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merchandising

Increasingly, Steichen says, decorated cookies are beginning to
resemble another bakery star. "It started with the cupcake," she says.
"Now people are loving cookies. It's convenient and you have options
of a single packaged cookies for one, or a variety for the whole group.
Bakeries are finding that there are endless ways to decorate, and
consumers love the look and taste."
Of course, no one says you have to choose between cupcakes and
decorated cookies, Steichen says. "A fun trend we're seeing in stores is
combining cookies and mini-cupcakes to create eye-catching designs."
The best part for retailers? Such combos, she says, can be sold for a
premium price.

Perhaps most important for retailers, Cookie Toppers back a valueadded wallop, Dekker says. "By adding a small chocolate disc with
an intercut design, our research shows that consumers are willing to
spend 73 percent more on a cookie topped with chocolate and a great
image or message."
Dobla expects strong growth for Cookie Toppers going forward, Dekker
says. "It's been a great success, but we've only reached the tip of the
iceberg. We have many variations ready for the future." Keep the words
"flavored" and "textured" in mind if you want a hint of what innovations
Dobla has in store.

Instore demand surging

Seasonal
Strategies

Instore bakery demand for decorated cookies is on an upward swing,
Dekker says, thanks to several evolutions in the category in recent
years: the rise of licensing, longer shelf life, affordability and cleaner
ingredients. And when it comes to giving your bakery department a
boost, decorated cookies have advantages over other products.
"Cookies have much lower cost than a full cake, cupcake and
donuts," Dekker says. Another advantage: cookies have a much
longer average shelf life than other baked goods, Dekker says.
Portability is another plus. "Cookies can be consumed at any time
and anywhere."

DecoPac Inc. will roll out several new decorated cookie designs
for Easter.

Also on trend in decorated cookies, Dekker says, are better-tasting
flavors, better color schemes, easier-to-handle fondants and fewer
additives (the result not only of new regulations, he says, but also the
development of better ingredients). As with so many other products,
"clean" is in when it comes to cookies. "We see an increasing demand
for natural colors as well as clean products," he says. "Our Cookie
Toppers can be made in natural colors and the chocolate is without
any PHO's or GMO's."

"By adding a small chocolate disc
with an intercut design, our research
shows that consumers are willing
to spend 73 percent more on a
cookie topped with chocolate and a
great image or message."
William Dekker, Dobla North America

Cookie Toppers, introduced by Dobla in 2016, feature up to four
different colors in each design, which gives the company the ability
to personalize cookies for any occasion. Twenty-five designs come
standard, and custom designs can also be created, he says. Pretty much
anything the customer can dream up, Dobla can make.
"All that's needed is to place the disc on your fresh-baked cookie,"
Dekker says. "It's a high-quality, clean product that has perfect accuracy
for iconic designs or brands, and the designs can be so much fun."

Strauss also sees robust category growth for decorated cookies in
instore bakeries. "There are two reasons," he says. "First, bakeries still
want to keep up with the popular trends and bringing in licensed
decorated cookies is a perfect way to stay relevant and connect to
consumers. Second, labor costs are going up and up, and bakeries are
looking for pre-made items."

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of instore - December 2017