Focus On Yoghurts: 30 March

Focus On: Yoghurts by Rachel Graham

Publishing: 30 March

Advertising deadline: 15 March

Submissions deadline: 8 March

The Story

“We’re not attracting enough younger consumers, and we’re not making it easy enough for consumers to understand the health benefits of the category.” This insight inspired one brand to shake up the market with a range of globally influenced yoghurts and fermented milks, including everything from a Greek-style Straggisto yoghurt to a Lebanese-style Laban yoghurt but they’re not the only ones turning to innovation. Over the past year, others have ventured into kefir, growing sales of the fermented drink by £4.2m as a result. So who are these more exotic, health-led products tempting? Can they grow the market, or will they just cannibalise existing yoghurt sales?

Key themes:

NPD: We’ve had everything from kefir to straggisto and skyr from the US. What have been the most exciting innovations in yoghurt over the past year? Who are they targeting? To what extent have they generated extra sales for yoghurts?

Demographics: Interestingly, kefir isn’t necessarily its target demographic. Despite all the marketing being aimed at millennials, Kantar found 5% of its consumers are 65+. So are any of these new variants appealing to young consumers? Are they bringing in new shoppers, or just appealing to existing ones?

Health: Danone’s Read says consumers are yet to understand the full health benefits of yoghurts. How do consumers perceive yoghurts? So can these innovations help get the health message across?

Dairy-free yoghurt: What are the latest innovations in dairy-free yoghurts and how are they performing? Who are they appealing to?

Shopper Intelligence box: Using Shopper Intelligence data and commentary, explain shopper behaviour in the yoghurt aisle.

Kantar data: Using Kantar commentary, we explain the reasons behind the rise and fall of the different sub-categories.

Nielsen data: Using Nielsen commentary, we explain the reasons behind the rise and fall of the top 10 brands.

Innovations:  We identify four new products that ideally have not appeared in The Grocer before. including launch date, image and RSP.

Online Listicle to go live on 1 March: What are the main innovations & how are they shaping the market