Mars Wrigley International Travel Retail (MITR) will present its post-COVID confectionery category recovery strategy at next week’s TFWA World Exhibition (Bay Village 9).
Its ambitious plan centres on the company’s aim to be the number one contributor in driving category growth in travel retail. And Mars Wrigley ITR is focusing on three keys to unlock traveller conversion:
- A return to pre-pandemic growth rates during 2022 and 2023 through further development of sharing and gifting offer
- Leadership in creating fun and memorable travel experiences
- Acceleration of impulse purchases at checkout and beyond.
Mars Wrigley ITR Category Director Raghav Rekhi said: “This year at Cannes, we are delighted to have the opportunity to reunite with our customers and re-engage with the travel retail industry after a prolonged period of disruption.
“We are returning with a clear three-pronged strategy to unlock traveller conversion – from growing our sharing and gifting segments to building on our reputation for creating fun and memorable travel experiences to accelerating opportunities for impulse at the checkout and beyond.
“Furthermore, Mars is strongly committed to addressing significant environmental and social challenges facing our planet. Mirroring our commitment to driving category growth in travel retail is our pledge to being more responsible for our environment as well.
“We look forward to updating our customers, partners and trade press on how we are implementing our ‘Sustainable in a Generation Plan’.”
To focus on its sharing and gifting segment, Mars Wrigley ITR plans to grow core products, add value to the category and convert new travellers through new product development (NPD) innovations.
According to the company, it has identified, through a pyramid structure, how its core product range accounts for 80% of total category sales. This is followed by regional ‘jewels’ in key markets, with limited editions and NPD innovations at the top of the strategic growth pyramid.
Within the sharing category, Mars Wrigley ITR will launch four SKUs for 2022. These include two new tablets – one (Hazelnut) as a permanent item and the other as a limited edition – which underline the company’s belief that there is room for growth in tablets in global travel retail.
Other limited edition launches will include a large pouch and a bars pouch. “Limited editions have worked very well for Mars Wrigley ITR in the last few years, adding value to the category, driving incremental growth and adding whole range benefits,” the company said.
Gifting is also a focus for Mars Wrigley ITR in 2022. At the Cannes event, the company will reveal a new premium range in an innovative packaging format as Mars Wrigley ITR “continues its success by focusing on critical price-bands and premiumising its gifting offer”.
Mars Wrigley ITR will also leverage its portfolio to trigger impulse needs and increase touch-points in-store with cross-category impulse displays to increase impulse purchases.
An update on the company’s latest sustainability initiatives that are dedicated to the travel retail market will also feature as Mars Wrigley ITR highlights more responsible products, more responsible packaging and more responsible display and activation in the channel.
