Boost Holiday Sales with Gourmet Popcorn and Fudge

Holiday Sales Opportunities

When it comes to seasonal shopping, the grocery store isn’t just for holiday hosts stocking up on ingredients. Shoppers can opt for gourmet foods from the supermarket when looking for a gift—or even just when they’re looking to treat themselves.

Foods such as gourmet popcorn and fudge can drive sales through multiple avenues. For one, they’re supremely giftable, thanks to gourmet quality and uniqueness. They’re also highly craveable for shoppers buying for themselves, especially when sold from an in-store sweet shop setup, which can encourage unplanned purchases.

The Fresh Popped Advantage

Even outside of holiday shopping, ready-to-eat popcorn is seeing steady growth in sales: In the 52 weeks ending on 10/31/2021, ready-to-eat popcorn garnered $1.7 billion in sales—marking 9.1% growth from the previous year and 18.7% growth from two years prior—and outpaced sales of pop-yourself varieties such as kernel and microwave popcorn, according to IRI.

Compounding upon year-round appeal, gourmet popcorn can meet increased seasonal demand—67% of consumers report purchasing food gifts for others in the last year, and 69% have purchased food gifts for themselves in the same timeframe, according to Consumer and Corporate Food Gifting in the U.S., 8th Edition, a report by Packaged Facts.

Popcorn can be profitable from an operational standpoint, too. When made fresh from a sweet shop setup, popcorn boasts high margins (as high as 70% gross profit margins or more, according to Gold Medal Products Co.), easy prep and lots of opportunity for offering a variety of flavors and formats. And a sweet shop doesn’t just stand out visually, it smells great, too—and what better way to entice shoppers than with the aroma of freshly made popcorn?

Focusing on Fudge

In the confectionery category, fudge is another gift-ready item with a sweet, nostalgic twist. According to the National Confectioner’s Association (NCA), about 90% of consumers say they celebrate major holidays with confectionery gifting and sharing, and 76% say they like browsing for new items when buying seasonal confectionery. Selling a variety of fudge flavors can offer an advantage here: In addition to classics such as chocolate and vanilla, exciting varieties such as Apple Pie, Candy Cane, Chocolate Peppermint Bark and more are just a couple mix-ins away.

Gold Medal supplies all the ingredients, equipment and accessories grocers need for selling gourmet popcorn and fudge through an eye-catching sweet shop setup where treats are made fresh in the store. Bulk and prepackaged popcorn programs are available as well, increasing convenience for the grocer and shopper alike.

Visit the Gold Medal blog to learn more about how to use gourmet popcorn to boost holiday sales. To make the holiday season a win—and meet demand for snack-craving, gift-seeking shoppers—please reach out and email Gold Medal directly to get connected with a specialist in your area.

This article was originally published in Grocery Business.