KANSAS CITY — ‘Tis the season for limited edition products, seasonal flavors and limited batch offerings. The holidays offer the right-size window for these limited time offerings (L.T.O.s) to succeed, according to Mintel’s 2015 product innovation report, because offerings that won’t be around long instill a sense of urgency in the consumer.

L.T.O.s increasingly are being used to spark impulse purchases, according to Mintel. Twenty-two per cent of consumers agreed that seasonal products, such as pumpkin and peppermint, influenced their purchase. And that response is driving limited edition innovation in new product launches. Much of the flavor innovation in recent years — 8% of all launches in 2015 — has come from seasonal or limited-time offerings, Mintel found.

Many limited edition new products launched this time of year are seasonal related. General Mills is introducing a seasonal cereal, Cinnamon Star Crunch, featuring sweetened corn puffs shaped like stars tucked into a Christmas stocking and wearing Santa hats on the front of the box. The Kraft Heinz Co. is giving Cool Whip a wintry makeover with its new limited edition Peppermint Cool Whip. Kind Snacks L.L.C. is launching a limited batch holiday flavor Kind Bar: Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Spice. Dry Soda Co. is launching two limited edition sparkling beverages boasting holiday flavors: Ginger Dry Sparkling and Cranberry Dry Sparkling.

“Ginger and cranberry are two of the most beloved flavors of the holidays; memories of making gingerbread houses and topping the turkey with cranberry sauce are what shaped the season for me,” said Sharelle Klaus, founder and chief executive officer of Dry Soda Co. “We also realize there has been very little innovation in non-alcoholic holiday beverages, which have historically been dominated by options that are loaded with sugar. We created Cranberry Dry Sparkling and Ginger Dry Sparkling and framed them in exciting new packaging to celebrate the flavors of the holidays and give consumers a festive, yet refreshingly clean and crisp beverage to enjoy.”

Click for a slideshow of new limited edition products.