On Trend

Here’s a taste of what you might have missed on the NACS Show expo.

On Trend

November 2019   minute read

By: Frank Beard

Each year’s NACS Show has a unique character of its own. If you look closely and avoid being overwhelmed by the more than 420,000 square feet of exhibitor space, you’ll notice certain themes emerge. In case you missed it, here are a few trends of note:

Packaging Gets a Makeover

When we speak of the industry’s evolution, we often point to the most obvious examples—like new store designs or innovative foodservice. More subtle, however, are the changes that have taken place on the shelves. Contrast the packaging of today with that from five or 10 years ago, and you can see that everything from the indulgent to the healthier options looks sharper, more relevant and more transparent when it comes to what ingredients are (or aren’t) included.

The Southern Recipe Small Batch Pork Rinds from Rudolph Foods are a great example. In my experience, pork rinds have often been sold in clear, crinkly packaging with little consideration for design. These new pork rinds not only boast intriguing flavors like Korean Kimchi BBQ, but the packaging looks like something you’d find in a boutique grocer. It also draws attention to quality signals such as a low calorie count and the fact that the rinds are fried in sunflower oil.

There were many similar examples at the NACS Show—products that were vegan, Whole 30 compliant, low in sugar and more—but sometimes the design is just plain fun. Consider the chips from Rap Snacks. These aren’t necessarily new, but this was their first year exhibiting at the NACS Show. Each flavor features a different hip hop artist such as Fetty Wap, Cardi B or Migos. Perhaps it’s just me, but I smile whenever I see them in stores.

Beyond the Basics: Fresh and Healthy

Reaching the health-minded consumer requires more than a few veggie trays in an open-air cooler. From snack bars to packaged beverages and more, categories throughout the store are being infused with new, better-for-you alternatives.

In recent years, snack bars have gotten a lot of attention. While consumers once had to make a polarizing choice between the sugar-laden and the high-protein, often cardboard-like options, now companies are increasingly finding a middle ground. Consider Clif Bar’s new Whole Lotta bars. I sampled the salted dark chocolate version. The bars feature 10 grams of protein, 240 calories and no added sugar—dates account for the 16 grams of sugar—and with just 11 ingredients, including cashew butter, pumpkin seeds and almonds, they are a more reasonable option for many consumers.

From snack bars to packaged beverages, categories throughout the store are being infused with new, better-for-you alternatives.

Another interesting twist on better-for-you products is the Tio Gazpacho drinkable soup. At first glance, the soup resembles a bottle of cold-pressed juice. I sampled the Verde version, which contains pureed kale, spinach, avocado, mint and a variety of other ingredients—only 90 calories in total. High pressure processing ensures a long shelf life. I could see myself enjoying the occasional bottle during breakfast.

High Protein Alternatives

Jerky of all varieties has taken the NACS Show by storm the past few years, but this time the focus seemed to be on meat and veggie snacks as a replacement for chips.

Veggiecraft Farms debuted a variety of crispy puffs using sorghum and rice meal with cauliflower powder. Satisfying mouthfeel and flavors such as black pepper and sea salt definitely got my attention.

One of my favorite products at the Show offered another alternative. Crunchsters created a crunchy, snackable protein product from sprouted mung beans. It may not sound appealing to some, but trust me when I say that their smoky balsamic flavor gives any salt and vinegar chip serious competition in the flavor department.

To be fair, however, traditional chip brands aren’t giving up without a fight. Pringles was at the NACS Show with two new flavors that easily bypassed all of my portion control: rotisserie chicken and parmesan and roasted garlic. As Pringles said at their booth, the chips are even better if you stack them together. Truer words were never spoken.

New Flavors for the Tried and True

Along with Pringles, other legacy brands demoed new takes on old ideas at the Show. Over at the Oreo booth, I had to tear myself away from the Most Stuf cookies—which featured Oreo’s largest amount of creme filling to date. (Mondelēz International’s Oreo Most Stuf was the fourth-most-scanned Cool New Product in the Preview Room at the NACS Show.)

In the snack bar category, it’s no secret that Clif Bar is one of the most recognizable brands. Their peanut butter and chocolate chip versions have been mainstays in the bag on my road bicycle for years. Always willing to experiment with new and especially seasonal flavors, Clif brought two interesting varieties to the Show: iced gingerbread and peppermint bark. The latter will earn a spot in my kitchen cupboards this holiday season.

Take-Home Brand Strategies

A few years ago, I was able to procure a packet of Krispy Krunchy chicken seasoning. The way I treated it, one might have assumed I was carrying a powder made of pure gold. Fast forward to this year’s NACS Show, however, and Krispy Krunchy has created an actual 5.20-ounce bottle of seasoning that can be used to marinate or inject meat or flavor vegetables. It’s called Perfectly Cajun. I secured a bottle and subsequently seasoned my entire dinner at home—grilled chicken, brussels sprouts and yes, even quinoa. It’ll be empty in a month.

All humor aside, it’s a brilliant idea that will strengthen the brand and keep fans coming back for more.

Creative Use of Technology

A retailer friend mentioned that there was not a dedicated technology section when he first began attending the NACS Show in the 1990s. Fast-forward to the present, and it’s a major part of the Show. From world-class technology companies to information on key industry efforts—like the Connexus API Initiative—there was much to see and learn.

One particularly innovative solution was on display from Yoti. As self-checkouts become more common at grocers and big-box stores, and new, frictionless options appear in convenience retail, questions have been raised about age-verification on restricted products. Yoti’s age-estimation technology can simplify the process by scanning customers’ faces and determining if they’re old enough. This would save employees time by requiring them to verify only those for whom there is a low degree of certainty.

The software appeared to err on the side of caution and estimated my age at six years younger. I’m fine with that.

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Frank Beard

Frank Beard

Frank Beard is a Des Moines, Iowa-based retail analyst, speake, and writer who currently works in marketing and customer experience at Standard AI. Follow Beard on Twitter (@FrankBeard) or LinkedIn.

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