Magnum launches bite-sized Bon Bons tapping into growing snacking trend

Magnum has launched its first ever bite-sized product, Bon Bons, responding to the gaining popularity of micro-formats, especially among Gen Z.

The ice cream brand joins Unilever’s Ben & Jerry’s and Yasso in leveraging micro-formats, as consumers seek to have smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day.

The ice cream category is no exception, with one-third of ice cream consumers in the UK interested in trying bite-sized portions [Mintel: UK Ice Cream Market Report 2024].

Designed to offer the unmissable taste of a full-sized Magnum ice cream, the new range of Magnum Bon Bons come in 12-piece tubs that are both shareable and snackable.

The Bon Bons are available in three of brand’s most successful flavours – White Chocolate & Cookies, Gold Caramel Billionaire and Salted Caramel & Almond – and will be available in-store and online in the UK, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, France, Ireland and Spain, and other European markets soon.

“We’re building the micro-bite ice cream category by tapping into how this change in behaviour has created new consumption occasions,” Rosie Festus, global brand manager, Magnum, said.

Snacking significantly increased during the pandemic, with many of us turning to comfort foods. And the habit hasn’t gone away, especially among younger consumers. In fact, it continues to gain momentum.

“Gen Z are switched on when it comes to snacking,” Rosie added. “They’re paying attention to portion size, how it makes them feel and what the experience is like.”

From studying recent bite-size launches, Nielsen data shows that the bite-sized format drives ice cream sales.

What’s more, Kantar data shows that bites are helping to premiumise the ice cream category. Their research shows that bites are often purchased in addition to other ice cream formats. And those consumers who buy bites alongside traditional ice cream products spend 76 per cent more on average.

The Magnum Bon Bon range joins Unilever’s growing ice cream snacking portfolio. This includes Ben & Jerry’s ‘Peaces’ pouches and ‘Poppables’ from its US Greek yoghurt brand, Yasso.

Yasso is already a market leader in frozen novelties in the US, and Poppables, which are 35 calories per portion, are proving to be in high demand. In the past year, they’ve seen increasing dollar and unit sales, and now account for roughly a quarter of the brand’s growth.

Ben & Jerry’s has also expanded its bite-sized ice cream offering, introducing a new Salted Caramel Brownie flavour to its Peaces range. The new flavour will sit alongside its Cookie Dough Peaces. Both flavours come in a resealable zip lock bag, making them the perfect snack for sharing, anywhere, anytime.