I’m a dyed-in-the-wool, card-carrying member of Generation X. We don’t draw much dedicated research firepower these days, aside from minor ancillary questions about whether we “messed up the world” or whether we’re “hoarding too much money.”
But… My two kids, aged 14 and 10 – Generations Z and Alpha, respectively – are in a cohort that’s closely scrutinized by maybe half the world’s market researchers. I’d bet tens of thousands of behavioral science PhDs are minted yearly by people devoted to figuring out what these kids, and the young adults who’ve preceded them, want to eat.
According to the research I’ve seen, these guys are on an endless quest for flavor. Whether they’re drawing quietly, vegging out with video games, playing baseball – the search for taste and experience never ends.
(And they look so tranquil when they’re sleeping, their angelic faces betraying no hint that behind closed eyelids, they’re craving new food experiences.)
This may be why my youngest consumes vast quantities of Taki’s Blue Heat tortilla chips – spice levels that would kill a man my age and make a Sichuan chef throw in the towel.
Swedish candy is another biggie. Colorful gummies, sour skulls, foam, elderflower; they can’t get enough of the stuff.
And they’re not alone. Far from it, actually.
As intriguing as the habits of my two are, if you zoom out – and I mean really far out, in the broadest possible terms – you see that there are around 205 million Millennnials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha consumers in the United States alone. That’s close to 60% of the population.
Of course, this “super-cohort” of consumers is bombarded by an almost-constant stream of viral food videos. This is one of the most powerful engines of discovery that exists today. And when 205 million people get hold of a viral idea, it’s enough to move markets. That grocery retail should respond massively to this is a no-brainer; hence the powerful transformations we’ve seen out there in the perimeter and aisles.
Those Swedish candies are a good example.
Video: The Supermarket’s New Front Door
At first glance, I’m not sure I get it. Colorful gummies, sour skulls and Scandinavian licorice hardly seem destined to reshape American grocery retail.
Yet over the past two years, Swedish candy has exploded across TikTok, inspired millions of “candy haul” videos, generated shortages of popular brands and created long lines outside specialty candy stores. Demand became so intense that European manufacturers acknowledged struggling to keep pace with international orders after the trend went viral.
The products are almost perfectly engineered for the modern “discovery economy.”
They’re colorful and they photograph almost eerily well. You’ve also got unfamiliar textures and intense flavors that are almost totally unknown to the American palate. Elderflower, anyone? Even the Swedish tradition of buying candy by the scoop from a large assortment – lösgodis (pronounce it “lusgodiss” and you’re close enough) – turns the purchase into an experience rather than a simple transaction.
That is exactly the kind of product social media rewards and is therefore one younger consumers gravitate toward.
Moving from Familiar Brands to Viral Finds
When I was a kid – heck, when my grandparents were kids – merchandising revolved, more or less, around familiarity. Retailers stocked trusted brands, kept them on the shelf, and competed on price.
Today, discovery often begins on a smartphone.
McKinsey’s landmark The State of Grocery: North America, 2026 and its consumer-tech research show how deeply and profoundly digital tools have become wired into the shopping process for younger consumers. Fully 28% of Gen Z shoppers already use generative AI while shopping, 60% regularly use AI-generated search overviews, and nearly one-quarter say they have discovered new brands through social media. Among Gen Z, social media has become one of the most important influences on purchasing decisions.
Consumers still come to buy milk, eggs and bread. But younger shoppers increasingly arrive with something else in mind: a product they’ve already seen online… or one they hope to discover in the aisle.
Swedish candy isn’t unique – Dubai chocolate, chili crisp, probiotic sodas, matcha beverages, Korean snacks, Japanese convenience-store treats, freeze-dried candy, and globally inspired flavors have all benefited from the same sequence: discovery first, purchase second.
Circana, with its research into the shifting “snackscape” describes the broader behavior as selective consumption. This super-cohort of consumers, 205 million strong, is on the whole becoming more intentional about what they choose. Flavor innovation, globally inspired products, and social-media commerce are increasingly driving trial, while platforms like TikTok and formats like YouTube Shorts are sharply reducing the time between seeing a product and buying it.
That creates opportunity and urgency for the folks in the back office.
Retailers Can’t Wait for the Data Anymore
Time was, merchants could wait for syndicated data to validate a trend before expanding shelf space. In 2026, it’s not hard to envision getting the numbers to confirm a product’s momentum… just as social media is moving on to something else.
That’s why it’s imperative to keep tabs on these consumer conversations in real time – or as close to it as possible. That means tracking consumer conversations on TikTok, Instagram, Reddit and YouTube, while also keeping an eye on international trade shows, specialty importers and emerging food creators.
I don’t think this means turning every category manager into a full-time trend chaser. But it does mean creating faster, more flexible ways to test demand. Whether that’s a limited-time display, a rotating global-snacks endcap, small imported assortments, or in-store tests – there are options.
Some products are going to flunk; that was always true, always part of the process. But the cost of a limited test may be far lower than the cost of ignoring a fast-moving trend until competitors have already claimed it.
The National Confectioners Association offers a useful illustration of how dramatically the discovery path now differs by age. It reports that 48% of Gen Z consumers have discovered a new confectionery product through TikTok, while 58% of Baby Boomers still primarily discover new products in physical stores.
Those consumer cohorts are walking into the same supermarket… through completely different mental doors. One arrives with a remembered brand in mind, the other with a viral video in mind.
You’ve got to serve both; be the place that stocks products and that introduces them to whoever is looking for a surprise.
So, what’s next? What comes after Swedish candy? I’ve no idea. Though if history is a guide it will eventually cool off, the same as any other viral product.
Whatever that product is, the winning retailers over the next decade will be the ones with merchandising systems designed for a degree of ongoing experimentation. Their category managers will have room to test unusual – weird? – products before every competitor recognizes the opportunity.
Some of those products will almost certainly become passing curiosities… but others will take off, the next Greek yogurt or kombucha.