Innovation Spotlight: Coffee mate Cool Crème Frozen Creamers

Welcome to Innovation Spotlight! Each month we’ll spotlight a brand that’s capitalizing on a current consumer trend with a new product innovation.

This month we researched Coffee mate Cool Crème Frozen Creamers, limited-time frozen creamers that turn a typical hot or iced coffee into an indulgent dessert experience. Read on to get our analysis of the product's in-market potential, the audiences it appeals to, as well as what you can learn from it to innovate smarter.

The latest innovation in coffee creamers is here — and it’s frozen! Coffee mate recently announced that it is testing its new Cool Crème Frozen Creamers in select markets. With two flavors — Vanilla Caramel Swirl and Cookies & Crème Crumble — the creamers are available in the frozen section of the grocery store. 

The brand says you just need to take them out of your freezer to let them thaw for 10 minutes and then scoop them into your coffee — either hot or iced.

They’re only available for a limited time and only in a few markets. But perhaps if they do well the brand will roll them out more broadly!

There’s so much that’s interesting with this new launch! 

They bring creamers into the realm of desserts to open up a new occasion. Similar to an affogato (an Italian dessert made by pouring hot espresso over cold gelato or ice cream), these creamers turn a traditional coffee beverage into an indulgent experience. And they allow consumers to treat themselves to this rich experience at home at a time when more people are doing so. Plus, Gen Z in particular likes their coffee cold and sweet. What’s colder than frozen?!

They tap into the cold foam trend. Cold foam has exploded recently and while this isn’t exactly cold foam, it’s a similar experience. Coffee mate is clearly banking on the idea that consumers want coffeehouse-style customization at home.

They introduce a completely new format into a mature category. Creamers always come in either shelf-stable powders or refrigerated or unrefrigerated liquid form. Frozen is a completely new format, which is impressive for a mature category! Format innovation can really help Coffee mate stand out. 

But there’s always a risk with completely new innovation that consumers will think it’s too weird and not be interested in trying it. Are frozen coffee creamers a good idea? Is Coffee mate the right brand to bring them to market? Let’s find out!

1. The power of true breakthrough innovation: Innovation that’s truly both new and better is hard to come by, but it’s something all category leaders should aspire to. Coffee mate has an established reputation as a leader in the coffee creamer category, with decades of history behind it. While newer entrants are shaking up the category, Coffee mate is defending its position with this breakthrough innovation that stands out as both different and better than alternatives. People aren’t just impressed with the novelty, they think it will add something to their at-home coffee experience with great flavors and texture.

2. Widespread appeal — nearly everyone wants to try: With an incredibly unique and different product like this one, we expected to see some consumer groups more interested than others — as we tend to see with other distinctive innovations — but that’s not the case! These frozen creamers score high in both love and trial potential across most groups. They appeal to just about everyone! 

3. Tapping into key category trends at the right time: There are clear trends these new creamers tap into — making it the right time to launch this new product. Trends like coffee as a treat (blurring into dessert), at-home café experiences (customization, cold foam-inspired) and cold and sweet coffee preferences (especially among younger consumers) all come together in this one product. So while consumers say that this product is unique and unlike anything they’ve ever seen before, they clearly understand what it is and how it could fit into their lives because it blends well into experiences they’re already having in the category. 

This one is a unique case — do you compare it against beverage innovations or food innovations? It’s used within beverages, but it’s more like an ice cream than a traditional coffee creamer. We opted to compare it to food innovations as we thought that was a more accurate comparison, although it did equally well compared to beverage innovations. 

With that in mind, Coffee mate Cool Crème Frozen Creamers scored in the top 1% of US food innovations on breakthrough potential and the top 5% on trial potential — putting it at the top of our database in the “scale and sustain” section of our matrix.

It’s truly an incredible result! Let’s unpack more about why this innovation scores this way.

We use two key measures to determine breakthrough potential:

1. How different a product is (distinctiveness)

2. How superior a product is compared to what’s already available in market (advantage)

Unsurprisingly, the frozen creamers are seen as extremely distinctive, significantly more distinctive than the average (Distinctiveness T2B: 86.8% vs 72.5% norm). Every group we looked at scored the creamers very high on distinctiveness, with early adopters scoring it an impressive 98%! 

As we’ve said, these creamers are unique in the category, so it makes sense that they’re viewed as very different. 

But it’s not enough that a new product is different, it also needs to be better than what’s already available in-market. The frozen creamers outperform the average in advantage as well (Advantage: 67.1% vs. 52.6%) — scoring high across every group with the exception of adults aged 46 and older, who scored it in line with the average. 

As we’ve said, these frozen creamers remind us of an affogato — an Italian dessert made by pouring hot espresso over cold gelato or ice cream. We found that just over a quarter (28%) of people have tried an affogato before. 

Do those who have tried an affogato think the frozen creamers are more distinctive or more advantageous than those who haven’t? The scores are so high across the board for this innovation, there isn’t as much of a difference as we expected! 

Those who have tried an affogato before score the innovation about as distinctive and advantageous as regular Coffee mate drinkers and just below early adopters.

Seven out of 10 people (71%) of people would purchase the frozen creamers at their current price of $4.99 for 8.3 oz, which is significantly higher than the average US food innovation (Priced Purchase Likelihood T2B: 70.9% vs. 54.1% norm). 

That number is much higher for different groups. Younger consumers (adults 45 and under) are much more likely to purchase (83%), similar to those who buy Coffee mate regularly (84%). Nine out of 10 who have tried an affogato before (91%) say they’re likely to buy and nearly 100% of early adopters (96%) are likely to purchase!

Clearly, this new innovation is very appealing to a broad audience of people! 

Which of the two flavors is most appealing? Vanilla Caramel Swirl wins that distinction, with 78% saying it would be the flavor they would choose the first time they buy the frozen creamers.  

When we asked people what they liked about the frozen creamers, a few key themes emerged: 

1) Taste & flavor (the biggest driver)

The most consistent feedback is simply that it looks like it tastes good. People described them as looking delicious, rich and sweet with flavors that are highly appealing. 

• "It sounds like it would taste amazing."

• "It looks like it tastes great."

• "It seems it would make coffee taste delicious."

• "I think it would have a different bold taste."

• "The vanilla flavor it has makes it very appealing because it's my favorite kind of flavor."

• "I like the flavor options and it looks very delicious."

2) Unique & innovative concept

A lot of the feedback centers on how different it is, with people commenting that they’ve never seen anything like it and the idea is cool and interesting to them. 

Clearly, the frozen creamers stand out as a truly new product, not a line or flavor extension. 

• "It’s so different from anything I’ve seen when it comes to coffee products I think it’s an awesome thing. I wanna try one."

• "It sounds completely different from other brands of creamer."

• "I like how innovative this product is, I've never seen or used a frozen creamer before."

3) Dessert-like / indulgent experience

People love the idea that it turns coffee into more of a treat, comparing it to ice cream, floats and whipped toppings. They mention that it feels like a treat or an upgrade for everyday coffee (and other beverages too) and might be especially good in the summer. 

• "It would make my coffee taste decadent and rich."

• "Being frozen it would be good in hot chocolate.”

• "I think it would be a super tasty addition to an iced coffee in the summertime."

• "I like how they are frozen and you just put them in your coffee as a treat."

• "I think this product would be a delicious treat."

4) Texture & creaminess

Texture is a strong secondary driver, with people saying it looked creamy and smooth. 

They were intrigued by the different mouthfeel this product would deliver compared to a liquid creamer. 

• "That it is in the frozen aisle so makes your coffee creamy."

• "I like the freezing sensation it adds to the coffee and the vanilla taste."

• "I like that it can be used for both iced and heated beverages and that it would give a smooth, creamy and sweet taste.”

• "I love how easily it blends and the delicious creamy aftertaste it leaves."

5) Brand trust

Finally, the Coffee mate brand itself is a positive signal, which conveys reliability and high quality. People trust the brand to deliver something worth trying which reduces the risk. 

• “I already love Coffee mate and their flavors are amazing."

• "The idea of a frozen creamer is appealing, and Coffee mate is a good brand."

• "Coffee mate be making good coffee creamers. I would like to the cool crème one to see what the taste is like."

And, importantly, people believe that Coffee mate can credibly deliver on this kind of innovation (Brand Believability: 89.3% vs. 79.5%) — which is very important for a completely new type of product in the category!

Coffee mate is currently rolling out these frozen creamers in very limited capacity, but our data indicates it’s worth a broader rollout! It’s definitely a significant innovation in the category, one people love the idea of (Love: 40% vs. 24% norm). 

Looking to understand how consumers will respond to your new innovation concepts before launch? You can test and optimize your innovative new concepts with Zappi’s connected Innovation System. Get a demo to learn more.

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