At Corona Easter last year, Bama sold 4,300 tonnes of citrus, and they inform NTB that they believe in equally high demand this year. That is 43 percent more than in 2019, when 3,000 tonnes of clementines and oranges were sold in Norway.
Nidar, which dominates Easter marzipan sales, increased sales by 24 percent last year.
Solo has long been a big bet on Easter. The yellow soda had a 10 percent increase last year – something that continued throughout the year.
Quick Lunch has managed to create a completely unique brand position as tour chocolate. The biscuit chocolate sold less than normal around Easter last year, but then they usually sell extremely much at this time.
– Norwegians eat an average of around five Quick Lunches at Easter out of a total of nine in one year, says marketing manager Sølvi Grana Slotte at Freia.
She believes that the strong profile of ski trip chocolate hit sales when the cabin trip went out and the snow was gone from large parts of the lowlands in 2020. This year, however, they expect an upturn.
Krisekos
Brand expert and professor of innovation Tor Wallin Andreassen at the Norwegian School of Management explains how these products have achieved their Easter status. The orange season coincided, when it was introduced, with Easter. Marzipan was a luxury item traditionally only enjoyed at Christmas and Easter. Quick Lunch was launched as tour chocolate already in the 1930s and Solo is – well, it is yellow, and special Norwegian.
Year after year, the trade has managed, consciously or unconsciously, to link all this to Easter, with phenomena such as cabin trips, skiing, cuddling in the sun wall and crime. It has been reinforced over several generations now, made Norwegian and nostalgic, drawn into socialization and thus passed on to the next generation. It is the dream situation for the trade stand that makes them laugh all the way to the bank, says Andreassen.
He points out that two elements led to sales growth last year, and probably the same thing will happen this year.
– It obviously contributed that the border closed last year, because many typically buy snop in Sweden. And then the corona situation was the second reason: we reward ourselves in difficult times. “These are difficult times, I’m depressed, I deserve chocolate, soda and orange.” Not only is it Easter, it is legitimate, says Andreassen.
This can be confirmed by Elisabeth Aandstad Ekheim, Communications Director at Orkla Norway.
– We saw a general sales growth in all our categories within sweets, biscuits and snacks last year compared to the year before. The increase in sales is probably closely related to the corona situation and home Easter, she says.
The automatics
The NHH professor says that humans are addicted.
– We do the same thing year after year. 80 percent of our behavior is governed by established habits. The brain is your strongest organ, but at the same time the laziest, because the brain wants to automate everything you do and think. Everything that is positive is automated and stored for reuse.
If you walk into a grocery store now, you will now be greeted by a “yellow shop”, pallets with Solo, marzipan, package deals on Quick Lunch and other Easter items. Then it is easy to bring something good in the basket.
In the space of a nanosecond, the brain is reminded of all the positive things about Easter. It automatically triggers you to act to achieve a new good experience.
– Most people do not buy celery and dip on Easter holidays, it will be completely wrong, says Andreassen.
Castles at Freia confirm that it is going away, especially in times of crisis.
– Our experience is that Norwegians value their old traditions even more and seek the familiar and dear, she says.
Communications manager Nicolay Bruusgaard in Ringnes says 25 percent of this year’s Solo sales go around Easter.
– That Easter will be a little different, probably only makes Solo and other Easter favorites even more important to get in the right Easter mood, he says.
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