28 Jun 2022
Consumers demand freshness, appreciate the craftsmanship and continue to seek comfort from the traditional authentic recipes
Taste Tomorrow is the world’s largest ecosystem for consumer understanding in the bakery, patisserie and chocolate industries. Always-on tracking of local and global consumer behaviors, attitudes and choices provides us with valuable, in-depth insights. We are able to use these insights to track the evolution of trends and reveal new ones. Learn more about our methodology here.
In this article, we share three key bakery trends that will be most important in 2023. Discover the hottest patisserie and chocolate trends for 2023 as well.
2022
Despite the general concern about rising prices, staple foods such as bread are less impacted with 23% of consumers globally continuing to buy specialty premium breads and only 12% trying to purchase less/save money on bread products (versus 29% for cakes and patisserie and 24% for chocolate-related products). 48% of consumers interviewed by Taste Tomorrow in April 2022 stated that they don’t go for the cheapest bread but keep buying the quality they trust.
In 2023, it is going to be more important than ever to focus on the quality of your baked goods.
Discover what is in the pipeline for the patisserie and chocolate sectors in 2023.
Here are the biggest developments in consumer perceptions and demands that will impact the bakery industry next year:
1. Trust and craftsmanship
Traditional artisanal products are growing ever more popular. Classics are the number one topic on baked goods online. The Taste Tomorrow always-on trend radar of June 2022 found that consumers seek comfort and indulgence through products that pay homage to traditional or authentic recipes. While 60% of consumers are looking for new experiences, 67% prefer some familiar element, classics with a twist. Therefore, innovation is welcome, but it needs to build upon a strong tradition of artisanal craftsmanship, experience and knowledge to be embraced by consumers.
2. The taste of sourdough
Stemming from the previous trend, sourdough hits that sweet spot between innovation and traditional craftsmanship. From a lockdown past-time favorite to an established and well-honed craft, sourdough’s trajectory has developed greatly in recent years and is forecasted to grow in 2023. Mainstream brands are adopting sourdough for their products and consumers continue to look for sourdough options beyond bread, think sourdough croissants, brioche, muffins, bagels, panettone, cruffins and other hybrids. What is the main driver of this trend? Without a doubt, it’s the taste of sourdough.
How about trying to bake some sourdough croissants, the most established new sourdough application? Here is a simple recipe for you.
3. Freshness
Consumers expect fresh bread. All day, every day. The ‘Fresh on demand’ trend is about products that consumers bake themselves, either from frozen, in order to heat up and cook properly. It offers convenience and the joy of having fresh bakery products at any time. Typical examples of this trend include croissants, pizzas, garlic bread and more. These kinds of products make life easier for consumers, who are able to speed up their cooking process by outsourcing much of the preparation stage to large scale manufacturers or artisans next door, while enabling consumers to take control over the baking process and get the freshness aspect to its maximum.
The freshness of baked products remains incredibly important to consumers who in 2022 shop online more than they did before the pandemic (which is 58% of global consumers). To be attractive to online consumers, bakery products need to also look attractive, so extra attention to packaging and appearance should drive online sales with 59% of consumers agreeing that a great appearance enhances the perception of taste.
To win in 2023, focus on the freshness aspect of your baked products and consider tapping into the market of convenience by offering your bakery products that can easily be prepared or finished at home.
Want to learn more?
Check out our other trend predictions in the world of chocolate and patisserie.
