture offerings to continue to reach core consumers and attract new audiences. By pairing its familiar brands with trialling new products, Mars hopes to capture enthusiasm from new and existing audiences.
Mars-owned Snickers has launched its pecan variety. Its new product is designed to add a tasty twist to the brand’s candy bar. Snickers seeks to offer consumers both savoury and sweet flavour profiles by combining caramel, nougat and milk chocolate.
Fast shopping for on-the-go consumers
Data demonstrating the popularity of convenience store shopping has informed Mars’ sales strategy. According to NACS and relayed at this year’s Sweet & Snacks Expo, 93% of the US population say they are within ten minutes of a convenience store. Furthermore, half the US population over 14 shops at a c-store daily. “C-stores are a must-win for Mars,” Gilroy says.
Mars did not share the percentage of its sales that comes from convenience stores. However, it highlights the role c-store shopping plays in modern-day confectionery consumption. “Shoppers continue to turn to C-stores for their accessible and fast shopping experience,” Gilroy shares.
Targeting Gen Z shoppers
Generation Z shoppers, born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s, are a particularly captive audience and focus for Mars as it rolls out its new products and 2025 strategy.
According to Statista, almost half (47%) of US Gen Z shoppers would do most of their shopping online if the opportunity to access e-commerce is available. Yet, despite online being a leading shopping channel for the demographic, convenience stores are a big one for Mars’ strategy when it comes to targeting Gen Z shoppers.
“Gen Z is particularly loyal to c-stores, providing an opportunity to build further fandom with our iconic brands,” says Gilroy. Mars has found that 92% of Gen Z enjoy the C-store experience while 91% feel C-stores provide a good shopping experience.
Fun and flavourful experiences
Mars strives to remain culturally relevant and meet consumer preferences with its latest launches. “We know that our consumers are looking for more experiences from our products and new ways to enjoy them, which drives our innovation strategy,” says Gilroy.
Fun and popular flavour combinations are vital to Mars convenience store strategy. “When it comes to pairing chocolate with a flavour, peanut butter is the most sought-after flavour by consumers in the category,” Gilroy says.
Mars Wrigley strives to meet consumer taste preferences by building on its existing peanut butter products by adding M&M’s Peanut Butter Minis, Megas and Peanut Butter & Jelly to its portfolio in 2025. Snickers’ Shapes, which is made with peanuts and milk chocolate, is designed to offer fun-shaped chocolate bars. The brand is introducing its latest product variety with Snickers Trees, which it will launch over the upcoming holiday season.
With multi-sensory tasting experiences a core part of the c-suite experience, Mars is releasing its Skittles POP’d new product. The latest Skittles variety has been formulated to add a crunchy and crispy texture to the brand’s existing flavours.
Mars is creating new flavours and designing fun experiences through its latest confectionery and ice cream collaborations. In 2025, Mars will launch its M&M’s Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich, Snickers Dark Ice Cream Bars and Milky Way Ice Cream Bars, available in single packs for C-store customers.
Mars has partnered with in-store and tasting experience providers, Transaction Zone and Foodservices teams, to develop its strategy. The chocolate giant states it has less than three minutes to influence shoppers, so retailers need to evolve their store formats to maximise in-store trips, focusing on store layout, experience and assortment to appeal to confectionery consumers.
The company recently secured a patent for its PayPoint Optimizer technology, an advanced analytics tool that uses a store’s transaction history to optimise checkout configuration.
Through its Foodservices partnership, Mars aims to add brand power, differentiation and appeal to confectionery products with unique flavour innovations that meet consumer demands.
