Photo credit: The Madelaine Chocolate Company

The first thing a shopper notices online is not the packaging or the product, but the image of the packaging or product. In that sense, you must focus on the quality of your online images to convert sales.

Pay for a professional photographer to not only take the photo, but touch it up so the lighting and realism is clear. Or consider hiring a graphic designer to professionally brighten, sharpen and enhance the images you already have.

The primary product photo includes the exterior packaging with examples of the interior product fully visible on a plain white or grey background to optimize contrast. Shadows should also be minimized or eliminated. Secondary photos should include close-ups of your treats, also on a minimal background, making it clear what's included in a purchase. If you have the budget, the next set of photos should include “lifestyle” perspectives of the chocolates or candies opened or being enjoyed.

Center your product in the photo and make it as large as it can safely fit in the dimensions required for your shopping site. The closer to the edge, the larger it will appear in the search results on your site, making it more likely to be clicked.

Compare with Competition in Search Results

When consumers shop, they often use the search bar to find what they want. Imagine the search results page to be a retail store shelf. You want to be sure your packaging design and product images help your products stand out among the competition online.

Before you embark on a packaging redesign, enter search terms into a shopping platform and look at what the consumer will see when they quickly scan search results. The human eye notices color, shape, symbols and text, in that order. Both the packaging structure and artwork should utilize high-contrast colors and shapes should be bold and unique.

If you only sell products on your website, consider how each item looks on your own site as customers browse or search. Are product flavors or callouts clear enough that a consumer is able to distinguish differences between each of the items listed? If you sell on other e-commerce sites the same is true—if all chocolate boxes in the category are white and brown, how can you stand out so consumers notice and evaluate your product over the competition? Choose bold colors and unique shapes—adding a bow or incorporating a photo with a different placement of your chocolates will draw the eye.

Use Secondary Packaging to Grab Attention

Oftentimes online purchases are decided based on the product images on your website. After an order is placed, your brand may go unthought of until that lovely unboxing moment, when the customer opens the package upon arrival. Additional packaging is a billboard for advertising your other products, telling your brand story or inviting them to engage with your larger community of fans online.

Printed inserts can provide a quick reminder to get customers back to your website and to engage on your social media pages. Custom tape on the outside of the box reminds them of the inspiring story of your brand or product. Although there is extra cost involved to print secondary packaging elements, these elements can increase sales volume and help you capture repeat sales. Consider secondary packaging as a marketing expense instead of a packaging expense to keep existing customers coming back for more.

Selling your confections is an art form in itself and there are unique elements of the online shopping experience that influence best practices in packaging design. By utilizing these tips, you can make a difference in how consumers view and engage with your products, allowing you to achieve even better sales.

Crave more? If you like what you read here, look for the "Subscribe now" box on the right to enter your email address and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox. RCI's blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices. Follow us on Facebook for even more sweet inspiration.

Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

About Emily Page: Emily has managed and launched multiple 7-figure product brands in Costco, Williams-Sonoma, Kroger, and Amazon as a Business Growth Consultant and CEO of Pearl Resourcing. She’s bringing you the expertise, resources, and mentors you need so that you can develop products and make them sell in her blog articles and her START TO SOLD YouTube channel and blog.

http://emilyannepage.com

http://pearlresourcing.net   

http://youtube.com/c/starttosold/

Using colored cocoa butter is a great way to add detail and pops of color to your chocolate confections. This week Tomric System's Chef Brian Donaghy shares the basics of using colored cocoa butter and answers five common questions that he gets asked all the time.

Since Chef Brian first learned how to use colored cocoa butter with chocolate confections in a master class taught by Norman Love of Norman Love Confections in 2002, colored cocoa butter products have improved and the techniques have exploded exponentially. The process, however, is still fundamentally the same: (1) an emulsion of fat- soluble color and cocoa butter is applied to the inside of a mould (2) the cocoa butter is allowed to partially crystallize (3) tempered chocolate is placed in the mould and the chocolate and cocoa butter crystallize together, so when the chocolate piece is unmoulded it has shine and color. The process is fairly simple, but requires a process.

What equipment do you use? “I use an Iwata Smart Jet airbrush compressor set to around 50 psi and Badger 250 airbrushes and I use separate airbrushes for each color. A laser thermometer is another “essential” tool for this process.”

How do you temper cocoa butter? “I melt my cocoa butters to 93° F/ 33.9°C and then seed them with cocoa butter "silk" from my EZ Temperer.”

How do you achieve an even layer of colored cocoa butter?

“Prior to spraying in the mould, I always spray away from the mould first—this ensures that the cocoa butter is spraying correctly.”

What’s an easy method for taking your airbrush technique to the next level? “I have taken to masking my moulds so that the color does not coat the entire mould—this makes for an interesting effect.”

How do you make colors pop against chocolate? “Spray white colored cocoa butter last to ensure that we can see the colors in dark chocolate. For some colors, like red, I will spray black last, because it creates a beautiful finish.”

Whether you’re interested in using colored cocoa butter for the first time or you’ve already perfected your techniques, we hope this post helps inspire you to take your decorating skills to the next level.

Crave more? If you like what you read here, look for the "Subscribe now" box on the right to enter your email address and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox. RCI's Tip of the Week blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices. Follow us on Facebook for even more sweet inspiration.

The COVID-19 outbreak caught everyone by surprise. There were so many unknowns at the beginning of the outbreak, which caused many producers to reevaluate their inventories and production plans. The full impact of the pandemic on the supply chain is still not fully known. The confectionery industry has felt the ramifications of COVID-19 from raw materials to finished products. The lack of a steady and healthy workforce has also contributed to the already challenging circumstances. RCI member Christopher Romocean, with Linnea’s Candy Supplies, shares seven ways businesses can avoid or at least help mitigate the effects of supply shortages.

1. Plan further ahead than you usually would.Just-in-time purchasing may have worked well in the past, however, building a higher-than-normal inventory of supplies and thinking further into the future when ordering will help provide a buffer when supplies are limited or nonexistent.

2. Build long-term relationships with your suppliers.Building trust and communicating with your suppliers will get you the best and most current information about supply issues, lead times and advice about how to best deal with your situation.

3. Provide forecasts to your suppliers.If your suppliers know what you will need, especially if your needs have changed, the chances of getting products when you need them increases dramatically. Uncertain demand from your customers will make this process difficult, but your best estimate is better than no estimate at all.

4. Use technology.If you are able to look at historical data and add in any projections for new business, you will have a fairly accurate idea of what to stock, as well as, what to provide as a forecast to your suppliers. Your suppliers may also be able to help you by providing reports of your past purchasing history.

5. Place orders in advance with future ship dates.If you are able to predict what you are going to need in the future, place orders with future ship dates. While this is not a guarantee the product will be available, by ordering with an extended lead time your window for availability is much wider and your chances of getting what you want will increase.

6. Be flexible, if possible.Due to a number of unforeseen circumstances, it is possible that your usual products and supplies may not available for a prolonged period of time. If all the planning and forecasting is not enough to bridge the gap, be prepared to have the flexibility to substitute with similar products that are available. This is not an ideal solution for many confectioners who have been using the same products to produce their confections for many years, but one of necessity to keep their business open during these unprecedented times.

7. Check with suppliers before committing to new projects.Check with your suppliers about availability before taking on a new or large project. If supply issues can be identified before a commitment is made for a project, alternatives may be offered by your supplier to help find a suitable replacement and keep the project moving forward.

While there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach; using any purchasing strategies available to get your business through these difficult periods will help. With so many unknowns in our industry involving long lead times, shortages or challenges predicting demand, communication and planning will be the two most important things you can focus on to increase your chances of getting what you need, when you need it.

Being a member of RCI is also a great resource when a crisis arises. RCI members are more than willing to share information and insight on how to navigate through difficult circumstances. The wealth of knowledge and experience of RCI members that can be tapped into is priceless whether it is in person, through a live virtual event or through RCI’s online forum, The Candy Dish, where members can pose a question online and receive feedback from fellow members.

Crave more? If you like what you read here, look for the "Subscribe now" box on the right to enter your email address and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox. RCI's blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices. Follow us on Facebook for even more sweet inspiration.

During RCI’s regional conference last spring, Tiffany Langlinais of Freret & Napoleon shared practical ways for retail confectioners to approach marketing in today’s social world. Langlinais pulled from her experience working with RCI member Laura’s Candies to share how candy makers of any size can elevate their online presence.

Is your business currently using platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest? These are all avenues to connect not only with your current customer base, but also potential customers. Even more importantly, you should be using these platforms to sell your products.

Step up your social media marketing with the following tips:

• Research your favorite brands. What are they doing with social media that catches your attention?
• Make an attainable schedule for posting to social media regularly.
• Create a routine for posts. Pick a specific day of the week to post, even if it’s only once a week.
• For topic inspiration, check out any number of national holiday calendars. RCI members: Don’t forget to use RCI’s wall calendar as a resource for tracking confectionery-related holidays.
• Invite a fan to “takeover” your social media page and post about your confections.
• Create shopping catalogs on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest platforms.
• Create professional-looking posts by utilizing free resources such as Canva, Snapseed and Afterlight.

RCI members can login at retailconfectioners.org/pasteducation to view Tiffany Langlinais' full presentation on social media marketing, along with other education from RCI events.

We hope you are able to apply at least a couple of these ideas to step up your social media marketing!

Crave more? If you like what you read here, look for the "Subscribe now" box on the right to enter your email address and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox. RCI's blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices.  Follow us on Facebook for even more sweet inspiration.

If you’re looking to create an impressive holiday display in your candy shop, many would agree large moulded chocolates make great showpieces. However, working with chocolate as your medium certainly presents enough challenges to cause you to look for another subject to be the center of attention. Whether for fear of the potential effects of exposure to sunlight, humidity, curious customers, or ____________ (you fill in the blank), you may have decided long ago that even a sprightly, three-foot-tall chocolate bunny in all its glory is not worth the investment of time and resources every year, especially leading up to a busy holiday.

This week’s tip will allow you to deliver the same impact only a large chocolate Easter bunny could, but with eventually the same effort as takes to do some light dusting. Simply follow the steps below to create a chocolate look-alike Easter bunny (or turkey, life-size football, snowman, Santa, etc.) out of Plaster of Paris.

Step-By-Step Instructions for Chocolate Bunny Look-Alike
By RCI member, Marie’s Candies of West Liberty, Ohio

Materials needed:

• Plaster of Paris
• Mixing bowl
• Popsicle stick (or other mixing utensil)
• Access to water
• Brown acrylic paint or spray paint
• Paint brush
• Glue gun (optional)
• Icing eyes (optional)

Instructions:

1. Make sure your favorite chocolate bunny mould is clean. The great thing about using moulds you already have is the Easter bunny in your display will look just like the real chocolate bunnies you want to sell.
2. Follow the mixing instructions on a package of Plaster of Paris.
3. Wet the inside of the mould, so the Easter bunny can be removed easily. Fill the mould a quarter at a time, tapping it to remove air.
4. Remove the bunny from the mould after one hour and let it dry for 24 hours.
5. Wash the mould and any other tools immediately after use.
6. Once the bunny is dry, use spray paint or a brush to paint it chocolate brown.
7. Use a glue gun to add icing eyes (optional).

After following these simple steps, you will have an impressive moulded chocolate so realistic, you’ll want to display it year after year! As far as we can tell, the only downside here is that you might have to perform a lick test if you get your look-alikes mixed up with actual chocolate. Have your real moulded chocolate displays ever met their untimely demise due to curious customers or exposure to the elements? Share your story in the comments below.

Crave more? If you like what you read here, look for the "Subscribe now" box on the right to enter your email address and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox. RCI's blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices. Follow us on Facebook for even more sweet inspiration.