Biscoff's Festive Biscuits Top System1's Christmas Innovation Rankings
Biscoff's festive biscuits have topped System1's 2026 Christmas innovation rankings with a 5.8-Star Rating, as research shows that seasonal twists on familiar favourites are this year's winning formula.
What the research found
System1 tested 11 seasonal food-and-drink launches with 550 UK consumers using its Test Your Innovation tool, which predicts commercial potential from emotional response and willingness to buy. Biscoff's reindeer-, snowman- and Santa-shaped festive biscuits took first with 5.8 Stars, narrowly ahead of Viennetta's Chocolate Yule Log and M&S's 'Get Your Skis On Colin', both on 5.7. Four of the top five scored 5 Stars or above, impressive when only about 5% of new ideas clear that bar.
The power of the familiar
System1 calls it Fluent Innovation: building on products, flavours and characters people already know rather than reinventing the category. M&S's Colin the Caterpillar spin-off drew the strongest happiness response of any idea tested at 67%, while Viennetta's Yule Log had the highest share of consumers willing to 'buy shares' in it at 76%. Familiarity lowers the risk for a shopper reaching for something new on a crowded festive shelf.
What businesses should do
The lesson for any brand launching seasonal products is to extend, not reinvent. A recognisable product with a seasonal twist, a new shape, format or flavour wrapped in equity you have already built, is an easier yes than something entirely unfamiliar. Before you create a brand-new line, ask what loved thing you could give a Christmas makeover instead.
This is a quietly brilliant reminder that newness is overrated. The launches winning at Christmas are not bold reinventions; they are things shoppers already love, wearing a festive jumper. For most brands, the safest innovation is the familiar one with a twist. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
At Christmas, extend what people already love rather than launching something they have to learn.
What is the loved product in your range that could carry a seasonal twist?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: System1 Test Your Innovation, Marketing Minute analysis.
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
