Do we want "healthy" Kit Kats?

The latest announcement is that both Nestle and Mondelez have committed to the government’s “Responsibility Deal”, agreeing to re-formulate chocolate bar recipes and reduce the level of saturated fat in them to provide a more healthy chocolate.

Kit Kat is one of the first products to be revamped and I think that we will all wait with baited breath to see what it actually tastes like!

Obesity is a serious issue; we all know that. And it is right that the government should be looking to develop policies that could help to address this very real problem. But, do we want our standard main branded chocolate products to be re-created and marketed, dare I suggest it, as “healthy”? Let's face it, they will never be a truly healthy product and that is almost the point of them.

We all seem to be suffering as a result of those that over-eat the wrong things and spend too much time on their backsides! Surely, as it has been for generations, it’s a question of balance and that is what the government should be paying more attention to addressing?

People are obese because they eat too much of the wrong foods and don’t exercise enough. That is surely the essence of it?

We all like to have a treat and chocolate is just that. It’s a sweet treat. Not a daily food substance that our bodies can survive on. If chocolate becomes “healthy”, first of all, is it still a treat and secondly, is that going to make those that need to, eat less of it? I doubt it.

We’ll watch the developments with interest and I look forward (I think) to tasting and comparing the “new” Kit Kat when it arrives. But I honestly don’t think that re-formulating long standing chocolate bars is going to create a healthy nation. For that, we need to change the mindset and habits of a huge number of people that need to understand the difference between food groups, develop some self discipline and become a little more active.

www.sweetretailing.co.uk

Do your customers engage?

We are spotting more and more retailers embrace Twitter for the first time – even the smallest; working to build up a small community of their own to engage with. It’s free and for many, can be very effective indeed.

Smaller retailers can use the likes of Twitter and Facebook to talk with their local customers, getting feedback from time to time and communicating offers and special events when need be.

It certainly cannot harm any confectionery retailer to have a go and build a “community” over time! Of course, you will generally reach out to your most proactive and loyal customers in the main. Those that seek you out on social networks or take action having read that you are there to talk to. So to my mind, social networks can be a great tool for confectionery retailers to engage with their best customers and keep them close.

So how can you engage with the more infrequent customers that you welcome through your doors? Many might pop in just a few times a year when the need arises. Well maybe a need might arise in the run up to Christmas and you could use that to your advantage!

As well as going to town on your product range at Christmas time, it’s a great opportunity to recruit some more customers to engage with beyond the festive season. Think about advertising a weekly giveaway on Twitter or Facebook in your store. Perhaps you supply an exclusive discount code via Facebook every Friday. You could develop a social media promotion whereby every friend on Facebook gets entered into a prize draw to win something rather big.

There are lots of ways to encourage your customers, regular and infrequent, to sign up to your social media and there is no better time than when you might be a bit busier. Use your store, counter and bags to communicate the benefits and look forward to engaging with more customers socially during 2014.

www.sweetretailing.co.uk