Sunday, June 3, 2018

25th Anniversary of National Frozen Yogurt Month

Fro-yo girl here. Happy National Frozen Yogurt Month. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the first National Frozen Yogurt Month. TCBY declared National Frozen Yogurt Month, National Frozen Yogurt Week (the first week of June) and National Frozen Yogurt Day (the first "Sundae/Sunday" in June) back in 1993.


Search Trends


It’s the time of year that I like to geek out and look at frozen yogurt search trends. That is, how often is frozen yogurt searched for on Google. This is roughly speaking, Google’s way to measure interest over time.

Before looking at the trends, my guess is that interest over time in frozen yogurt is still gradually declining since the peak in July 2012.

Guess what? I was right. The decline is pretty gradual since the frozen yogurt category is now mature and mainstream in the largest market, the US. As in previous years, the search volume is seasonal. Fewer people search for frozen yogurt during the winter.

In 2017, the top 5 countries by interest were #1. United States, #2. Canada, #3. Denmark, #4. Greece and #5. Australia. In 2018, frozen yogurt as a search term is the most popular in #1. United States, #2. Canada, #3. Australia, #4. Greece, #5. Denmark. The top two positions have stayed the same for years.

The top search queries in 2018 were #1. “frozen yogurt near me” and #2. frozen yogurt ice cream. People are using Google to find frozen desserts in their area. By US subregion, the number of searches for frozen yogurt was greatest in Washington (particularly the Seattle-Tacoma area), followed by Massachusetts and Arizona. 


Froyo Trends and Musings


Frozen yogurt shops continue to open and to close. It feels like the industry hasn’t come up with anything innovative in awhile and that prices continue to rise. I don’t want to pay over $6 for a snack. I keep my portions small at self-serve shops but I often see people paying $8-$10 for one cup of frozen yogurt. Portions are out of control and there are too many sweet, indulgent flavors inspired by cookies and candy. I like shops that provide small portions of nicely swirled frozen yogurt – yes, I’m talking about Pinkberry’s model. Soft serve ice cream places are following that model but froyo is stuck in a self-serve rut.

In the end, the places that I want to return to are the higher quality shops. I’d like to see healthier options (lower sugar) too. The best frozen yogurt is made in small batches with the best ingredients, from scratch. That said, I’ll always have a weakness for Yogurtland’s Plain Tart, Peanut Butter, and Sumatra Coffee and Pinkberry’s tart flavors.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

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