chocolate trends

No doubt, chocolate is a bestseller, but even a candy superstar can benefit from a little merchandising. Customers want more from their in-store retail experience and are willing to pay more for it. With a little planning and thoughtful grouping of products you can help boost your chocolate sales.

You don’t need a design or marketing degree to create a stellar merchandising program. Here are a few easy ways to leverage the star power of chocolate into better sales.

There’s no denying that chocolate is an everyday consumer favorite, with sales totaling $21.9B in 2020, according to the National Confectioners Association. But did you know that until the 1800s, chocolate was an extravagance only experienced by the elite? Though expense was a factor, chocolate wasn’t available to the masses because it was labor-intensive to process the beans and create the final product. Mass manufacturing helped bring our favorite confection to the world.

With Labor Day upon us (September 6 this year) we are honoring the innovators who put in all the hard work to make chocolate manufacturing what it is today. Read our timeline of major chocolate manufacturing milestones and count the familiar names.

2020 was the year of chocolate, with sales reaching record highs. Up there with chocolate, was wine, both making national supermarket chain Kroger’s list of top purchased items for 2020. For 2021, expect to see these trends continue. Also sticking around for 2021 according to PopSugar, is the at-home foodie, with home cooking and tasting kits providing culinary entertainment in a box. Good things come in pairs. Now’s the time to pair customers’ love of chocolate and their zeal for wine with their inner foodie. Introduce them to chocolate pairings.

Chocolate and food pairings elevate chocolate from everyday snacking to a gourmet experience. Perfect for customers looking for a new way to entertain at home. Great for you as it creates the perfect upsell opportunity.

When it comes to pairs go beyond the typical peanuts and caramel. We asked our chocolate experts to help guide us to view chocolate and food pairings with a fresh pair of eyes. Here are some

Customers are always looking for s’more ways to enjoy ooey, gooey, creamy, crunchy chocolatey goodness sooner. Be their one-stop-shop for family fun with AmuseMints Family S’mores Kits complete with everything they need to craft this old time favorite at home. Kit includes: marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate bars (everything but the campfire).

For a different spin on s’mores with s’more panache, suggest chocolate covered versions of classic s’mores ingredients. We recommend Nassau Candy’s own chocolate covered grahams in dark chocolate and chocolate covered grahams in milk chocolate. It’s s’more the merrier, so we would add Nassau Candy’s milk chocolate covered vanilla marshmallows and dark chocolate covered vanilla marshmallows to the assortment. Raise the bar with specialty chocolate bars packed with all the s’mores flavors. We love Chuao Oh My S’mores, AmuseMints