The bite-sized candy — a smattering of tangy, crunchy Nerds around a fruity, gummy center — was Nerds’ first innovation since 2018, when it introduced Big Chewy Nerds to the world.
Fast forward a few years, and Gummy Clusters has rocketed to the forefront of its parent company Ferrara’s portfolio. Gummy Clusters — now available in two flavors, Rainbow and Very Berry — were responsible for 81.4% of all Nerds sales from January 2023 to January 2024, according to IRI data. Since adding Gummy Clusters to the mix, Nerds’ retail sales have surged from $50 million in 2019 to some $500 million today. Thanks to the product going viral early on, Nerds is now spending more on marketing to propel sales even further.
Nerds was surprised by the candy’s runaway success. When the company launched Gummy Clusters in 2020, there wasn’t “a ton of advertising” around the product, Joey Rath, Nerds’ marketing director, told Modern Retail. Instead, Rath thinks the candy caught on due to its “multi-sensorial eating experience” and receptive audience. “Consumers love the product so much,” she said. “There’s word-of-mouth around the product… and incredibly strong repeat rates.”
More than one in five Nerds customers (22.4%) bought Nerds six or more times in 2023, per the IRI. What’s more, searches for “Nerds Gummy Clusters” are up 50% worldwide in the last 12 months, per Google Search. Sales of Nerds Gummy Clusters grew 67% in 2023, according to Morning Brew.