With a strong 4th place in the world league of consumption per capita (behind only Switzerland, Germany and Austria) Brits’ passion for chocolate is no secret. Easter chocolate sales make up 10% of Britain’s annual spending on chocolate, an equivalent of 90 million chocolate eggs being eaten which, laid side by side, would stretch from the UK to Sri Lanka! (source: gwp.co.uk)
Yet, according to Mintel, last year’s lockdown restrictions and the rise of online shopping dampened Easter spending.
So, with Easter eggs piling up on shelves, we noticed brands are trying to bring some spark back into Easter shopping by doing 4 things.
- Tap into plant love
Whether catering for fully vegan or flexitarian lifestyles, plant-based solutions are successfully entering the Easter arena. Hotel Chocolate, Happi, Nomo and Hip are just some of the few brands offering plant based alternatives that are every bit as sweet and smooth and delicious as the traditional milk chocolate eggs – but without the dairy.
- Go plastic free
Research carried out by governmental body WRAP found 3,000 tonnes of chocolate egg packaging – equivalent to the weight of 750 African elephants! – is generated each year in the UK. Apart from the foil and cardboard, most of the packaging of Easter eggs is non-recyclable rigid plastic which ends up in landfill, and so more and more brands have taken steps to play their sustainable part. Ferrero recently updated some of their Easter favourites as part of its commitment to make 100% of its packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. Aldi just scrapped plastic from its own-brand Easter eggs altogether using redesigned boxes with cellulose film for windows and making its entire range 100% fully recyclable.
- Celebrate craft and inventiveness
The long-standing partnership between Heston Blumenthal and Waitrose combines Heston’s expertise as a chef, his creative vision of telling stories through flavour and Waitrose quality. The range of showstopping gourmet food takes classic historical recipes and adds a curious twist. Easter is no different and to excite consumers this year there’s an alternative egg in-store: The Golden Apple.
Inspired by Isaac Newton, The Golden Apple is an indulgent discovery of flavours and textures with its shimmering blonde chocolate apple disguising a layer of thick, dark chocolate inside, with six crunchy praline feuilletine chocolates.
A true celebration of sweet mastery, creative inspiration, and taste!
- Play on key strengths
Sometimes brands try to tap into the Easter seasonal occasion even when that means fitting into a market that isn’t really theirs. This is a challenge Ikea solved brilliantly by finding a creative solution that not only fits perfectly with Easter, but also leverages one of the key equities the brand owns: flat packing. Here comes Vårkänsla the 3D flat-pack chocolate Easter bunny – with assembly instructions of course! Vårkänsla is gaining great traction on social media and driving consumers back in store.
