Mars Wrigley elevates retail with new Transaction Zone team unveiled at Sweets & Snacks Expo

New technology insights and trending product innovations further support the snacks and treats maker’s industry-leading omnichannel strategy, creating better times

NEWARK, New Jersey, May 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — For more than 100 years, Mars Wrigley, a leader in the snacks and candy category, has tracked consumer trends to ensure its company and distribution partners identify and adopt innovations to exceed buyer expectations. Today at Sweets & Snacks Expo in Chicagothe company announces its latest initiative to support retail customers – The transactional area team: a newly created in-house consulting firm of front-end experts dedicated to identifying and implementing marketplace solutions that help category managers, store operations and shoppers grow the transaction area.

“At Mars Wrigley, we always listen to our consumers and work with our retail partners to reshape the future of the industry by creating better times in store and on the shelf,” said Tim LeBel, president of sales at Mars Wrigley. “In addition to being at the forefront of the snacks and candy category, we are thought leaders in understanding retail challenges and identifying essential solutions to make the experience more efficient and engaging shopping experience, maximizing customer loyalty and retailer profits.”

Self-checkout has been around for more than two decades, but only about half of transactions go through it.¹ Less than a year after Mars Wrigley unveiled its Accelerating Impulse Moments (AIM) program – a four-pillar platform focused on developing conversion strategies to reimagine impulse buying through reimagining the transaction area, optimizing snack aisles, growing secondary display and executing digital solutions – the company has invested heavily in strategically growing the deal area team around shopper insights that are essential to the evolution of payments.

“At Mars Wrigley, we are committed to being the category leader and focused on the industry growth,” mentioned Mike Weinstock, vice president of category leadership at Mars Wrigley. “That’s why we’re redoubling our efforts to identify solutions that address front-end issues, including the industry-wide self-checkout gap. Our new transaction area team is already established as a go-to resource for retail partners looking to reinvent the transactional area.”

Since the initial creation of the consulting firm in September 2021, he created proprietary tools that provide insight into the performance of transaction areas in retail, developed a new conversion model that identifies solutions for key audiences in the transaction area, and expanded the reach of the company by engaging not only with mass distribution, but with all retail formats. Together, these actions have informed Mars Wrigley and its retail partners of the most effective ways to optimize checkouts now, reinvent the self-checkout terminal and queuing area next, and grow frictionless payment in the future.

Beyond the transaction area, last year Mars Wrigley also helped business partners reach shoppers with voice AI advancement research and motivated consumer purchases with product offers. innovative and trendy that satisfy the evolved values ​​and tastes of buyers.

Leveraging Voice AI Technology to Reach Consumers
An important omnichannel tool, Voice AI is increasingly integrated into all areas of consumer life. This new technology is changing consumer behavior, changing the way brands present themselves and making shopping easier than ever. Informed by first-of-its-kind research, Mars Wrigley recently piloted a series of voice-driven programs around Halloween that increased brand engagement via a spooky voice alarm and social media, facilitated hands-free shopping with a voice-activated shopping list and reaches new brand shoppers via voice-activated advertisements.

To learn more, attendees of this year’s show can join the “What’s Next in Shopping with Voice AI?” sitting on May 24, 2022to 3pm CTin the Insights stage.

Align with Shopper’s societal and environmental values
As a purpose-driven organization, Mars Wrigley constantly innovates and evolves in ways that affirm its commitment to having a positive impact on the world. the Mars Wrigley’s M&M’S® Brand Global Commitment Harnessing the power of pleasure to increase a sense of belonging for 10 million people by 2025 is one of many steps the candy and snack maker is taking to help foster a more inclusive society. Likewise, Mars is committed to rethinking its approach to packaging. Recently, the M&MRS brand eliminated the traditional plastic overwrap from its theater boxes, making packaging fully recyclable and eliminating 98 tonnes of plastic waste per year. Mars also announced that all Mars bars sold in the UK, Ireland and Canada will be certified as carbon neutral by 2023. More than 220 million chocolate bars per year will be carbon neutral.

Evolving product innovations to meet consumer needs
To ensure that product innovations continue to surprise and delight shoppers, Mars Wrigley constantly keeps track of what motivates consumers. Similar to last year, the snack and candy maker is positioning seasonal products as year-round opportunities and this summer its M&MRS The brand will roll out new music-centric programming to attract and engage shoppers and drive conversion by tapping into nostalgia to spark enjoyment and connection. Additionally, across its portfolio, Mars Wrigley is unveiling several new offerings that address shoppers’ demands for a greater variety of offerings that balance satisfaction, taste and preference.

• M&M’S Crunchy Cookie – A hybrid of the iconic M&M’S candies and nostalgic chocolate chip cookies, M&M’S Crunchy Cookie candy features a savory cookie center covered in delicious milk chocolate, all wrapped in the colorful M&M’S shell giving shoppers a satisfying treat with a pleasant taste and texture.
• M&M’S Munchums – Available at select retailers, this limited-time offer offers an all-new experience that bridges the world of chocolate and snacks, while serving as a gluten-free option. The chocolate-based snack features a unique, crispy baked outer shell made from chickpeas. Its two flavors – Milk Chocolate and Salted Caramel – give consumers more options while delivering the satisfying crunch and taste they expect from the brand.
• M&M’S Nut Brownie MIX: Rolling out later this summer, this new variety features a delicious mix of fan-favorite M&M’S Chocolate Peanut Candy and M&M’S Chocolate Fudge Brownie Candy. Requested more than 35,000 times on social networks, buyers will no longer be able to do without this mixture of hazelnuts and chocolate that combines tastes and textures in a single bag.
• DOVE® Big PROMISES®: DOVE Chocolate has expanded its PROMISES collection with its two new DOVE Large PROMISES flavor variations: Milk Chocolate & Caramel and Dark Chocolate & Peanut Butter, to provide consumers with a more indulgent on-the-go experience, with a larger size and an irresistible garnish.
• TWIX® Salted Caramel: The newest addition to the TWIX portfolio, TWIX Salted Caramel Crunchy Cookie Bars, feature the same three layers everyone loves, with an added pinch of salt for a new crunchy sweet and salty experience.
• SKITTLES® PRIDE Bundles: As part of its continued mission to increase LGBTQ+ visibility and celebrate those within the community, SKITTLES is once again forgoing its signature rainbow during Pride to celebrate who matters most. The brand’s annual Pride Packs – which have always been all gray to represent the brand’s cemented support efforts – have been given a splash of color in 2022 thanks to six talented artists from the LGBTQ+ community who have created original designs that represent how they “see the rainbow”. ” every day. Since May 9 – July 15 for each SKITTLES Pride pack purchased, $1 will be donated (up to $100,000) to GLAAD.
• STARBURST® tunes: A one-of-a-kind airy gummi candy, STARBURST Airs, offers a twist on the original STARBURST candy. Available in Original and Sour Tropical packs, the new candy has a puffy texture, resulting in a chewy gummi filled with the juicy STARBURST flavor shoppers know and love.
• EXTRA® Refreshing Fruit Blend: Uniquely combining three refreshing fruity flavors in one bottle, EXTRA Refreshers Fruit Blend is perfect for everything from first dates to weekend getaways. Consumers can enjoy incredibly fresh breath with this delicious new blend of strawberry ice cream, tropical mist and lemonade freshness.

For more on the latest from Mars Wrigley, visit www.mars.com/made-by-mars/mars-wrigley. If you are attending the Sweets & Snacks Expo, please stop by booth 11504.

About Mars, Incorporated
For more than a century, Mars, Incorporated has been driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow begins with the way we do business today. This idea is central to what we have always been as a global family business. Today, Mars is transforming, innovating and evolving in ways that affirm our commitment to having a positive impact on the world around us. Across our growing and diverse portfolio of confectionery, food and pet care products and services, we employ 133,000 dedicated associates who are all headed in the same direction: forward. With $40 billion in annual sales, we produce some of the world’s most beloved brands including DOVE®, EXTRA®, M&M’s®, MILKY WAY®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, ORBIT®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, SKITTLES®, BEN’S ORIGINAL ™ ,

WHISKAS®, COCOAVIA® and 5™; and care for half of the world’s pets with our AniCura, Banfield Pet Hospitals™, BluePearl®, Linnaeus, Pet Partners™ and VCA™ pet health services. We know that we can only truly succeed if our partners and the communities in which we operate also thrive. The five principles of Mars – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire our associates to act every day to help create a world of tomorrow in which the planet, its inhabitants and its pets can thrive.

For more information on Mars, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook,Twitter, instagram,LinkedIn andYoutube.

1. Videomining, meta-study on grocery checkouts, October 2020

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