Impulse spending remains a key revenue driver for retailers. This makes the decision of what products to display at the checkout one of great importance. Traditionally, most retailers have reserved this area for sweets and confectionary. Whilst tempting, these products cannot be described as healthy choices. 

However, shopper trends and legislation across Europe are increasingly moving towards healthy eating. This has led many retailers to begin rethinking the content of their impulse zones. Healthy foods may not always be thought of as the most enticing. Despite this, retailers must find ways to reconcile promoting good choices with driving the impulse spending which is vital to their margins. 

Valued by the law and the public 

The first consideration here is legislation. Many European countries have placed restrictions on where and how unhealthy foods can be advertised. Whilst shelf space is still an emerging consideration of European law, the UK has already passed restrictions on where products contain high levels of fats, sugar, and salt can be displayed in store. It has also recently been reported that the Swiss government is considering making regional laws that ban sweets at the checkout apply nationwide. This suggests that similar restrictions may soon spread to further European markets. 

Even without legislative pressure, shopper trends should provide another key reason for a change at the checkout. Throughout Europe, healthy eating is of growing importance to shoppers. This is particularly true amongst younger shoppers, with research from McKinsey finding that gen-Z and millennial shoppers are increasingly willing to trade-up for healthier products. A growing proportion of the shopper base is likely to be more enticed by a healthier option at the checkout. 

Albert Heijn’s healthy snacking trial 

A recent trial by Albert Heijn was the most notable instance of a European retailer overhauling its impulse zones. The Dutch market leader replaced sweets and confectionary at the checkout with its healthy snacking private label range. This consists of packets of nuts, dried fruit, and other healthier alternatives to classic snacking products. 

This is certainly a step in the right direction in terms of promoting healthy eating. However, when it comes to driving impulse spending, the assortment leaves much to be desired. For checkout areas to effectively drive impulse spend, the products on display must excite and entice shoppers. Finding ways to combine this with health credentials is the key challenge for retailers. 

On-trend opportunities 

Fortunately, there are currently a wealth of products available that excite shoppers whilst actively providing health benefits. From protein products to functional drinks, recent trends in product innovation have brought a wealth of health-focused products to the market. These are in high demand from shoppers and the constant innovation in the space continually renews their interest. This places functional health products as an ideal candidate to replace sweets and confectionary at the checkout. Some retailers (such as Lidl, in Poland) include these products amongst traditional impulse ranges, but we are yet to see one fully transformed to this end.  

The challenge here is the trend-based nature of this market. To benefit from the continuous excitement generated by new products in the space, retailers must ensure the latest innovations are represented in their ranges. They must remain aware and ahead of emerging trends and be sure not to over-index on product trends that may prove to be short-lived. 

A challenge and an opportunity 

Reconciling impulse spending and healthy eating will not be a simple task for European retailers. However, current shopper trends and emerging legislative restrictions suggest it may become a necessity in the future. Assortments at the checkout must retain their exciting and tempting nature, or they risk losing their ability to drive impulse spend. 

Tapping the wealth of on-trend health products can be an excellent opportunity here. However, to effectively grasp this, retailers must be careful and agile in selecting and maintaining these ranges. 

For more insights on healthy snacking, read The high-stakes snackification race