Thirty-eight percent of UK consumers say they buy premium chocolate either 'regularly' or 'all the time', compared to 35% who say the same about coffee, 33% about alcoholic beverages and 32% about ice cream, Canadean says

Nevin Barich

Nevin Barich

March 12, 2014 (press release) – A new survey from Canadean Consumer finds that when it comes to chocolate, consumers opt for premium. They want fine ingredients, positioned around ethical luxury and are less concerned about price.

A new survey from Canadean Consumer finds that shoppers are most likely to trade-up on chocolate when it comes to buying indulgent groceries. A total of 38% of buyers say they buy premium either “regularly” or “all the time”. In comparison, a total of 35% said the same about coffee, 33% about alcoholic beverages and 32% about ice cream. This shows that even as consumers continue to juggle daily finances and manage household budgets, they are still willing to regularly trade-up on indulgent groceries such as chocolate.

According to the survey, shoppers determine a product’s premium value as a result of its ingredients rather than the price. 58% of consumers regard a product as superior to an “everyday” item if it promotes the use of the finest ingredients, which is significantly higher than those who validate a product’s premium value based on “if it’s expensive” (38%). When it comes to packaging, consumers are most likely to consider a product as premium if it has “stand out appeal” (44%) and comes in environmentally friendly packaging (37%).

The survey also finds that consumers tend to associate fairtrade and organic ingredients with traits such as purer formulation and artisanal production and as such, superior quality. This suggests that manufacturers are smart to position products around ethical luxury. The use of environmentally-friendly packaging can create a halo effect in the eye of the customer, particularly if this extends to the formulation of the product.

Michael Hughes, Research Manager at Canadean says: “Irrespective of their financial situation, consumers are still willing to trade-up on a regular basis in categories inherently associated with treating and indulgence. To encourage trading-up behaviour, manufacturers need to push the concept of ethical luxury in categories such as chocolate and coffee to make consumers feel that they are getting a real treat over everyday items.”

This Canadean Consumer survey is based on answers from 2,000 UK-based adults. The survey was conducted in March 2014. 

* All content is copyrighted by Industry Intelligence, or the original respective author or source. You may not recirculate, redistrubte or publish the analysis and presentation included in the service without Industry Intelligence's prior written consent. Please review our terms of use.

Share:

About Us

We deliver market news & information relevant to your business.

We monitor all your market drivers.

We aggregate, curate, filter and map your specific needs.

We deliver the right information to the right person at the right time.

Our Contacts

1990 S Bundy Dr. Suite #380,
Los Angeles, CA 90025

+1 (310) 553 0008

About Cookies On This Site

We collect data, including through use of cookies and similar technology ("cookies") that enchance the online experience. By clicking "I agree", you agree to our cookies, agree to bound by our Terms of Use, and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. For more information on our data practices and how to exercise your privacy rights, please see our Privacy Policy.