how brands will hook consumers in 2026

The sweetest and most profitable season for the chocolate market, Easter, is in full swing. To capture consumer attention, the industry’s strategy this year included bringing forward online sales and products on shelves, increasing the variety of options and investing in “collabs” – partnerships between brands to boost products with collectible and licensed items.

This year, the industry is placing 700 Easter products on the market – 14% more than in 2025, according to the Brazilian Association of the Chocolate, Cocoa, Peanut, Candy and Derivatives Industry (Abicab). The challenge will be to attract consumers amid the high prices of inputs – given the recent .

The weight of the production cycle

The main reason for price stability, even with the recent relief in raw material prices, is the long production cycle inherent to the chocolate industry. Factory planning and the purchase of inputs occur well in advance, when the cost scenario was different.

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Already Cocoa Showfor example, Easter planning begins 17 months in advance. Due to the high volume and to meet anticipated demand, production of the brand’s products began at the end of last year.

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According to the manufacturer, given the challenging scenario regarding the price of raw materials, the focus was to absorb as much of the impacts as possible through planning, operational efficiency and scale, passing on only the minimum necessary to the consumer. As a result, Cacau Show did not change the weight of its products.

The company states that it applied an average adjustment of around 4%, an index in line with the IPCA variation in the period, which allowed it to maintain affordable options starting at R$9.99.

Following a path of repositioning and focus on competitiveness, Copenhagen also adjusted the prices of key products to expand access, starting to offer eggs starting at R$89.90. To justify the added value and not alienate the public, the brand restructured its portfolio into eight categories and reinforced the “Classics” line (which brings together icons such as Língua de Gato and Nhá Benta).

“By balancing tradition and novelty, we were able to strengthen our value proposition and create real reasons for people to enter our stores and fully experience the brand”, says Pedro Velardo Neto, Head of Marketing at Kopenhagen.

Easter Egg before Carnival

Faced with the high cost of inputs and price adjustments, the industry anticipated. To dilute the burden on their pockets and guarantee revenue, companies bet on putting products on the street earlier, encouraging complementary and diluted purchases throughout the season.

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A Nestlé ea Boywhich together produced more than 174 million giftable items and eggs to supply 500,000 points of sale, began sales and exhibition at the beginning of January, adapting to a shorter calendar for Easter this year – in other words, there were already Easter eggs available for consumption even before the tambourines played in the pre-Carnival period.

Together, the brands offer 17 egg options and project double-digit growth for 2026. In addition to eggs, the conglomerate’s big bet to anticipate consumption are stuffed tablets, a line that now has a reinforced Galak flavor.

Cacau Show invested in a similar movement. The brand opened an online pre-sale in the second half of January, anticipating access to much-desired licensed lines, such as Batman, One Piece and Harry Potter — the latter bringing as a gift a sorting hat that moves and emits the original voice of the films.

The action registered such strong engagement that some items sold out within minutes, according to Lilian Rodrigues, marketing director at Cacau Show. After this period, at the beginning of February, the portfolio became available in the chain’s physical stores and e-commerce.

‘Collabs’: variety and strength of partnerships

In addition to the extra time on shelves, the sector’s biggest weapon for 2026 are the so-called collabs (collaborations and licensing). Numbers from the previous year prove the effectiveness of the tactic: at Easter 2025, stuffed eggs in partnership with Brazil Cocoa grew at double digits, driving the brand to a historic 40% jump in total sales.

To repeat the dose, Brasil Cacau, which has 38 products in its portfolio (18 launches), made partnerships its main strategy and joined forces with names such as Turma da Mônica, Nesquik, Fini, KitKat, Charge, Lollo and Alpino.

“Collabs are today one of Brasil Cacau’s main growth levers. Through them, the brand expands the innovation of its portfolio, reaches new audiences and expands its presence at different moments of consumption throughout the year”, explains Marcos Freitas, Head of Marketing at Brasil Cacau. “The strategy seeks to generate more purchasing occasions and transform Easter into a more plural experience, ranging from individual consumption to gifts with emotional value”, says the executive.

The competition follows the same creative tone. Kopenhagen projects that the arrival of the Fofolete, Emily in Paris, Wandinha and Cerejinha lines — which join the successful partnerships with Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Moranguinho — will boost the exclusive growth of its category of licensees by up to 30% compared to last year. For the adult audience, the brand innovates with the launch of the Pipoca flavor.

In the end, the strategy of the market giants intersects: anticipating consumer desires with creative products, packaging that turns into gifts and innovative fillings to deliver value and maintain sales growth, even with rising prices, for the most important chocolate date of the year.