Marcia Mogelonsky, director of insight for Mintel Food and Drink, said Lindt is entering the market carefully with very few interesting or unique flavors. While she believes the bites will be popular with Millennials, she points out this group also appreciates new and different flavors.
Lindt’s ‘bite’ offering – small bite-sized chocolate creations - was launched in July in three flavors: Hello Pretzel Bites, Hello Toffee Bites and Hello Minty Bites.
Too conservative?
Mogelonsky told ConfectioneryNews she believes starting with these flavors is a bit “conservative,” but perhaps a good way to test the waters. However, Lindt will eventually need to branch out to draw sales from the younger crowd, which tends to appreciate a greater level of variety.
“If they want to appeal to the younger crowd, they better get some better flavors than these,” she told ConfectioneryNews. “I think the flavors are very conservative … If you look at [the rest of the] Hello line, it’s a lot more trendy with [ingredients like] yogurt and jelly.”
For Mogelonsky, much of the “fun” in products like this is the willingness to try odd hybrids of flavors. Lindt may just be testing how people will take to these new bites, as the company is typically known as a “very sober” brand, she suggested.
“If you’re eating Lindt Chocolate, you’re likely in a more sophisticated crowd,” she said. “Hello is more of a premium chocolate for the people who don’t want to be stodgy … Hello has a reputation of being the sort of millennial premium chocolate. It’s not stuffy.”
The younger they are, the harder they snack
The reason for these bites is clear, as there is a trend toward snacking, especially among millennials. Mogelonsky cited statistics from Mintel: 15% of all people snack four or more times per day, versus the average snacker who will snack two-to-three times per day. When it comes to the younger crowd, 24% millennials can be classified as these “super-snackers,” freely snacking four or more times per day.
“People snack constantly,” Mogelonsky said. “In the old days, it was three meals and snack. Now you have a snack interrupted by three meals. People think they can snack all day long.”
Lindt clearly knows how very “in” this trend is, as the company said it wanted to offer a “premium pick-me-up for any moment in the day.” The bites come in a resealable bag that Lindt encourages for snacking on the go. The Hello collection includes other treats for on-the-go snackers as well, including bars, sticks and mini bags.
“This is perfect for them, it’s absolutely perfect for them,” Mogelonsky said. “It’s portable; they can be kept in your desk, thrown in your backpack; if you need a snack, its right there. That’s why it’s going to be popular [with millennials].”
Lack of flavors is the only thing that may make millennials less enthusiastic to buy these treats, she said.