Anybody with a tween or teen knows social media is replacing Google for search topics outside of school work. Research shows nearly half of Gen Z turn to TikTok and Instagram to keep up with trending products, celebrities, gaming, music, entertainment…and confection. With that in mind, we tapped Simporter’s AI Whitespace™ tool to collect and curate learnings from social media around sensory trends in confection.
Our tool first collects product descriptions from e-commerce, consumer reviews, public posts on social media, and Google search trends. Against this massive amount of data, it identifies topics and patterns of behavior, then predicts trends that are valid and will remain so for the next two years.
As we started to dig into trending sensory attributes for candy, it became clear that TikTok and other consumer-generated content are driving the market. From the desire to try new flavors, to eye-catching candy that’ll look good on your feed, the candy market is evolving rapidly. Our software’s algorithms found 5 key trends that should be on your radar:
1. Zesty
Not everywhere in the world does candy automatically equal sweetness. We can attribute the rise in demand for zesty candy to social media giving us a lens into the cultural norms of places like Mexico, where candy is often made with a spicy flavor pallet. It’s common for Mexico to use ingredients like tamarind and chili within its confections. What TikTok brings to the equation is exposure: creators taste test these novel Mexican treats and that builds awareness and interest and trial among viewers. We’ve seen a rise in demand for weird, zesty flavors like Takis Lollipops and anything covered in Mexican chamoy. Meanwhile across the US the competition by brands for these extreme flavors is relatively low, indicating a white space opportunity. Results from Simporter’s AI tool are shown in the table below:
2. Powerful Punch
Candy with a powerful punch is in, and if you’ve been on TikTok in the past couple of months, you’ve most likely seen the trending in the “Hit or Miss” Challenge (#HitorMissChallenge). It’s where individuals bite into a fruit-shaped candy filled with jelly, either it explodes in your mouth, or it explodes all over the person. This trend alone has increased the demand for candy with flavor bursts.
With intense flavors in demand, sour candy has also seen a rise with the hashtag #sourcandy racking up 942.5M views. People love to share their “pucker” faces when biting into a sour candy, and others freeze-drying their sour candy to turn it from a chewy texture to a hard candy. On the market, we’re seeing classic candy brands being transformed to fit this trend, for example, Jolly Rancher putting out their “Sour Lemonade” gummy candy.
3. Eye-catching
Social media is a visual game. You have less than 2 seconds to captivate a scroller, or they will swipe past you. That being said, eye-catching candy is an easy fit for the likes of Instagram and TikTok. Eye-popping gummies have quickly become a go-to on social media, along with novelty candy sets like this Sushi Bento Box that looks like the real thing, but it is actually made with gummy candy. In this sensory trend, the candy that has an unusual wow factor will entice people to stop scrolling and see more.
4. Long-Lasting Chew
Candy eaters want to be able to savor their sweets for as long as possible. We’re seeing the candy market start to adapt to this sensory trend with classics. For instance, Starbursts recently released “Starburst Airs” which are made with a longer-lasting puffed chewy texture. Additionally, skittles came out with “Skittles Gummies” that are squished and softer than their original counterpart. To nail down this sensory attribute, think of merging the textures of gummy fruit snacks with traditional candy flavors.
5. Stretchy
While most of us were raised on the premise of “don’t play with your food,” stretchy candy is on the rise. Pulling apart taffy is half the fun of eating it. This trend is also visible on, you guessed it, TikTok. Where we’re seeing candy makers create behind-the-scenes content of them making their confections. The most popular part of this process is the visually satisfying step of pulling the candy to get out air bubbles. Also on #candytok users are showing their followers just how stretchy their candy is by pulling apart candy and measuring the “stretch length”— this trend has brought back old-school classics like the Big Laughy Taffy bars, with flavors like the Sparkly Cherry becoming so popular on social media that stores are selling out.
Conclusion
If you’re in confection, or any category appealing to kids or Gen Z, you must stay on top of TikTok trends in real time. With candy it’s clear that a wider range of sensorial attributes have gained exposure and demand through social media. Predicting trends and identifying gaps in the market is one way Simporter can help you. To learn more, check out Simporter.com and reach out for a demo customized to your category.
