Did you know that about 9% of milk produced in the U.S. actually goes toward making ice cream? If you run an ice cream shop, you might have an easier time believing this than most people. It?s quickly nearing summer time, which means you need to get your business ramped up and ready for the busiest time of the year. While 90% of U.S. households regularly eat frozen treats, you?re going to have competition from a large number of players — not to mention grocery stores that also sell ice cream. So how can you make your business more successful than ever this year? Here are four important tips.
1. Move Beyond Vanilla
Let?s face it: some of the most popular ice cream flavors, whether they?re vanilla, mint chocolate chip, or rocky road, have been around for forever. While consumers still love thee flavors, having something a little ?extra? can help boost your profits and help get new faces in the door. Gourmet flavors are one option — ingredients like real maple syrup or unique candy additions like sponge candy can get people experimenting. Gelato is gaining popularity in the U.S. as well and can help add some exotic appeal to your store.
2. Give Samples, Encourage Samples
A little spoonful of ice cream isn?t going to cost you much, and studies have shown that offering samples makes consumers more likely to make a purchase. For this reason, make sure you don?t run out of plastic tasting spoons and order more than you think you?ll need. You?ll thank yourself later. Get plastic tasting spoons in a variety of colors in order to keep things looking bright and cheery.
3. Have Custom Ice Cream Cups
Have you ever seen someone walking down the street with delicious ice cream and wondered to yourself, ?where did they buy that?? Having custom printed ice cream containers with your company?s name on the side can serve as a great advertisement, and helps consumers feel like they?re getting a quality experience rather than just a generic cup of ice cream. Thanks to Google maps, it?s not so hard anymore for people to figure out where you are so long as they have your company?s name.
4. Know the Latest Ice Cream Fads
Ever heard of ice cream produced using liquid nitrogen (which is incredibly cold) to make ice cream? It can pay to know of the latest ice cream trends, which young consumers are often especially interested in. Even if you can?t handle ALL of them, there might be one or two that it makes sense for you to invest in/experiment with.
Do you have plans to have custom ice cream cups, plastic tasting spoons, ice cream fads or unique flavors? Let us know what your plans are for making your ice cream store great this year. Bon apetit!
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