Peeps, Jelly Belly being out of stock at Walmart during Easter is ‘significant issue,’ Quri says

By Douglas Yu

- Last updated on GMT

The on-shelf availabilities (OSA) of Peeps and Jelly Belly are among the lowest compared to other key seasonal confectionery brands.  Photo: ©iStock/gbrundin
The on-shelf availabilities (OSA) of Peeps and Jelly Belly are among the lowest compared to other key seasonal confectionery brands. Photo: ©iStock/gbrundin

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US shoppers may have found it more difficult to locate Peeps and Jelly Belly this past Easter at Walmart’s candy aisle compared to Cadbury, Dove, Hershey and M&M’s, says Quri.

Recent research conducted by the retail intelligence firm suggested 14% and 13% of Peeps and Jelly Belly were out of stock respectively.

Quri examined candy offerings at around 1,000 Walmart stores for the two-week “Easter power period”​ ending April 16, 2017, through collecting data and information, and sending them to a centralized repository.  

Its data showed 95% of key confectionery brands were available on shelf during the period in those stores, including Cadbury, Dove, Hershey and M&M’s.

However, some  key Easter brands were not “keeping up with the shopper demand, and don’t have enough holding power on the shelf,”​ Quri’s president and COO David Gottlieb told ConfectioneryNews.

Lowest OSA within candy category

The on-shelf availabilities (OSA) of Peeps (86%) and Jelly Belly (87%) are among the lowest within the category, the data indicated.

Confectionery brands

Brand display presence

On-shelf availability

Butterfinger

17%

96%

Cadbury

66%

98%

Dove

28%

94%

Ghiradelli

16%

92%

Hershey

72%

99%

Jelly Belly

4%

87%

Lindt

16%

93%

M&M's

55%

99%

Peeps

69%

86%

Reese's

81%

98%

Candy category

42%

95%

Source: Quri   Note: brand display presence tracks what percentage of total stores have a brand on display.

Measuring OSA based on a quantified shopper view of the stores is “vital to keeping fast-moving seasonal items like candy fully stocked in the weeks leading up to Easter,”​ Quri said in a release.

“At Walmart, on-shelf availability ranges from 88% to 99% with an average of 96.5% across all categories. Candy fell just below that average at 95% during Easter.”

“That’s a significant issue, because even they [Peeps and Jelly Belly for example] are available in the store like on the secondary display, if a shopper doesn’t find them at their home location (candy aisle in this case), a retailer obviously has risks of dissatisfying shoppers, and they may trade to different items or go to different retailers,”​ Gottlieb said.

Compared to Peeps and Jelly Belly, Hershey and M&M’s have the highest OSA with 99% of  products being in stock in the lead up to Easter, Quri found, followed by Cadbury and Reese’s at 98%.

Not necessarily applied to other retailers

“Not all merchandizing is created equal,”​ Gottlieb said.

“When manufacturers agree upon an execution plan with a retailer, in this case Walmart, they have certain expectation of the number of displays in the store during that period.”

He also pointed out the data examining candy brands during the past Easter is specific to Walmart as stores across different retail channels tend to have varying merchandising strategies and execution. 

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