Condiments: The foodstuff on the nation’s lips
Brits are buying more sauces than ever before — so how do brands succeed in a crowded market? Streetbees heard from 1,000 UK consumers to gain some insight into the sector’s growth.
Last week, The Grocer — with the help of Streetbees research — published its yearly deep-dive into the world of sauces and condiments. In it, the magazine revealed the rude health the market finds itself in — now worth an estimated £550m, up around £17m from this time in 2017.
At Streetbees, we recently asked our users (or bees) across the UK how they viewed their own condiment usage, and they offered some insight into why the sauce sector had tasted some recent success.
Consumers are loyal to mayo and ketchup, but tastes are diversifying
Almost 1 in 2 British consumers have bought a new flavour of condiment for the first time this year, explaining — at least in part — why many companies have posted increased sales figures across the sector.
Condiments are now seen as a low-risk addition to the shopping basket, with around 2 in 3 of these purchases being made on impulse while browsing the shelves. This all points to the fact that British tastes are expanding beyond the staple sauces — such as mayo, ketchup and salad cream — that have populated cupboards and fridges for decades.
Even Hellman’s, market leaders in mayonnaise for so many years, has branched out; its launch of a tabasco-powered alternative in August highlights a recognition of the need to diversify traditional offerings.
Healthy alternatives are a hit with the Brits
If there’s one trend that isn’t going away, it’s healthy living. Let’s not kid ourselves; we’ve all known for a while that sugar content in ketchup is high — and with sugar now a major concern for British consumers, brands have been forced to find alternatives.
The study shows that healthier innovation is indeed a smart move. Why? With 30% of respondents stating they’d pay extra for low-sugar condiment options — the top reason for doing so — there is huge potential for growth.
Combined with a preference towards options with lower calories and lower fat quantities (both at 26%), British shoppers are waking up to the nutritional value of every aspect of their diet — and sauces are no different.
So what does this mean?
Sauces have always been a staple for British consumers, but now things are changing. People appear to be more open than ever to trying new options, either to replace or to complement their existing condiment selection.
For brands, this presents a unique opportunity to test the water with new products, especially as the majority of purchases are impulse buys — but this also presents its own difficulties. As the market becomes more crowded than ever, consumers will look beyond traditional purchase decision points such as price and flavour.
The study shows that consumers are open to spending more on products that meet their expectations around health. To truly grab the attention of this new breed of consumer — health conscious, and with a diverse palate — condiments will also need to tick nutritional boxes to become mainstays in cupboards and fridges across the country.
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A quick word on our methodology: The figures in the article are taken from over 1,000 UK Streetbees community members, carried out in August 2018. All of the data was collected by mobile and web surveys, and is accurate to within 3 percentage points 19 times out of 20.
