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Posted By RCI,
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
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Looking to increase sales and customer satisfaction? Bundling products has proven to be an effective strategy for generating sales. Here’s 3 expert tips for successfully bundling the right products to entice consumers to buy. Bundle Related Products
Creating product bundles based on a common theme can help encourage sales by focusing on a popular flavor or ingredient, such as peanut butter, or even the recipient of a gift. As an example, RCI member Bon Bon’s Candy House bundled some of their more traditional treats and labeled the bundle “Grandpa’s Favorites.” Include a Free Item
Encourage shoppers to buy by offering free product as an incentive. Be intentional about making free offer relevant to the consumer. As an idea, consider appealing to the self-gifting trend (click here to read past blog post for more details) by offering a free gift to “treat yourself” when purchasing a gift for someone else. This could be approached as an opportunity to introduce customers to your signature products or move overstock items. Use Sales Data
If you have access to sales data, take advantage of this information by identifying items that are frequently purchased together. By offering the suggestion of items that are commonly purchased together, not only can you entice shoppers to buy, but you might also uncover an unexpected trend that will help you increase sales both in store and online. Bundling products is a proven sales strategy employed by many businesses over time. Use trial and error to identify which methods work best for your business and as always use in-store signage and social media post to generate consumer interest. Crave more?Click here to subscribe 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.
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Posted By RCI,
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
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With more consumers continually looking for opportunities to shop online, is your business taking full advantage of the online sales opportunities available to you? Keep reading for 3 areas that may represent new sales opportunities for your business.
Online
If you don’t already have the capability to sell products on your website, you could be missing out on a significant number of sales. This may seem obvious to some, but as of February 2021, one in four small businesses (28%) don’t have a website. If you do have a website, building and maintaining a website can still be a challenge. An outdated or inaccurate site may be what’s holding you back from your full online sales potential.
A survey by Top Design Firms found that almost half of small businesses (46%) have in-house employees manage their website and 32% use DIY website builders to create a basic website. Ecwid is a user-friendly option to add an online store to any site—with free and paid versions available.
Mobile
Did you know a third of all online purchases were made on mobile devices during the 2020 holiday season? If your website doesn’t make it easy for mobile users to view your website on their mobile devices, this could represent a missed sales opportunity for your business. Click here for a past blog post with tips on how to optimize your mobile site in 3 steps.
Social Media
Reach new and existing customers where they’re already spending time—on social media. Most popular social media sites, like Facebook and Instagram, have easy-to-use options for creating an online store. For many businesses, having an online store on Facebook may take the place of a website.
If your business isn’t already taking advantage of these sales opportunities, now is as good a time as any to get started!
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Posted By RCI,
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
Updated: Wednesday, January 26, 2022
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Looking to increase sales and customer satisfaction? Bundling products has proven to be an effective strategy for generating sales. Here’s 3 expert tips for successfully bundling the right products to entice consumers to buy. Bundle Related Products
Creating product bundles based on a common theme can help encourage sales by focusing on a popular flavor or ingredient, such as peanut butter, or even the recipient of a gift. As an example, RCI member Bon Bon’s Candy House bundled some of their more traditional treats and labeled the bundle “Grandpa’s Favorites.” Include a Free Item
Encourage shoppers to buy by offering free product as an incentive. Be intentional about making free offer relevant to the consumer. As an idea, consider appealing to the self-gifting trend (click here to read past blog post for more details) by offering a free gift to “treat yourself” when purchasing a gift for someone else. This could be approached as an opportunity to introduce customers to your signature products or move overstock items. Use Sales Data
If you have access to sales data, take advantage of this information by identifying items that are frequently purchased together. By offering the suggestion of items that are commonly purchased together, not only can you entice shoppers to buy, but you might also uncover an unexpected trend that will help you increase sales both in store and online. Bundling products is a proven sales strategy employed by many businesses over time. Use trial and error to identify which methods work best for your business and as always use in-store signage and social media post to generate consumer interest. Crave more?Click here to subscribe 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.
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Marketing
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Updated: Thursday, January 21, 2021
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There’s little doubt this fall season is going to look very different for many families and individuals. Thanks to COVID-19, many of our favorite traditional fall events will be canceled or, if not, done very differently. Here’s five ideas from RCI members for generating sales by creating memorable experiences for families this fall. Candy-Making Classes: Two Ways Hosting virtual candy-making classes is a great way to engage with consumers. RCI member, Yelibelly Chocolates, has developed a series of at-home candy-making classes which can be experienced as a prerecorded video or live Zoom call. Further direction can be shared with customers after purchasing a supply kit containing the needed ingredients and supplies. Known for their in-person candy-making classes for kids, RCI member, PeterbrookeChocolatier, has been able to continue in-person classes by offering small groups of families and/or close friends to take private classes together after local mandates allowed. This approach limits potential exposure to participants by individuals outside their inner circle and creates a more comfortable environment for local patrons to do something fun outside their homes. Socially Distant Outdoor Events Is your annual fall festival cancelled this year? Use your creativity to dream up a socially distant outdoor event to generate foot traffic at your store. RCI member Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum & Candy Emporium plans to host their annual outdoor pumpkin painting party (albeit practicing social distancing) and treat kids dressed in their Halloween costumes with a complimentary goodie bag. Another idea could include hosting a family movie night in the parking lot by hanging a white sheet on the side of your building and setting up a projector. RCI member, MarshmallowMBA plans to partner with local churches to gain exposure during Trunk-or-Treat events in their community. DIY Take-Home Kits Make it easy for shoppers to create special memories for their families. RCI member Stever’s Candies had success over the summer by selling s’mores and ice cream sundae take-home kits, each packed with all the sweet ingredients needed and bundled together for a quick, grab-and-go treat or an easy, yet thoughtful, gift. Themed Virtual Tastings Hosting a virtual chocolate tasting may be just the ticket for safely connecting with chocolate lovers near and far. Incorporating themes will make the experience more memorable and potentially lead to customers ordering multiple tastings. RCI member, Blommer Chocolate Company, suggests themes that hypothetically whisk participants away to a virtual vacation destination or even highlight your home base. Check out this video from Blommer Chocolate's Rose Potts for more inspiration on creating a successful virtual chocolate tasting. For a more local vibe, source local fall produce to highlight as part of your virtual tasting. We think this recipe for apple cider caramels from King Arthur Baking Company would be the perfect addition to a fall harvest themed tasting. Virtual Factory Tour Pique the curiosities of children and parents alike by sharing virtual tours of your candy kitchen. After closing their factory to tours, RCI member SnowflakeChocolates has posted a virtual tour of their facility on social media as well as behind-the-scenes videos of how they make chocolate-covered Oreos and maple fudge. After seeing all the yummy confections in the making, invite followers to get it fresh by placing orders online or in-store. After a popular children’s YouTube sensation toured their facility, RCI member Boehm’sCandies created an Eat-Along Kit including the confections featured in the tour. If you’re looking to take your virtual tour to the next level, feature your signature confections in the video tour and sell them as a bundle for consumers to purchase and enjoy while they watch your virtual tour. Businesses that thrive this fall will be the ones that are intentional about creating a safe and comfortable environment for consumers and their families to not only enjoy their products, but create memorable experiences their patrons won’t soon forget. Here's wishing you a sweet and successful fall season! 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.
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Fall
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Updated: Monday, April 27, 2020
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In recent years, the application of sea salt in confections has evolved from strictly artisanal to mainstream in the candy industry. According to Synergy Consultants, sea salt was introduced to nearly 1,350 food products in 2010 alone. If you have not yet jumped on this bandwagon, you may be missing an opportunity to engage consumers and increase sales.
RCI member, Boehm’s Candies of Issaquah, Washington first introduced gourmet sea salt to their confections in 1999. At the time they wondered if it would be a quickly passing fad. Today, the candy maker carries a variety of confections featuring distinctively different gourmet sea salts, contributing to at least 100 pounds of finished product every week to satisfy customer demand.
Pulled from an article in RCI’s Kettle Talk magazine, Bernard Garbusjuk attributes the trendiness of sea salt to our love of the sweet and salty combination. “In our production, we have tested different salt profiles for various confections, but we believe that the most complementing marriage is between caramel and salt. If you are very careful balancing a recipe, then it can also work well for solid chocolate pieces.”
With the growing popularity of sea salt in a variety of applications, featuring a gourmet sea salt with a unique color, flavor, coarseness and even origin will help you create a more signature product. Keep reading for three of Boehm’s favorite gourmet sea salt varieties, as well as recommended applications for each.
Hawaiian Sea Salt Blend
Natural sea salt blended with the rare alaea sea salt from Hawaii. The alaea salt can be identified by its distinct red color achieved by mixing with volcanic clay.
Boehm’s standard sea salt caramels are topped with a blend of two different salts from the Hawaiian Islands. The alaea salt is from the island of Kauai and has a distinct red color from the volcanic clay, and the white salt is from the island of Oahu. The finer grain of the salt from Oahu will disperse in your mouth somewhat faster than the coarser alaea salt and the blend of size and color give the caramel an elegant, upscale finish.
Ilocano Asin
A mild, mineral rich sea salt from the pure seawaters of Pangasinan, Phillippines. Bright, crisp flavors powered by underlying minerals combine in this complex and well-balanced salt.
At Boehm’s they created a thin wand of twisted caramel (about the length of a licorice stick), covered it in chocolate and finished it with the Ilocano Asin salt. This caramel and sea salt “stick” satisfies customers who want a more robust salt profile. Simply because of how you eat it, it can taste remarkably different than the square sea salt caramel.
Smoked Alder Wood Sea Salt
A Pacific sea salt is slightly smoked over red alderwood.
As part of their boxed chocolates, Boehm’s adds a caramel with smoked alderwood sea salt to represent the Pacific Northwest. Consider sourcing a sea salt that reflects the flavors and ingredients representative of your area.
If you can brand a unique sea salt product with a distinctive flavor or coarseness, or from a special region (Himalayan, Mediterranean, etc.), you may be surprised how it effects your sales compared to if you use a non-descript sea salt.
If you’re wondering where to get your hands on gourmet sea salt, Boehm’s Candies recommends SaltWorks® and xroads Phillippe Sea Salts®. SaltWorks offers a variety of salts in fine to coarse grain and in many flavor profiles. Xroads Phillippine Sea Salts® delivers unique culinary sea salts that enhance a broad range of flavors while empowering small communities.
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.
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Updated: Monday, April 27, 2020
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You do it every day. When you see your co-workers on Monday morning, at dinner on Friday night, even when you're trying to convince your kids that green beans are good for them.
You tell stories to make your case and to make connections. That's what we do as human beings. In fact, we're hardwired for it.
If storytelling comes naturally to us, then it seems natural that we would use this skill in business—to attract customers, persuade partners and rally employees.
Here are a few key points to keep in mind as you build your storytelling skills. To be persuasive and productive, the stories we tell at work need to be built with attention paid to: emotion, craft and action.
Emotion
 No one needs to tell you that most of our decisions—whether in business or in life—are pushed along by our emotions. They also help us feel engaged in a story or a transaction. But how do you find and engage the right emotions?
Entrepreneurs can learn from fiction writers who have long known that the success of a story rests in finding "the significant details,” as Eudora Welty once wrote. In good stories, it's the details that captivate us, that allow us to "see" the story, and that invite the reader to get involved in the conversation.
If I tell you my first bicycle was pink with training wheels, that's not much to go on. But if I tell you my first bike was built by the boy down the street who added training wheels and ribbons, and then jogged down the sidewalk with me, holding the banana seat with one hand while I learned how to pedal...now I've given you enough details to "see" the image. I've gotten you involved in my story. You're probably already starting to think about when you learned to ride a bike.
In business, the same is true. Just as you focus on the details of your ingredients and processes, attending to the details in your marketing—even if you're just greeting someone who has walked into your store—can mean the difference between a customer who feels unwanted and one who feels like he is now a participant in the “conversation.”
Even if you're not in full story mode, using clear details in your conversations will guarantee you a better relationship.
Craft
 I like to tell my students that masterpieces are not written; they are rewritten.
Even though we are all able to toss off a great story in the middle of a cocktail party, the stories you use at work should be crafted. Just like a house is built with bricks or wooden beams, stories are built on details and images and rhythm and voice, and so much more. Key among these craft elements is the idea of tension and conflict.
I know. You may be running from the room when you see these two words. While most of us don't like conflict in our lives, we must have it in our stories. Think about it this way: in a story, tension and conflict can be either a threat or an opportunity.
In business we usually refer to this as creating a sense of urgency. "If you pay now you can save five percent." That's the opportunity. The threat: "If you don't pay now, you'll be charged an additional five percent."
In stories, this concept works in a slightly different way. We create tension by sharing obstacles that may have been in our path. For instance, your signature chocolate relies on cocoa nibs from Ghana. But your sources have dried up and now you have to find the right quality beans somewhere else. And, you had to beat your competitors to them.
We like our stories to have heroes. Overcoming obstacles, big or small, makes you a hero.
Action
In my opinion, every story is persuasive in some way. Opinion pieces in the newspaper try to convince you to see the news the way the writer does. Novels and movies persuade us that this fictional world is real. Advertisers know they are not selling soap; they are selling us the idea that if we use this soap, we will be beautiful.
To be persuasive, stories need to have a solid structure and a clear call to action. We must want our audience to do something.
Imagine this: you spend 15 minutes explaining the process of developing this unique flavor profile and tell me the story of how you stumbled on to it after you thought you were creating something else. Then you say, "let me know if I can help you find something,” and you walk back behind the counter.
As your customer, I probably found the story intriguing and would like to taste this new flavor, but you didn't ask me if I'd like to try a sample or buy some for dessert this evening. So I say, “that's interesting,” and move on.
Now, imagine this: you stand in front of me with two trays and ask me to choose which one I think is the enhanced flavor. Right away you have gotten me involved in this story.
After I point to the tray in your left hand, you say, “Right! Take a taste and let me tell you how we stumbled upon this extraordinary new flavor. We were in the back room on a cold and snowy Saturday morning…”
Now you have made me a part of your story and because you asked me a question, I am immediately involved in this conversation. In fact, when I serve this candy at my next dinner party, I will tell my guests my story of hearing your story, and then these new people will become a part of that story. And on and on and on.
You can see how powerful this can be.
What Stories Should You Tell?
There's a good chance you are not at a loss for personal stories, but in business we want to make sure the stories we craft will support a sales or relationship building goal. Here are just a few ideas for where to find good stories:
- Why you got started in this business.
- Why you stay in this business.
- How you source your ingredients and materials.
- What makes you different.
- What suppliers you work with and why.
The next time you start telling a story, stop for a moment and realize you are building a chain of connections that have the potential to reach far and wide.
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.
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, July 2, 2019
Updated: Monday, April 27, 2020
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Looking for answers to these questions? Keep reading as RCI member, Theresa Packard with CommerceV3, offers answers and actionable strategies to start implementing in your business immediately.
HOW DO I BEST OPTIMIZE MY WEBSITE?
Optimizing your site should be done based on site metrics and usability, as well as site speed. I'll address how to analyze your site metrics and usability with regards to conversion, but for now, let's cover the bases of site speed.
 If your site is not operating at an optimum speed, it may appear to be missing a few pieces to the puzzle. Measuring the site speed on your homepage and top category pages will allow to see if there are images or other code that could be significantly slowing your site.Many site speed tools such as Google Page Speed Insights, WebPageTest and Pingdom, are free. A site is considered slow if it takes longer than three seconds to load. After running the site speed tools, you may find the top culprits that can affect website speed are often large images that need optimized, script that can be loaded at the bottom of the page versus the top of the page, and additional redirects on the page.
INCREASING CONVERSION RATES
This is the million-dollar question— how to convert browsers into purchasers? When consulting clients, I have found the best place to start is to ask a series of questions. The following questions can help you identify any barriers that may be affecting your conversion rate.
What do your analytics tell you?
The first thing I tell all retailers is to take a look at their analytics (we use Google analytics) to see if there are parts of your site that show the best conversion and parts that show the worst. How do you get more out of the things that show high conversion and high dollars? What’s wrong with the worst parts? Is there something on that landing page acting as a barrier?
Are your customers getting lost?
Are there places on your site where customers may be getting lost? Do they have to think about their journey through your site or is it intuitive? If you have a customer service agent, this may be a good person to ask, since they’re likely the one fielding questions about how to navigate your site. If not, try asking a loyal customer about their experience on your site.
Can customers easily find the products they want through search and navigation?
When a customer reaches the product page, how easy is it for them to see the pricing, count or size and, then, add their products to the cart? A shortage of important details like these is a common pitfall, that can quickly turn potential customers away.
Are there product reviews on your site?
Many online shoppers make purchasing decisions based on other customers’ reviews. Be sure your website has a user-friendly reviews program.
Have you tried to checkout on your own site?
When moving through the shopping cart to checkout, how easy is it for a customer to proceed through each step? We suggest making clear, well-defined steps through checkout. Make sure customers can easily enter shipping and billing information and also have certain already-known fields pre-entered (such as their email address and shipping information when logged in). To help with ease of checkout, offer alternative payment methods like PayPal, Amazon, Apple Wallet, Visa Checkout and etc.— these are especially useful for individuals shopping on mobile devices.
There's a lot you can do to optimize your website and improve your conversion rates, sometimes the best way to identify hang ups is by test driving your site on a regular basis.
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.
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
Updated: Monday, April 27, 2020
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Give your products new life by grouping them together in an eye-catching gift basket. According to Gift Shop magazine, “gift baskets are a convenient way to improve store sales and even turn clearance items into fresh, full-priced, saleable items.”
Not only are gift baskets fun and interactive for the recipient, as they discover each different element carefully tucked inside, but for the retailer they encourage increased customer spending and create for beautiful merchandising displays.
Rebecca Craig of Marie's Candies, an RCI member and the Third Vice President of RCI’s board of directors, shared the following “recipe” for the perfect gift basket as an instructor for RCI’s past Merchandising Essentials course.
MATERIALS NEEDED:
- Gift basket or container
- Various boxes or bags of your product (depending on size of basket)
- Themed gift item(s) (e.g., promotional items, plush animals, holiday ornaments, baby bottles, etc.)
- Filler (e.g., tissue paper or shredded paper)
- Cello wrap
- Shrink wrap (for shipping)
- Ribbons and bows
- Adornments and decorations
- Merchandising tag
DIRECTIONS: Place crumpled tissue paper and/or shredded paper in the bottom of the basket, so the contents are raised just below the edge of the basket for best visibility.
Method #1: Focal Point
Position the tallest item in the center of the basket. Arrange smaller items around the center, from the next tallest to the shortest. Contents should face the outer edge of the basket. This method should look balanced from every angle, making it a great focal point for your merchandising display.
Method #2: Back to Front
Position taller items in the back and shorter items in the front. All contents should face the front of the basket. This method will give the basket a front and back, but it may be assembled more quickly.
With either method, it is important to have plenty of filler to fill in gaps between items and provide stability to the contents of the gift basket. If items need additional support, consider using skewers or double-sided tape. A piece of Styrofoam can also be glued to the bottom or side of the basket to offer even more support.
Offering customers the opportunity to ship your gift baskets to friends, family and clients, will open up even more sales potential. Now that you know how to build the perfect gift basket, how do you ship them like a pro?! Click here to read our post “Ship Gift Baskets Like A Boss,” to pick up more of Rebecca’s pro-tips on shipping gift baskets.
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.
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
Updated: Monday, April 27, 2020
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Do stagnant summer sales leave you longing for Christmas (well, maybe, minus the crazy schedule)? If so, you’re not alone. Blame it on the heat, summer vacations and the lack of major holidays, if you’re in the retail industry it’s no surprise summer is likely going to be a slow season (unless your business is in a tourism location).
A summertime spin on Christmas, could be a great opportunity for your business to heat things up this summer! Get the most out of your Christmas in July promotions by meeting these three objectives.
STAND OUT & INCREASE SALES
You wouldn’t expect to hear Christmas carols or see Santa posing for photos in board shorts and a Hawaiian shirt in the peak of summer. Make your business stand out by hosting a Christmas party in July, complete with a sampling of your favorite Christmas treats, giveaways, live music and Santa in his vacation attire.
GENERATE NEW CUSTOMERS
A study published by Adobe Digital shows repeat customers spend 25% more per transaction during the holiday rush, compared to a new customer who spends only 15% more during the holiday season.To help convert new customers into return customers, CaffeineInteractive.com suggests offering those who make a purchase during your Christmas in July promotion, a discount on future purchases between Black Friday and New Year’s Day. Consider keeping a separate email list for these customers, to send them a coupon just before Black Friday.
REWARD LOYAL CUSTOMERS
Celebrate loyal customers by throwing a Christmas-themed customer appreciation party or offering a free gift for shopping in July. Shopkeep recommends inviting loyal customers to a flash sale in their honor and offering additional incentives for bringing a friend. Spread the word by sending invitations with details via email or snail mail.
Creating memorable shopping experiences for new and return customers may help pad more than just your summer sales. Kathy Allen of the National Retail Federation told USA Today, “When the holiday season does come, maybe that person who had a wonderful experience shopping in July remembers to come back, and will spend their holiday dollars there, or their Halloween dollars or their birthday dollars.” Do you celebrate Christmas in July? If so, share your ideas in the comments below.
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