Target Scoops up Halo Top’s Idea and Launches its Own, High-Protein and Low-Calorie Ice Cream

Target is following behind Halo Top and releasing their own ice cream brand from Archer Farms. Much like Halo Top’s product, the ice cream will also be high in protein and low in calories. However, this doesn’t mean Target will no longer support Halo Top; the ice cream products will be sold alongside each other on store shelves.

Target’s ice cream, which will be available for in-store purchases only, comes in six flavors: cookie dough, chocolate pecan pie, caramel maple bourbon pecan, mini donut, chocolate peanut butter and mint cookies and cream. This isn’t the first time Target has invested in ice cream. Recently, the retailer paired with the Ice Cream Museum which has seen a strong performance. After that partnership, store traffic rose about four percent within the first quarter of 2018.

This success might have further sparked Target’s interest in ice cream products. They were also witness to Halo Top’s success. Halo Top’s ice cream is only 240 to 360 calories per pint, making it appealing to calorie-conscious consumers. This also struck well with millennials who are becoming more health cautious with the foods they buy. According to Business Insider, millennials are much more health-conscious than previous generations. In addition, they also used social media marketing to advertise their product – another way to connect to the younger demographic. With the help of Instagram, Halo Top was able to grab the attention of consumers.

“Instead of cluttered or busy images with loads of messaging, we focus on clean images that allow our packaging and ice cream to shine through a bit,” CEO and founder of Halo Top, Justin Woolverton told Digday.

The brand’s dessert had dominated the market within five years of its release. Maybe Target will be able to see similar success but the competition is heavy. Target isn’t the only one attempting to copy the healthy dessert idea. Ben & Jerry’s has also introduced a low-fat, low-calorie ice cream line called Moo-phoria. The company that owns Ben & Jerry, Unilever, launched a similar ice cream called Breyers Delight through their brand, Breyers. This product, which is rolling out in August, features calories right in the center of the packaging – challenging Halo Top’s low-calorie tactic.

Still, Halo-Top seems to be dominating the ice cream front. Target might be able to keep up considering they are the retailers responsible for choosing the products they sell. The retailer seems un-threatened by keeping Halo-Top on their shelves but this could possibly cause trouble if Target starts to dominate.