N E W PRO D UC T S
O F TH E Y E A R
2012 AUTOMATIC MERCHANDISERR
READERS' CHOICE AWARD
NEW PRODUCT OF THE YEAR
2012 Readers Choice New Products of the Year
By Emily Refermat, Managing Editor Products focus on brand name, nutrition, and consumers' love of coffee. T 30
he contest for new products of the year ran a little differ- ently in 2012. Only products
released from March 2011 through December 2011 were eligible. The product descriptions were housed on the Automatic Merchandiser Online Buyer's Guide, and the names were placed on an online ballot at VendingMarketWatch.com/ awards. Nominees could choose from the ballot or write in their own response. There were over 500 online nominations submitted. Unsurprisingly, the new product
trends of 2012 coincide well with market data. Three winners refl ect the growing requests for snacks
with portion control or ingredients that fi t into health and wellness pro- grams. The cookie category winner, Biscomerica Corp.'s Sun-Maid Oatmeal Raisin Apple Bite-Sized Premium Cookie, fi ts well due to its portion control size. The pastry category winner, General Mills Inc.
's Fiber One® 90-Calorie
Brownies, got marks for portion control and fi ber content. Finally, the snack category winner, Mars Chocolate North America's Mar- athon Smart Stuff Energy Bar, has fi ber, vitamins and minerals. The OCS side of the business is
growing, continuing to fuel the love affair consumers have with their
Automatic Merchandiser VendingMarketWatch.com May 2012
coffee, so it's no surprise that a new coffee company, Marley Coffee, won the hot beverage category with its Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Pod. Even in the cold beverage cat- egory, java was a winner, indicated by a majority of votes for Starbucks VIA Iced Coffee. In the last two categories, consumer favorites show through. Werther's Original® candy won in the candy category with recognizable brand name newly available to vend- ing. The spicy-fl avor product trend showed itself in the food category with winner AdvancePierre Inc. Boneless Buffalo Chicken Bites.
's C ONT INUED ▶