The German savory snacks market was one of the fastest growing markets in Europe with an expected compound annual growth rate of 3.6% between 2013 and 2018, according to new data from Canadean. It was also one of the largest.
“Across major European markets (excluding Russia), Germany’s savory snacks market is second only to the UK by volume,” said Veronika Zhupanova, analyst from Canadean. On average Germans had consumed savory snacks 103 times per year.
Canadean said that further success on the German savory snacks market could be achieved if manufacturers approached men and women differently.
As revealed in the report, 48.2% of women’s consumption in Germany was motivated by indulgence compared to 37% of men’s. The report also stated that more of men’s consumption (17.8% compared to 14.4% of women’s) is driven by the value for money search while buying savory snacks.
Women had a slightly greater preference for private labels while men were more likely to opt for popular brands such as Lorenz and Pringles. Meanwhile they agreed on hot and spicy flavors such as jalapeno and sweet-chilli, as well as sharing a love for potato snacks (responsible for 43.2% of the market) while health didn't feature high on the list of priorities for either.
“Consumers look for fun, indulgence and products to accompany personal moments. Those who are concerned about health are more likely to stay away from the category,” said Zhupanova.
Not as simple as pink and blue
She said while packaging options for male-focused snacks had been widely explored, giving the example of McCoy’s Ultimate design and advert, female-oriented savory snacks were not often targeted.
"Women might be put off by stereotypes- such as overly feminized pink or purple packaging. Manufacturers should concentrate on other attributes, such as communicating the most important factor for them –indulgence.
"Packaging cues that highlight taste will do well with German women. As an example Lay’s rolled out sweet and salty milk chocolate chips in the U.S, which would appeal to women without explicitly saying so,” said Zhupanova.
Sweeter with age?
According to the report, the desire for indulgence grew with age. Women were most likely to seek indulgence in snacks between the ages of 35-55. For men this motivator was most visible for those aged 55 and over.