As bakery owners and managers, it’s vital for you to keep up with the current issues that matter most to your bakery’s customers. While organic and non-GMO claims are becoming more important to today’s consumer, calories and fat content remain the primary drivers of better-for-you snack purchases, according to market research firm Nailbiter.

Using patent-pending technology, Nailbiter captures and analyzes consumer purchase and usage decisions through in-store and at-home videos and surveys.

“We observed hundreds of consumers shopping for healthy snacks, and they were primarily driven by ‘on-pack claims’ as they shopped across categories ranging from chips, yogurt to candy,” says Amishi Takalkar, co-founder and head of research and analytics. “On average, consumers noticed 35 to 40 different claims that could have influenced their decision making. Their final purchase decision, though, was based on just two claims.”

In examining which health claims are most likely to drive purchase decisions, Nailbiter found calorie content leads the way with 20.7 percent of consumer mentions of better-for-you attributes on carted products, followed closely by fat content with 20.6 percent of consumer mentions.

Sugar content and gluten content rank next, with 8 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively, ahead of organic and GMO content at 4.8 percent and 4.5 percent.

Other top claims include fiber content (3.6 percent), whole grain (3.5 percent) and no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives (3.4 percent).

Packaging can “make or break” better-for-you products, according to Nailbiter. Two-thirds of shoppers read claims on the front of pack, while nearly half read claims on the back of the package.

Consumers tend to study packages differently depending on the type of product. In the pretzels category, for example, 78 percent of shoppers read the front of pack, and 91 percent read the back of pack. For candy, comparatively, 79 percent read the front of pack, while only 26 percent read the back of pack.

Successful new products are noticed by 45 percent of category shoppers, according to Nailbiter data, while 20 percent of new products that don’t succeed are noticed by about 20% of category shoppers.

“With 85 percent of new products failing after launch, it is critical for marketers to ensure their on-pack claims resonate and drive greater consideration,” Takalkar says.

Which claims matter most

In examining which health claims are most likely to drive purchase decisions for better-for-you snacks, Nailbiter found that consumers consider the following in order of importance: