Gut feelings: What consumers really want from yogurt today

Once seen as a bit of a boring breakfast option, yogurt is now a category with a lot going on. Go to any yogurt section of your local grocery store and you’ll see what we mean. There are, of course, tons of brands and flavors, but there are also many different types and health claims popping up. 

Today, consumers don’t just eat yogurt to start their days, they eat it for the health benefits or the convenience. They eat it as a snack, they eat it before a workout, they cook or bake with it. 

And it’s become a food of choice among GLP-1 users (users of weight loss drugs like Ozempic) to fulfill their nutritional needs while they have a suppressed appetite. 

With so much going on in the space, we had to dig into the data to tell us more about what consumers care about in yogurt. Read on for our findings!

1. Taste is the most important factor in health-conscious yogurts: While consumers are interested in healthy features of yogurt like zero sugar and plant based, taste is still the biggest driver of appeal. Consumers show some skepticism that some yogurts can taste good when they contain no sugar or dairy, suggesting the need to lean on taste messaging in packaging and communications — using rich, descriptive names and appetite-appealing visuals to create craveability. Benefits like “plant based” should support, not overshadow, taste.

2. High protein is a desired feature: Consumers see yogurt as a good source of protein, and are looking for high protein options in the yogurt category. It’s seen as a key reason to purchase, so it should be called out in packaging, linking it to energy levels, satiety and taste. 

3. On-the-go is a key occasion for yogurt: No longer just a breakfast food, yogurt has a number of different occasions for consumption, including on-the-go. 40% of consumers say they are likely to buy yogurt for eating on the go, which is much higher than we expected. With this in mind, combined with the importance of protein in the previous takeaway, it’s no wonder the Oikos and Chobani yogurt protein drinks took the top two spots in our ranking!

For this analysis, we looked at 12 yogurts with health-conscious qualities like zero sugar, plant-based, high protein and lactose free: 

• Too Good & Co Zero Sugar - Blueberry

• Chobani Zero Sugar - Mixed Berry

• Light & Fit Zero Sugar - Cookies & Cream

• Oikos Triple Zero - Salted Caramel

• Siggi's Plant-Based Coconut Blend - Vanilla Cinnamon

• Kite Hill Greek Style Dairy Free - Vanilla

• Silk Almond Milk Yogurt - Dark Chocolate Coconut  

• Oui Dairy Free - Raspberry

• Oikos Pro 23g Protein Drink - Strawberry Banana

• Chobani 20g Protein Drink - Strawberries & Cream

• Yoplait Protein - Key Lime Pie

• Fage Best Self Lactose Free - with honey

In our ScreenIt solution we asked respondents to rank the yogurts according to which they would be most likely to purchase.

Both of the protein drinks scored the highest, with Oikos getting the highest number of first-choice rankings (31%) and Chobani getting the second highest (29%). Oikos Triple Zero ranked third, with 26% of first-choice rankings.

Fage Best Self Lactose Free, Too Good & Co Zero Sugar and Kite Hill Greek Style Dairy Free got the lowest top choice scores. 

Digging a little deeper, let’s take a look at the attributes most associated with the brands. These are the products that scored highest across key attributes for the category: 

• Most “a healthier option”: Too Good & Co. (59%)

  • Runner up: Chobani Zero Sugar (57%)

• Most “great tasting”: Oikos Pro 23g Protein Drink (50%)

  • Runner up: Chobani 20g Protein Drink (48%)

• Most “convenient”: Chobani 20g Protein Drink & Oikos Pro 23g Protein Drink (42%)

• Most “top quality”: Oikos Triple Zero (37%)

  • Runner up: Oikos Pro 23g Protein Drink (36%)

• Most “innovative”: Oui Dairy Free (28%)

  • Runner up: Chobani 20g Protein Drink (24%)

• Most “aspirational”: Silk Almond Milk & Oikos Pro 23g Protein Drink (14%)

Oikos 23g Protein Drink dominated the competition in these rankings, winning three categories (“great tasting,” “aspirational” and “convenient”) and taking home second place for another (“top quality”). 

While Too Good & Co. was ranked among the bottom of the list, it was seen as the healthiest option. 

Oui won for “innovative,” potentially standing out due to its unique transparent packaging. 

Unsurprisingly, the Chobani and Oikos protein drinks tied for “convenient.” 

Flavor & taste

While the health benefits of the yogurts we tested were often praised, taste and creamy texture are the strongest drivers of appeal. No one wants to eat yogurt that tastes bad, even if it’s healthy for them! 

It’s important that yogurt brands communicating health claims prioritize taste in both product and messaging. Use rich, descriptive names and appetite-appealing visuals to create craveability.

Benefits like “plant-based” or “lactose-free” should support — not overshadow — taste. Frame them as inclusive perks, not dietary limitations.

Respondents had concerns about some of the yogurts like: 

• “I imagine it having absolutely no taste.”

• “It’s probably not going to taste good.” 

• “It’s plant based so it might taste weird.” 

• “I've tasted other zero sugar products and the taste is horrible.” 

High protein

All the yogurts with high protein scored in the top half of our ranking, with two of them ranking as the top two! The protein content was widely appreciated by respondents for its nutrition and health benefits. Specific mentions of 15g, 20g, 23g of protein drew positive reactions. 

Protein is seen as a key reason to purchase, especially for those looking for healthier options or meal replacements.

And when we asked specifically which claims are more likely to appeal to respondents as they’re shopping for yogurt, “high protein” came out way at the top with 59% saying they were likely to purchase. 

Respondents said things like: 

• “I like the amount of protein it has, seems very replenishing.”

• “The strawberry flavor, it’s an easy way to get protein without it being a hassle.”

• “I loved how it has a lot of protein content.”

• “High protein for only 50 calories.”

Trusted brands

Well-known brands have the advantage over lesser known brands when it comes to getting consumers interested in trying new yogurts — especially new healthier yogurts they’re unsure of. That explains why brands like Chobani, Oikos and Yoplait ranked among the top and lesser known brands like Too Good & Co. and Kite Hill ranked among the bottom. 

These well-known brands can rely on their reputations to encourage trial, even when consumers are unsure about how yogurts with zero sugar might actually taste. 

Respondents said things like: 

• “I trust the brand.”

• “I’m familiar with the brand and I like honey.”

• “I've absolutely loved this brand and flavor since it's been out. It's from a great brand and company.”

• “Chobani is a good brand I trust.” 

Both protein drinks (Oikos and Chobani) stand out as the top-performing concepts across all KPIs, with Chobani falling short of Oikos only in distinctiveness. White packaging is a pretty consistent feature of the yogurt category, but Oikos stands out with black packaging, so that could have something to do with its perceived distinctiveness.  

The rest of the yogurt brands do not significantly outperform the average in any metric, with the exception of Chobani Zero Sugar, which performs notably better in Relevance.

We were a bit surprised with both of the protein drink options ranking so high in our analysis, so we asked respondents which occasions they’re likely to eat yogurt. Morning and afternoon snacks topped the list, with traditional yogurt occasion breakfast falling below that.

“On the go” is next, with 40% saying they were likely to buy yogurt for eating on the go. 

Combine that with the importance of protein we mentioned earlier, and you have a winning combination in yogurt protein drinks! 

Historically a pretty straightforward breakfast food, yogurt is now a multi-purpose product with a ton of health benefits. Did anything in this analysis surprise you? Let us know by interacting with our coverage on LinkedIn.

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