The world was still in the throes of Covid when Nerds Gummy Clusters bounced onto the scene in 2020. The bite-sized candy — a smattering of tangy, crunchy Nerds around a fruity, gummy center — was Nerds’ first innovation since 2018, when it introduced Big Chewy Nerds to the world.
Fast forward a few years, and Gummy Clusters has rocketed to the forefront of its parent company Ferrara’s portfolio. Gummy Clusters — now available in two flavors, Rainbow and Very Berry — were responsible for 81.4% of all Nerds sales from January 2023 to January 2024, according to IRI data. Since adding Gummy Clusters to the mix, Nerds’ retail sales have surged from $50 million in 2019 to some $500 million today. Thanks to the product going viral early on, Nerds is now spending more on marketing to propel sales even further.
Nerds was surprised by the candy’s runaway success. When the company launched Gummy Clusters in 2020, there wasn’t “a ton of advertising” around the product, Joey Rath, Nerds’ marketing director, told Modern Retail. Instead, Rath thinks the candy caught on due to its “multi-sensorial eating experience” and receptive audience. “Consumers love the product so much,” she said. “There’s word-of-mouth around the product… and incredibly strong repeat rates.”
Continue reading this article on modernretail.co. Sign up for Modern Retail newsletters to get the latest on the shifting dynamics between retail’s old and new guards.