Senior Editor Joseph Clarke explores how sharing trays and multipack sleeves are evolving to meet demands for sustainability and consumer appeal
Manufacturers are responding to changing consumer habits that favour products designed for shared experiences, family consumption and convenience-led purchasing. At the same time, retailers are demanding packaging formats that maximise shelf impact while supporting sustainability objectives and efficient logistics. The result is a growing focus on packaging solutions capable of delivering protection, presentation and practicality without adding unnecessary complexity or material usage.
According to Mondelez International’s State of Snacking Report, consumers increasingly associate snacking with moments of connection and shared enjoyment. This trend is helping to drive demand for confectionery products packaged for group consumption, whether through large-format sharing packs, organised tray presentations or multipacks designed to balance convenience with portion control.
Against this backdrop, packaging suppliers and equipment manufacturers are helping confectionery producers navigate a complex landscape where sustainability, flexibility and efficiency are becoming equally important.
The Rise of Shared Consumption
The growing popularity of sharing formats reflects broader shifts in how consumers purchase and enjoy confectionery products. While confectionery has always played a role in social occasions, today’s consumers are increasingly seeking products that align with modern lifestyles characterised by convenience, value-consciousness and flexible consumption patterns.
Large sharing bags and boxed assortments have become established fixtures across supermarket shelves, offering consumers products that can be enjoyed across multiple occasions. For families facing ongoing cost-of-living pressures, larger formats often provide stronger perceived value than individually purchased products, while also reducing the need for frequent repeat purchases. For retailers, these formats create greater shelf presence and can contribute to increased basket spend.
The popularity of at-home entertainment has also strengthened demand for products designed around social consumption. Whether consumers are gathering for film nights, sporting events or informal family occasions, confectionery products packaged for sharing have become an increasingly common purchase.
Multipacks have similarly benefited from changing consumer priorities. Individually wrapped portions grouped together within a secondary package appeal to households seeking convenience and portion management without sacrificing variety or freshness. For manufacturers, multipacks create opportunities to showcase multiple product variants while strengthening brand presence and encouraging repeat purchases.
These developments are placing greater emphasis on packaging systems capable of handling larger pack sizes, multiple product configurations and increasingly diverse retail requirements. As a result, innovation in both tray-based packaging and sleeving technologies is accelerating across the confectionery sector.
