The worse the economy gets, the better the snacks sell?
Under the transmission of the “lipstick effect”, the global casual snack industry sales have soared.
Recently, a local TikTok store in Germany has been selling a variety of net red snacks!
The pop-ups, all from the same German TikTok native snack store, Candy Peak (@candypeakgmbh), have sold 126,000 units since they hit the shelves just over a month ago!
Most of these pop-up bandwagon short videos are from Candy Peak’s own official account.
The official account currently has 96,000 followers and has received over 1.8 million likes!
The highest single video received nearly 400,000 views and sold 3,000 pieces!
Germans have a love affair with chocolate, and chocolate consumption is among the highest in Europe (about 9 kilograms per capita per year). At the same time, Germans are brand loyal, and it’s easy to trust a well-known brand like Kindert, which is especially popular with children and young people for its chocolate eggs and cream range.
Content on TikTok tends to create a “fear of missing out” (FOMO). If users see a lot of people buying the snack, or if the video shows someone exaggerating the deliciousness of the snack, they may feel like they’re “losing out” if they don’t buy it.
Candy Peak is driving traffic through this super low priced chocolate egg, which in turn is driving sales of other individual items in the store.
The second highest selling item in the store is a Dubai Chocolate, which has sold more than 17,000 units in the 10 days it has been on the shelves!
Germany has a long history of “Naschen” (snack culture), which has its origins in medieval times, when the nobility and middle class enjoyed sweets as a luxury after a meal. With the Industrial Revolution and the emergence of modern lifestyles, Naschen expanded from the elite to the average family and became a daily habit.
Naschen is more than just a snack, it is also a social activity where family or friends get together to share desserts and strengthen emotional bonds.
It symbolizes a brief moment of self-indulgence, especially during the afternoon coffee break (Kaffeepause), and is enjoyed with desserts or snacks. Germans are particularly fond of chocolate, sweets and cakes. Well-known brands such as Kindert (Ferrero), Milka and Ritter Sport are popular in the country.
The German chocolate industry has a long history, having been in production since the 17th century, and is characterized by high quality and innovation (e.g. Ritter Sport’s square chocolate). Furthermore, the German climate is ideal for storing sweets.
Snacking is a fast-growing market globally, especially in the aftermath of the epidemic, when people prefer to consume recreational food at home.
TikTok stores are further reinforcing this habit by marketing them as “at-home packages” or “theater experience packages” and by offering small-sized packages to encourage frequent purchases.
The psychological term “Cue-Routine-Reward” suggests that once a behavioral pattern is formed, it is difficult to completely reverse it. Even after the epidemic ended, many people still retained the habit of snacking at home.
According to the Nielsen 2024 report, the global retention rate of snack consumption habits after the epidemic was as high as 70%, especially among 18-34 year olds. Coupled with increased inflation and higher costs of spending money away from home after the outbreak, snacking has become a partial substitute for regular meals, especially more common during busy weekdays.
Even the TikTok hashtag #kinder reveals a plethora of secondary dessert-making tutorials and eating podcasts, amassing nearly 1.3 million entries!
Germans are known for their efficiency and punctuality, especially in cities such as Berlin and Munich, where the workday is fast-paced. Many people (especially young white-collar workers and students) do not have time to prepare or enjoy a full meal. Snacks become the choice for a quick energy boost. For example, chocolate bars, nut packs, or even small sandwiches (often considered “snacks” in Germany) can fill you up quickly and are easy to carry around.
According to Euromonitor 2024, the German snack market has seen a 12% increase in sales of “meal replacement snacks.
99% of Germans eat snacks, with sweets (e.g. chocolate, candy) leading the category;
75% of German consumers bought chocolate in the past year, higher than the global average (65%);
63% purchased cakes, pastries or desserts, higher than the global average (54%).
Modern consumers are becoming more and more health-conscious, but are reluctant to give up flavor altogether. In recent years, Germans have become health-conscious and low-sugar chocolate or vegan desserts have become increasingly popular.
As a result, the snacks market has shifted to “healthier” (e.g., low-sugar, gluten-free, organic) products, which satisfy the psychological need for “enjoyment and responsibility”.
The global snacks market size is estimated to be USD 126.34 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow to USD 132.72 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 4.2%. By 2030, the market size is expected to reach $158.30 billion. Brands are launching “functional snacks” (with vitamins or proteins) to cater to the fitness and self-optimization trends. During the epidemic, supermarket data showed a 20% increase in sales of healthy snacks, reflecting consumers’ quest for a balanced diet.
The portability and versatility of snacks (sweet, salty, spicy, etc.) cater to different emotional needs, and Nielsen reports that “Emotional Eating” has increased by 15% in the aftermath of the epidemic, making snacks the preferred choice to regulate emotions.
Human beings naturally seek Instant Gratification, and snacks fulfill this need with their convenience and deliciousness. The “dopamine reward mechanism” in psychology shows that eating snacks will trigger the brain to release dopamine, making people feel happy.
As stress and uncertainty increase in modern society, people are more inclined to snack to relieve anxiety and loneliness.
Article source: www.tiktokdatatool.com
