FOR THE LOVE OF SWEETS

While the COVID-19 pandemic has created considerable uncertainty in almost every part of our lives, one thing is certain: Americans love their sweets.

Whether you’re indulging more in after-dinner desserts, sneaking chocolate behind closed doors so your husband doesn’t see you breaking your diet again, or using cookies to bribe your child to PLEASE JUST COMPLETE ONE SCHOOL ASSIGNMENT…you’re turning to sugar to get through this quarantine.

Over the past four weeks, chocolate, cookie and ice cream category sales have steadily climbed CPG sales rankings, displacing items like milk and yogurt along the way. Chocolate candy was the 9th most purchased CPG category, based on dollar sales, for the week ending April 4, a seven-position jump from four weeks prior. And these sweets’ success isn’t simply due to seasonality; while these categories ranked lower during Extreme Buying (March 11-21) compared to one year prior, they surpassed last year’s levels during Home-Confined Buying, which started on March 22.

Perhaps the increase is because households are well stocked with the essentials after weeks of Extreme Buying. Perhaps shoppers need to add a little excitement to their lives by changing it up at the grocery store. Or perhaps we’re all just doing the best we can to add small moments of joy to our day. Most likely, it’s a little bit of each.

Whatever the reason, dessert brands have an opportunity to win new long-term customers by driving trial during this period of unprecedented buying behavior.

You deserve a treat today. What’s it going to be?