Shock and Awe: Interactive confectionery engages the senses at ISM & ProSweets 2024

31 Jan 2024 --- Confectionery brands are incorporating unique multi-sensory experiences, including sound, personalization and other interactive elements, into their offerings.

Food Ingredients First reports live from the show floor of ISM and ProSweets 2024 in Cologne, Germany, spotlighting the latest launches appealing to consumers’ adventurous side.

Music to my ears 
Chinese confectionery brand Amos released a “silent disco” lollipop that plays music only the user can hear. The TastySounds audio lollipop works by transmitting sound through high-tech bone conduction when the user inserts earplugs, which come in the pack. 

Rudy Kouw, sales account manager at Beagley Copperman, which distributes the product throughout Europe, says that the candy is renowned for being a hit on TikTok. 

TastySounds lollipops send music through the user's bones and into their ears for a silent disco experience.The product plays for up to 60 minutes and the users can either play preset music or record their own message to give as a special gift. 

The preset music plays three songs of either hip-hop (strawberry flavor) or rock music (blueberry flavor). 

Users can also opt for the special birthday variety that plays “Happy Birthday,” coming in pink (peach flavor) or blue (blueberry flavor). The recordable version comes in peach nectar flavor. 

Play with your food 
In addition to TastySounds, Amos unveiled “4D gummies,” giving users a beautiful 360-degree shape experience. The shape innovation also enabled the brand to create building blocks that can lock into each other and be stacked like real toys before being devoured. 

Germany-based Natür Food Ventures is also activating the tactile senses with its Powerbeärs Gamer Gummies. The brand began as a better-for-you gummy brand that transformed two years ago when it signed licenses for classic 80s video games. 

“We started with functional gummies, producing sugar-reduced or sugar-free and vitamin gummies for niche groups and we found that gaming is a very interesting segment, which hasn’t really been tapped,” says co-founder and CFO Tim Hrach. 

Hrach says one of the company’s main goals was to replicate the game in an authentic way that preserves its originality. 

“We’re not just using the license on the product. We’re actually rebuilding the game in the snack.”

Brand licensing enables lifestyle brands to target specific groups like gamers or manga fans. Snacking as a lifestyle
Hrach describes Powerbeärs Gamer Gummies as a lifestyle brand that focuses on consumers who are looking for a premium product that they can feel good about.

“Snacking is not just about filling your belly. Consumers want something that looks good, tastes good and caters to their values. If people like video games at any level, they will be interested in our product because it fits with their lifestyle.”

The company is currently looking for more ways to reduce sugar while keeping naturalness at the forefront. Hrach notes that gamers are conscious consumers like any other target group. 

“Gamers are not a different species of consumer, there are sub-niches for vegan, sugar-reduced and anything else you’d see in the general population.”

Most recently, the brand developed a vegan gummy in the style of Japanese icon Hatsune Miku, which has been popular in Asia and Europe as younger generations, in particular, embrace manga culture. 

East meets West
Asian flavors have topped food trends in the past years and this is also true for confectionery. Kouw at Beagley Copperman says some of the hottest-selling imports from Asia in Europe today are matcha KitKats and specialties from Korea and Japan. 

Western flavors in the traditional mochi format opens up the consumer base to have global appeal.Spanish luxury chocolate brand Cacao Sampaka also sees matcha taking hold, reporting that its best-selling bar in Portugal at the moment is its white chocolate and matcha variety. 

“Local goes global” is one of Innova Market Insight’s Top Ten Trends for 2024, exploring the fusion between tastes and formats from home and abroad. 

Innova data suggests that almost 1 in 3 consumers will experiment with desserts and sweet bakery, with younger consumers being the most experimental when it comes to sweet treats such as desserts and confectionery.

One company fusing cultures is Royal Family, which presented new mochi flavors at ISM. Mochi is a glutinous rice treat traditionally made with red beans, a flavor that’s not too popular with European consumers. 

The Taiwan-based confectionery brand introduced Western flavors to gain larger appeal both in Europe and Asia. 

Some of the latest flavors include Maple Syrup Pancakes, Mint Chocolate Chip, Strawberry Cheesecake and Tiramisu. 

Meanwhile, Dutch brand Boba Loba launched a milk-free, ready-to-drink boba tea, selecting flavor varieties from both East and West. The company has already piloted some stores in the Netherlands and is seeking further expansion. Flavors include Lychee Strawberry, Blueberry Raspberry, Dragon Fruit Peach and Mango Pineapple Passion Fruit.

Mystery flavors keep consumers guessing  
Demonstrating the mystery flavor trend, Austrian flavor house Esarom invited show attendees to guess mystery gummy flavors. 

“A lot of producers are coming out with mystery flavors,” reveals Martin Pusch, senior expert for confectionery innovation and technology at Esarom.

“Fanta may be the most known one that came out with mystery flavors. These brands make it a contest, offering prizes to consumers who can guess correctly.”

Pez MyHead is an app that allows users to design a custom dispenser based on a photo.There are multiple benefits to formulating with mystery flavors, at least as a limited edition, Pusch notes. 

“The customer is curious to find out what it is. But also, the consumer wants to be more involved in the product. It’s interesting to see that it's not just about eating the product, but interacting with it and engaging with the brand.”

Personalized to show you care
The confectionery category is especially aligned with celebration and gift-giving, making it ideal for personalization. 

Specially launched at ISM, Pez unveiled Pez MyHead. Users are invited to download the app, which allows them to take a photo and transform it into a Pez dispenser design. A more premium version connects to a 3D artist, who can help users perfect their “head.” From there, consumers are able to select the color of the base and order the collectible item as a physical object. 

Mars, Inc. is also jumping onto the personalization trend. Its M&Ms brand recently released its 2024 Valentine’s Day Gift Guide online, where gift givers can shop for thoughtfully personalized M&M’s offerings. Shoppers can customize gifts by choosing from over twenty M&M’S colors and include fun messages, various images or a custom photo on the iconic chocolate candies.

Sensory overload 
Other candies causing a bang in 2024 include Striking Popping Candy. The Hong Kong-based company differentiates itself from other crackling candy with its extra powerful popping action. 

Meanwhile, Screamers Shake & Spray by Dutch brand Zed Candy is branded in graffiti lettering and looks like a can of spray paint. Users can shake the can and spray their tongue for “an explosive burst of flavor that colors your tongue.” Afterward, users can twist the can open to chew gum balls inside. 

Lastly, Crunch Punch introduced its freeze-dried candy to the European market, following an explosive following in the US driven by social media. 

By Missy Green