What you need to know
Mintel estimates total retail sales of ice cream and frozen novelties will hit $12.6 billion in 2016, a 1.8% bump over 2015 totals. As volume sales in the saturated category decline, dollar gains have cooled. 92% of households have purchased frozen treats in the past six months, but 22% indicate reducing purchase. While health leads reasons for cutting back, sales of traditionally health-focused products (including low- fat/calories) struggle, and indulgence appears as a strong purchase driver. Category players can aim at health through cues such as natural, premium, and whole, positioning the products as being both good tasting and good for you.
Definition
This Report examines retail sales of ice cream and frozen novelties (often referred to as “frozen treats” in combination for the sake of brevity). For the purposes of this Report, the ice cream and frozen novelties market has been segmented as follows:
Ice cream/frozen dairy dessert (including gelato)
Frozen novelties (eg, ice cream bars, sandwiches, cones, popsicles, and the like, all with the advantage of hand-held convenience, single portions/portion control, and snack friendliness)
Frozen yogurt and dairy alternatives (including non-dairy items made from soy or other dairy alternatives)
Sherbet, sorbet, and ices.
Packaged and unpackaged ice cream sold through restaurants, ice cream parlors, street vendors/food carts, and other foodservice venues are excluded.
Value figures throughout this report are at retail selling prices (rsp) excluding sales tax unless otherwise stated.
