STORY: Consumers will pay more for topped pastry, research reveals

New research from Schulstad Bakery Solutions has today revealed that four out of five consumers are willing to pay more for a Danish Pastry with additional toppings, proving customisable sweet treats are a key sales driver for retailers.

Schulstad Bakery Solutions is taking this‘Glow Up’ trend as an opportunity to encourage operators to upgrade their sweet pastry offering by getting creative with their Danish Pastries; by offering customised, dessert-inspired pastry toppings.

“For consumers, quality is key, especially when it comes to long-standing heritage items like the much-loved Danish Pastry, with 76% of consumers tempted to buy a sweet topped Danish Pastry and 79% willing to pay more for one," comments Samantha Winsor, marketing manager for Lantmännen Unibake.

"This proves there is an exciting opportunity for outlets to not only have some fun with these traditional products, but more importantly drive sales and subsequent profit in the current challenging economic climate.”

To help shape the ‘Glow Up’ of the Danish Pastry, Schulstad Bakery Solutions took to the polls to ask consumers what would encourage them to purchase a sweet, indulgently topped Danish Pastry, focusing on its top three best-sellers, Maple Pecan Plait, Cinnamon Swirl and Vanilla Crème Crown.

•        Cinnamon Swirl is the Danish Pastry they would most like to customise (46%)
•        79% of consumers are willing to pay more for an indulgently topped Danish Pastry (on average 78p more) and 66% of consumers will be more likely to buy a Danish Pastry if they could customise the toppings.
•        When asked how they would like to customise a Danish Pastry, 34% consumers would opt for chocolate sauce, and 33% would incorporate caramel, toffee, fudge or butterscotch flavours.
•        Chocolate pieces would be the number one topping of choice for 31% of consumers, and whipped cream would be for 30% of consumer.
•        Consumers also shared how they would elevate their Danish Pastry to a dessert level. Ice-cream is the most popular accompaniment (32%), with cream or whipped cream in second place at 29%, and chocolate pieces in third, as 28% of people would opt to add them as a topping.
•        More than half of the UK (57%) would prefer to have their topped Danish Pastry as a hot dessert.

Winsor continues: “78% of consumers eat a sweet pastry at least once a fortnight, so, there is a captive audience ready to engage with the category’s latest ‘Glow Up’ trend. What’s more 79% are willing to pay more for an indulgently sweet topped version of their favourite Danish Pastry.

“As outlets face increasing challenges from inflation and the rise in cost of living, it makes sense to review existing menu items and look at ways they can level them up. Danish Pastries offer operators an opportunity to drive sales of their existing pastry range and increase profit by adding tasty dessert sauces, sweet toppings and whipped cream. Simple ingredients that can be commonly found in most kitchens but can be used to quickly create something that will really drive sweet sales.” 

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