Nestle is concentrating on five trends in 2022.
Experts at Nestle USA have identified five trends that will influence the food and beverage industry in the coming year, ranging from what consumers eat to how and where they buy food.
The competition for customers’ expenditures will continue to be between groceries and online shopping, according to Nestle USA Chief Marketing Officer Alicia Enciso. During the pandemic, shopping has become more multichannel, and in 2022, consumers will have more options for channels as they continue to shop online and visit physical grocery shops.
Plans to increase online sales from 13% of total revenue in 2020 to 25% in 2025 were revealed by Nestle last month. It will cost more to invest in digital marketing campaigns, including what the company refers to as “shoppable content,” in order to reach that aim.
According to Ms. Enciso, “that’s where you have an ad that the consumer can click on right away and then choose their preferred retailer to order from.” This brings us to another trend we’re observing: customers are highly curious in and seeking out inspiration from the food and beverage industries.
An inventive platform from Nestle earlier this year gave home bakers looking for inspiration a new tool. The business introduced the “cookie coach,” a lifelike virtual avatar that responds to inquiries regarding their Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe, using artificial intelligence.
“We created this AI assistant because there were a lot of questions about assistance with baking,” Ms. Enciso stated. We’re approaching the entire omnichannel shift from beginning to end, which includes making sure the packaging is appropriate for direct customer shipping.
new work schedules
With many Americans working from home and more employers embracing hybrid work models, breakfast and lunch are becoming important innovation battlegrounds. A recent report from Acosta found 47% of adults ate breakfast and lunch at home every day since the pandemic began, compared to 37% for breakfast and 26% for lunch pre-COVID.
According to Ms. Enciso, this has led to customers searching for more options for breakfast and lunch to be eaten at home. She gave the example of frozen sous-vide egg bits. The egg bits, which are marketed under the Life Cuisine brand, satisfy consumers’ desire for more veggies and protein by providing heat-and-eat meal alternatives that go well with a range of eating-well strategies.
According to Ms. Enciso, “we’re also seeing the bowl format gaining significant traction in both breakfast and lunch.” “We’re taking a multifaceted approach to breakfast and lunch innovation, utilising all of our various brands and product formats.”
Coffee rituals are also being disrupted by remote work. During the epidemic, many customers turned into their own baristas. According to Nestle, millennials are more satisfied with their coffee habit when they work from home. By producing more digital content to assist customers in designing their dream at-home coffee experience, the company is capitalising on the trend.
According to Ms. Enciso, “we really upped the game on our coffee content for our Starbucks brand.” We boosted the number of recipes in an effort to motivate our customers. People are growing increasingly proficient at preparing coffee at home and more at ease with it. This is a significant trend that will propel new goods as well as higher-quality content.
Snacking explosion
According to data from The Hartman Group, over 35% of consumers say they snack more frequently now than they did a year ago, and 48% of all food and beverage occasions involve snacking. In 2022, Nestle wants to make snacking appealing to a wider age range of consumers.
According to Ms. Enciso, “we’re seeing this convergence in terms of people who are interested in additional trends, like health and wellness, and who snack more throughout the day.”
Rallies Nut Butter Bombs were introduced by Nestle USA in October. The chilled treat is available in salted cashew butter and brownie almond butter types; a raspberry peanut butter variety will be available early in the following year. The manufacturer claims that the Nut Butter Bombs have around half the added sugar of the top nut butter chocolate candy.
“The nut butter bombs have an incredible flavour and are as permissible as you would expect from a healthier option,” Ms. Enciso stated. There are also more plant-based snacks available. For instance, we’re introducing our Life Cuisine Cauliflower Bites, which are composed of cauliflower and resemble chicken wings.
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Plant-based inclinations
Dairy-free coffee creamers are one area of concentration when it comes to the increased demand from younger customers for plant-based diets. Following the release of non-dairy Starbucks-branded chilled creamers last year, oat milk creamers under the Coffee Mate brand were introduced this spring.
“We began with cashew and almond, but those are evolving into new plants as well,” Ms. Enciso stated. Because of Generation Z, plant-based food is here to stay. Their influence is still being felt, but in the years to come, they will undoubtedly be a major factor in sustainability.
Another area of focus for 2022 is plant-based chicken. Ms. Enciso mentioned the 2019 launch of Mindful Chik’n strips under the Sweet Earth Foods trademark. Earlier this year, the firm added shredded Mindful Chik’n in seasoned, chipotle, and Korean BBQ variants to its lineup of meatless chicken options.
Ms. Enciso stated, “Chicken is much bigger than beef here in the United States.” “We’ve heard a lot about the various burger patties, but Americans love chicken even more, so the transformation of chicken will be much larger.”