It is expected that FMCG innovation will dominate the next Product of the Year competition, which is now accepting entries for the 2022 award, making it potentially the biggest and most comprehensive yet.
According to a new survey carried out by Product of the Year, nearly a third of consumers voted ‘convenience/ready meals’ as the most important product innovation over the last 5-10 years. Consumers are increasingly turning to the ease and simplicity of takeaways, ready meals and on-the-go products, helping to reduce some of the stresses of daily life. For some, the greatest innovations were more to do with cutting down on waste, with a third citing ‘eco’ products like bamboo straws and biodegradable wipes as their top pick, while others voted for innovation within the way in which they received their products, with nearly 30% voting in ‘subscription boxes’. The rise of brands like Naked Wines, Friction Free Shaving and Tails.com, has sparked a revolution in the FMCG sector, transforming the way we shop for these products. Gluten/dairy free, no/low alcohol and sleep products were among the other products voted in by consumers.
Last year, coffee pods (Starbucks by Nespresso Capsules Range, Nestlé UK Ltd), refillable cleaning products (Cif Anti-Bac & Shine Range (Spray & ecorefill) and antibacterial hand towels (Nicky Defend Hand Towels, Sofidel SpA), were just a handful of the many FMCG winners to take home awards in their categories, voted for by 10,000 consumers. But as attention turns to the future, Product of the Year is searching for the best of the best among the new wave of products launched over the last year. Celebrating innovation across the board, from the products that make an impact on the supermarket shelves to those incremental tweaks made to established products and services that make our lives that bit easier.
For over 18 years, Product of the Year has partnered with Kantar, the world’s largest research company, to conduct an independent and robust survey of more than 10,000 UK consumers (200,000 globally) to vote for their favourite new product innovations with the winners earning the right to display the iconic red Product of the Year logo. And 86% of shoppers have revealed that they are more likely to buy a product that carries the instantly recognisable Product of the Year logo with brands recording an average sales increase of 10-15% with some uplifts as high as 135%.
One of the best aspects of winning a Product of the Year Award beyond receiving the iconic logo, is the exposure to industry figures, press and marketing. Benefits include the Blogger Panel, as well as extensive influencer activation and PR – ensuring stand out social media and national coverage for the winning brands.
Christina Lecky, Brand Manager Fuze Tea, remarking on the positive impact that winning a Product of the Year award has had on the Fuze Tea brand, says: “At Coca-Cola we’re constantly striving to be at the forefront of innovation in the drinks market, we’re delighted that our hard work has paid off in winning Product of the Year for Fuze Tea. The famous logo is voted for by over 10,000 shoppers, making it truly indicative of consumers’ preferences.”
Commenting on the opening of the 2022 awards, Helga Slater, MD, Product of the Year says: “We’ve been impressed by the sheer ingenuity of brands over the last year in spite of the challenges they’ve faced. New product launches, services and established brands making changes that help keep up with the changing demands of the modern consumer. We are thrilled to once again start the search for these brilliant new products to give them the recognition they deserve and to announce the new categories.”
Product of the Year is now open for entries (closing date: 31st July). Brands can enter the award here via this link: www.productoftheyear.co.uk/process/.