Summer is prime time for ice cream, and sales in the convenience channel are on the rise. In 2021, packaged ice cream growth built on 2020’s gains, which were in the double digits as many customers turned to indulgent categories throughout the lockdown phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the NACS State of the Industry Report of 2021 Data, packaged ice cream sales increased 4.6% in 2021 compared with 2020, and gross profit for the category grew 5.4% year over year.

To maintain that momentum, retailers need to keep a pulse on trends within the category and ensure display placements are front and center during the warm summer months.

The most popular flavor for the channel continued to be vanilla in 2021. While all of the top 10 flavors grew sales by more than 20% from 2019 to 2020, three flavors—vanilla, half-baked and butter pecan—were the only flavors to decline in sales in 2021 compared with 2020. The flavor with the largest growth from 2020 to 2021 was strawberry cheesecake, which saw a 12.0% increase in sales from the prior year, followed by cookies and cream, which was up by 8.6%. 

The 10 Most Popular Packaged Ice Cream Flavors in Convenience 

1. Vanilla
2. Chocolate
3. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
4. Half Baked
5. Butter Pecan
6. Chocolate Fudge Brownie
7. Cookies and Cream 
8. Strawberry Cheesecake
9. Cherry Garcia
10. The Tonight Dough