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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Updated: Monday, April 27, 2020
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While consumers are busy dreaming of sugar plum fairies and candy canes, the second largest retail season is not far off in many retailers’ minds.
This week we're sharing quick tips to jump start your plans for Valentine's Day, with actionable ideas to help you stand out from the competition.
Ring in the New Year with Red
Starting the day after New Year’s, begin the transition to Valentine’s Day by incorporating red into your retail space, website and social media pages. While everyone else is talking about New Year’s resolutions, make your e-blasts and direct mail stand out with gift ideas for Valentine’s Day, keeping consistent with a red color scheme.
Encourage Pre-Orders
Offer coupons, discounts or special add-ons to customers who place their orders in advance to aid in your holiday preparations and lock down sales.
Pre-orders are especially helpful if you plan to sell chocolate-covered strawberries. Since this delicate fruit confection has a very limited shelf-life, requiring advance orders will help identify expectations for your production needs. Clear communication to your customer base is key to ensure their expectations are met too.
Communicate Clear Last-Ship Dates
According to a survey conducted by Discover Card, only 10% of men wait until Valentine’s Day to purchase gifts, while 65% of shoppers make their purchases the week before Valentine’s Day. Use a call-to-action, such as, “order by February 4 to receive your gift by Valentine’s Day,” as a way to establish clear deadlines and avoid disappointment from procrastinators.
Designed to make your business stand out and create an easy and stress-free shopping experience, these simple tips can help you increase sales. Let us know in the comments below, if you have any red-hot tips for Valentine’s Day!
Tags:
Candy Holidays
Marketing
Merchandising
Valentine's Day
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Updated: Monday, April 27, 2020
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Do you celebrate Sweetest Day at your candy shop? A favorite candy holiday in the Great Lakes region (more specifically Buffalo, Cleveland and Detroit), it originated in 1922 when Herbert Birch Kingston, a Cleveand candy maker, decided to give candy and small gifts to the city’s orphans and shut-ins, all who are often forgotten and neglected. With the help of friends and neighbors, he distributed these small remembrances on a Saturday in October. For years to follow, other Clevelanders began to participate in the tradition, which came to be known as "Sweetest Day.”
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Al Herz, 1929 RCI Board President, treats local
orphans in with chocolates and entertainment from
theLittle Rascals on Sweetest Day in 1928. |
In time, the idea of spreading cheer to the underprivileged broadened to include everyone from family and significant others to coworkers and acquaintances with a kind act or a small remembrance. With a little help from movie stars in the 1930s, the idea quickly spread to other cities all over the country.
For many people, remembering takes the form of gift giving. For this reason, Sweetest Day offers an unique opportunity to offer all kinds of gift items. Falling midway between Father's Day in June and Christmas in December, Sweetest Day provides an occasion for the opening of fall merchandising programs and the promotion of various products, not the least of which is candy and boxed chocolate.
Other Ideas to Promote Sweetest Day
- Remind your customers of Sweetest Day through social media, email and in-store signage. Click here to download our free graphic.
- Send press releases about Sweetest Day to your local media and let them know of ways your business can help customers celebrate. Click here for more information about the holiday on RCI’s website.
- Be prepared to explain Sweetest Day and to make suggestions regarding appropriate gifts, keeping in mind that the possibilities are limitless.
- Create a prominent display of merchandise for Sweetest Day.
Gaining in popularity throughout the country every year, some RCI members have reported sales from Sweetest Day exceeding Mothers Day. This year, Sweetest Day will take place October 20, the third Saturday in October.
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. Review past blog posts for quick and actionable tips to apply to your business. 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.
Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.
Tags:
Candy Holidays
Free Graphics
Marketing
Sweetest Day
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Updated: Monday, April 27, 2020
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Our favorite time of year is just around the corner -- American Chocolate Week! Five whole days of chocolatey celebration, Monday, March 19 through Friday, March 23! Here’s a few of our favorite ways to celebrate with consumers!
- Create a new chocolate-themed secret password each day that customers can only find via your social media; if they use the secret password while visiting your store, they could get a prize plus a coupon towards a future purchase. (Tip: The coupon encourages them to come back again.)
- Encourage your customers to share the joy of American Chocolate Week with someone else by having a “Buy One, Get One” deal. For example, “Buy One, Get One Free” or “Buy One, Get One Half Off.”
- See it as an opportunity to educate your customers and have a fun chocolate trivia question each day in store or on your social media pages. Anyone who posts the correct answer could be put into a drawing for a free pound of chocolates.
- Utilize your relationships with the media (you have those, right?) and pitch an American Chocolate Week story, based on your store, of course. This could definitely create exposure and enrich your customer base.
Have fun celebrating a holiday so sweet we need five days to celebrate! How will you be celebrating American Chocolate Week? Share in the comments below.
Tags:
American Chocolate Week
Candy Holidays
Chocolate Week
Marketing
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
Updated: Monday, April 27, 2020
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| Photo credit: Cristopher Rodriguez (left), Patrick Doheny (right), Flickr |
This year, Sweetest Day will take place October 21, the third Saturday in October. While the holiday is more significant for candy makers in the Great Lakes region (Buffalo, Cleveland and Detroit being the biggest Sweetest Day cities), the holiday is gaining in popularity throughout the country every year. Some RCI members even report sales from Sweetest Day exceeding Mothers Day.
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Al Herz, RCI Board President 1929-1930, poses with the Little
Rascals as they treat orphans in his local community with boxes
of chocolates and entertainment on Sweetest Day in 1928. |
The history dates back to 1922 when Herbert Birch Kingston, a candy maker from Cleveland, decided to give candy and small gifts to the city’s orphans and shut-ins, all who are often forgotten and neglected. With the help of friends and neighbors, he distributed these small remembrances on a Saturday in October. For years to follow, other Clevelanders began to participate in the tradition, which came to be known as "Sweetest Day.”
In time, the idea of spreading cheer to the underprivileged broadened to include everyone from family and significant others to coworkers and acquaintances with a kind act or a small remembrance. With a little help from movie stars in the 1930s, the idea quickly spread to other cities all over the country.
Sweetest Day is not based on any single group’s religious sentiment or on a family relationship. It is a reminder that a thoughtful word or deed enriches life and gives it meaning.
For many people, remembering takes the form of gift-giving. For this reason, Sweetest Day offers an unique opportunity to offer all kinds of gift items. Falling midway between Father's Day in June and Christmas in December, Sweetest Day provides an occasion for the opening of fall merchandising programs and the promotion of various products, not the least of which is candy and boxed chocolate.
Other Ideas to Promote Sweetest Day
- Remind your customer of Sweetest Day through social media, email and in-store signage.
- Send press releases about Sweetest Day to your local media and let them know of ways your business can help customers celebrate.
- Be prepared to explain Sweetest Day and to make suggestions regarding appropriate gifts, keeping in mind that the possibilities are limitless.
- Create a prominent display of merchandise for Sweetest Day.
Tags:
Candy Holidays
Marketing
Press Release
Public Relations
Sweetest Day
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
Updated: Wednesday, April 29, 2020
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Today is National Truffle Day! Often considered the highest expression of a quality confection and often commands the highest price when purchasing, there’s no question why these little morsels are good cause for celebration.
A decadent truffle made with high-quality ingredients is a welcome surprise to chocolate lovers around the world, however, the surprise appearance of mold could ruin your sweet reputation. Keep reading for three ways to extend the shelf life of your truffles.
Reduce Water Activity
The high moisture of cream is often the cause of microbial growth in truffles. While cream arrives pasteurized, it is usually scalded to 190°F to ensure there’s no yeast and mold.
Reducing water activity will reduce the microbial growth and can be accomplished by:
- Replacing a portion of the cream with corn syrup
- Adding invertase (an enzyme derived from yeast)
- Increasing fat percentage
- Increasing chocolate solids
Use of Preservatives (including natural preservative options)
Preservatives can also control microbial growth. Potassium sorbate is one of the most effective options, however it is not usually considered natural. Natural preservatives might include cultured dextrose. Other preservatives can include reducing the pH of the ganache or the addition of alcohol. Legal and flavor considerations, however, must be addressed before using these methods.
Reduce Storage Temperature
A rule of thumb is that reducing the temperature by 18°F (10°C) will double the shelf life. Freezing truffles can substantially increase their shelf life, however, this must be done properly. Click here to view previous blog post on freezing truffles.
A truffle’s short shelf-life is a major challenge for many confectioners. With these tips from RCI’s Chocolate Boot Camp you can effectively extend the shelf-life of your truffles and avoid any unwanted surprises.
Get solutions to your problem candies from fellow confectioners and industry suppliers at RCI's Annual Convention & Industry Expo next month! Register online now and join us in Chicagoland June 12-16, 2017!
Tags:
Candy Holidays
Candy Making
Chocolate
Chocolate Boot Camp
Chocolate Production
Problem Candy
Truffles
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Updated: Wednesday, April 29, 2020
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Did you know March 28 is National Something on a Stick Day? Yes, it may be another quirky food holiday but there’s no denying it is a fun excuse to invite your customers and social media followers to visit your store…as if we need another reason to eat more chocolate!
Opportunities to join in on this celebration are endless! You could go the more daring route that involves bacon or anything deep fried or try something fail-proof that you know everyone will love…chocolate-covered sandwich cookies!
If you have ever tried to insert lollipop sticks into any number of sandwich cookies, you probably felt about as efficient as a tortoise. Thanks to a quick and easy tip shared by RCI member, Kimberly Mitchell with Olympian Candies, you can pump out as many chocolate-covered sandwich cookies on a stick as your heart’s content and still have time to decorate them for National Something on a Stick Day! Inserting wooden popsicle sticks into double-stuffed sandwich cookies will make this process much easier and efficient than using lollipop or sucker sticks. With a little embellishment, wrapped in a clear candy bag and tied with a pretty little ribbon, Olympian Candies can’t keep their chocolate-covered-sandwich-cookies-on-a-stick on the shelf!
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Olympian Candies uses flower pots, foam and shredded paper
to display their cute,spring-themed sweets-on-sticks! |
Here’s some other decorating ideas for your chocolate-covered sandwich cookies.
Stay connected with RCI through Facebook for more tips and inspiration dedicated to the retail candy maker. Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.
Tags:
Candy Holidays
Idea Sharing
Ideas
Merchandising
Oreos
Something on a Stick Day
Spring
Summer
Teacher
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Updated: Wednesday, April 29, 2020
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Did you know the day after Christmas is National Candy Cane Day? But don’t wait until December 26, celebrate this iconic holiday treat all month! In this throwback tip from 2013, we’ve shared five creative and easy ways (plus a couple new ideas) to incorporate candy canes into your product mix and presentation for the holidays.
Candy Cane Tree
Forty-four boxes of candy canes were used to make this impressive candy cane tree! Make an impact in your holiday window display or size it down for an eye-catching centerpiece for a tabletop display. Click here to view a step-by-step tutorial.
Candy Cane Sweetheart Pops
With a box of mini candy canes, a lollipop stick and a bit of added heat, mould candy canes into hearts to frame your favorite holiday bark or dark chocolate. Plus, with the right color ribbon, this could easily double as a Valentine treat and a good way to use up leftover candy canes. Click here to view recipe.
Candy Cane Marshmallow
Sold separately or aside your own blend of hot cocoa mix, these festive peppermint marshmallows would add a pop of color to your shelf when packaged in clear candy bags. Click here to view recipe.
Candy Cane Rudolph
Embellish these antlered treats with white jelly beans and black sugar pearls for eyes and red Skittles for Rudolph’s signature red nose.
Candy Cane Bark Popcorn
Save the plain popcorn for decorating the Christmas tree! Give out samples of candy-sweet popcorn bark to your guests and watch it pop off the shelf! Click here for more details.
If you have creative candy cane ideas to share, leave us a comment below!
Tags:
Bark
Candy Canes
Candy Holidays
Candy Making
Chocolate
Creativity
Displays
Holidays
Ideas
Marshmallow
Merchandising
Peppermint
Popcorn
Recipe
Seasonal
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Updated: Wednesday, April 29, 2020
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Get things poppin’ this summer with the surprising addition of Pop Rocks® to your favorite summer recipes! Put a little unexpected zing into your truffles or sprinkle on top of chocolate-covered potato chips, chocolate-covered strawberries, barks or really anything, by incorporating this fun and festive candy into your Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day celebrations! The fun nature of the Pop Rocks makes these products great to sample during busy traffic days or promote on social media.
Keep in mind, Pop Rocks may react to the water content found in heavy cream or other ingredients used in the above recipes. To avoid this, simply coat the Pop Rocks in cocoa butter to protect the “pop” until it hits consumer’s mouths!
Tags:
4th of July
Bark
Candy Holidays
Candy Making
Holidays
Ideas
Labor Day
Memorial Day
Patriotic
Strawberries
Truffles
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Updated: Wednesday, April 29, 2020
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Photo credit: Stever's Candies, Inc.
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Looking for a new idea for your fall product lineup? How about a Smash Pumpkin?
Smash Pumpkins are simple hollow pumpkin or jack o’lantern moulds that are filled with goodies of your choice. Hence the name, customers get to “smash” the pumpkin open after purchase to see what’s inside.
Package your pumpkins in cellophane with beautiful bows and, perhaps, a small wooden mallet tied with a coordinating ribbon. Smash pumpkins can be a fun activity for parties or a welcome holiday gift.
At a glance, it may not be obvious that the pumpkins are filled with candy. For this reason, it is important to clearly communicate what’s inside the pumpkins, so the customer understands what they’re purchasing. Consider displaying packaged smash pumpkins around an over-sized, pre-smashed pumpkin with candy flowing out of the cracks and onto the table along. A small to mid-sized chalkboard with a brief product description should get the message across and create a fun display leading up to Halloween.
Tags:
Candy Holidays
Candy Making
Chocolate
Fall
gifts
Halloween
Holidays
Moulds
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Updated: Wednesday, April 29, 2020
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As you likely know, s’mores as a flavor and product has become quite the consumer craze. This week’s blog tip is to capitalize on the craze and celebrate National S’mores Day which is Monday, August 10. Here are a few fun s’mores ideas we found on Pinterest to help get your creative juices flowing. Remember, if you make your own marshmallow, s’mores are a great way to showcase it!
Tags:
Candy Holidays
Candy Making
Ice Cream
Marshmallow
Photos
Popcorn
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