Confectionery tops snack purchases during holiday season

Chicago, Ill. – A new consumer study by market researcher The NPD Group shows that children aren’t the only ones craving candy during in the winter. In fact, confectionery is the top snack purchased by adults throughout the Christmas season.

SnackTrack Holidays Christmas Profile asked almost 5,000 adults celebrating Christmas about their snacking preferences during the holidays. It found that 50 per cent of those polled purchase candy for the holidays, with 54 per cent buying it either for themselves or their families. Another 44 per cent of respondents purchase candy as a gift.

More than half (51 per cent) of the confectionery consumed during this time is seasonal/holiday chocolate candy, followed by candy canes, snack-size chocolate candy bars, gift box chocolates, and seasonal/holiday non-chocolate candy. Fifteen per cent of candy bought during the season is purchased as an impulse buy.

As well as confectionery, the study found that adult consumers choose chips (38 per cent), fresh fruit (36 per cent), and crackers and nuts (31 per cent each) during the Christmas season.

“The winter holiday period offers manufacturers and retailers incredible potential for growth, and an opportunity to differentiate brands and drive additional sales by understanding consumers’ attitudes and behaviours related to candy,” says Darren Seifer, food and beverage industry analyst for The NPD Group.