human expertise to create unique and desirable products. Flavourists can use digital twins as a guide, enhancing their decision-making while retaining creative control. When built correctly,
digital twins
can drastically cut down research and development cycles, reduce costs, and increase the success rate of new product launches. physical prototypes, confectionery brands can test hundreds of product ideas virtually in a matter of days. This agile approach enables manufacturers to respond to consumer trends getting the blend of science, creativity, and investing in well-constructed digital twins, confectionery manufacturers can strike this balance, leading to more successful, consumer-driven products.” developed by Foodpairing to help brands validate ideas instantly, reducing risk, and accelerating times-to-market – without the need for massive budgets. A recent project that focussed on
savoury snacks for 2026 for the US market, ably demonstrates the technology in action. Bourbon Barrel-Aged Black Pepper Cashews achieved a liking score of 6.68/9 and a 70% purchase intent, without the need for any physical testing. By simulating real-world scenarios, digital twins are also able to accurately predict future consumer behaviour. For instance, they can to anticipate market shifts. Additionally, unlike traditional surveys,
which can
introduce biases, digital twins rely purely on data, providing spontaneous and authentic feedback on concepts.
Digital twins are also able to uncover consumer
insights – including motivations, preferences, and emotional drivers. For example, Foodpairing’s analysis of the US audience while creating a snacking pipeline revealed that for a certain ‘swicy’ snack concept the liking would be much higher among the 18-24 and 25-34 age group in comparison to the 35-44 age group. Companies that test their new product concepts virtually can slash development times by 20–50%, according to Jonathan. “The Headspace platform
“Virtual representations of target consumers can provide instant feedback on whether consumers would be
interested in buying a product and if they would like the product once they tasted it”
KennedysConfection.com
is able to provide validated snack ideas in just 15 minutes, compared to traditional methods that can take month,” he says.
Addressing challenges However, despite its potential, digital twin technology is not without challenges, as Jonathan has already highlighted. High quality data is essential to build digital twins that provide accurate and useful insights. Effective implementation of digital twins also requires research, and data analysis.
Jonathan went on to point out that one of the biggest obstacles to quick and successful innovation isn’t just the lack of consumer data – it’s the internal silos within organisations. He says: “Marketing and R&D usually work in isolation. Even with the rise of digital collaboration tools, these two departments often remain on separate islands, making innovation slow and fragmented. “To execute an agile NPD strategy, marketing and R&D need to function as a single, here, providing interconnected data sets which allow teams to instantly see how a product will perform before launch and cross-functional collaboration speeds up product iterations and decision-making. When consumer insights, and the brief from marketing are directly integrated into R&D, brands are able to launch the right products, faster.”
Kennedy’s Confection March 2025 29
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