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Posted By Amy Watson, Retail Confectioners International,
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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This week’s tip is quick and easy, and it’s going to make your candy making life easier!
You likely already have a book near your kettles that says precisely which temperature each of your candies should reach and for how long. We suggest taking it one step further and marking the desired temp for your most common candies right on the thermometer. This takes guesswork and estimations out of the picture and ensures your staff is aiming at the right temperature for each candy.
As you know, one or two degrees can make a huge difference when it comes to candy making. So, use today’s tip to do everything you can to keep the quality of your candies consistent.
Using a digital thermometer? Consider hanging a chart nearby for your candy makers to quickly reference and ensure accuracy.
Tags:
Candy Making
Photos
Productivity
Quality Control
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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Each month there are so many great candy-themed holidays to celebrate. One very fun day is coming up next week, April 22 – National Jelly Bean Day! This week’s tip is to have fun and celebrate!
Four fun ways to celebrate National Jelly Bean Day:
· Post jelly bean trivia on Facebook and Twitter. Even better, make it a contest and whoever walks into your store with the answer gets free jelly beans (set a standard weight that is free).
· Post colorful pictures of jelly beans on Pinterest and Instagram, reminding your followers they can buy them at your store (remember to make the pictures high quality!) (will link to last week’s post about pics)
· Deliver ‘thank you’ packages of jelly beans to local heroes – fire, police and ambulance departments. Be sure they know it’s from you and that they are appreciated!
· Recently RCI member Jelly Belly Candy Company revealed a candy calculator on their website. It helps you figure out how much candy you need for favors, parties or candy buffets. Check it out here. And then share with your wedding and party planning customers and remind them to come to you to fill their candy buffet!
Do you have more fun ways to celebrate National Jelly Bean Day? Share them in the comments below!
P.S. We’re having a blast this week at our Historic Pennsylvania Chocolate Tour - check out photos on the RCI Facebook page!!
Tags:
Candy Holidays
Marketing
Merchandising
Spring Regional
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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Pictures speak a thousand words, right? Then, why is it that we visit hundreds of retail candy maker websites each year that either have no photos of their products, or they have low-quality, un-appetizing photos? By not having beautiful photos for your customers (and potential customers) to view, you may be missing out on countless sales opportunities. Yet, provide appetizing photos on your website, and those who land there won’t be able to say no to the sweet temptation.
Do remember that more often than not, your smart phone or home digital camera is not going to provide the correct lighting, resolution and quality you need for your marketing materials. You need a professional. We understand that professional photography is not exactly cheap. That’s why this post is titled 5 Reasons to Invest in Product Photos. A professional photographer understands aspects such as lighting, space, etc.
If you’re thinking, “Where will I use these photos besides my website?” we’ve got you covered. Here are five great uses for excellent product photos:
- Website – online store, homepage, background
- Print Marketing Collateral – brochures, business cards, catalogues
- Facebook (social media) - cover image, photo albums, posts
- Store Décor – enlarged and framed pictures, photo canvases (possibilities are limitless!)
- Industry Publications – illustrations for articles (They will give your company credit thus building your brand.)
So, grab some of your best-looking product and find a photographer. If you use them wisely, we believe you’ll see a great return on investment in no time.
P.S. Have you made plans yet to join RCI and fellow confectioners in Cincinnati this June? The RCI Annual Convention & Industry Expo is the place for industry collaboration and idea-sharing. Meet your suppliers face-to-face at the free Industry Expo and then receive education and gather ideas at the convention. Find all the details at retailconfectioners.org/annual. Hurry - early-bird registration ends May 24!
Tags:
Marketing
Merchandising
Owning a Business
Photos
Social Media
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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Now that Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter are behind you, this week’s tip is to take a moment to do a recap for each holiday. By stopping to review items such as inventory, sales numbers, marketing and more, you can forecast more accurately for the following year’s holidays.
Questions to ask during your post-holiday recap may include:
- What was the day of the week and/or date of the holiday?
- Did the weather impact sales (positively or negatively)?
- What sales or special offers did you have? What was the response to each?
- Did you have too much or too little inventory of any particular items (products or otherwise)?
- Was staffing adequate for each day and time leading up to the holiday?
Be sure to include your staff in the process. Oftentimes, they see and hear things from customers that could be enlightening for your holiday planning.
RCI Members: Access a post-holiday recap template created just for RCI members by signing in to the RCI website as a member. Then, click on Planning Tools under the Member Resources tab.
Tags:
Holidays
Marketing
Organizing
Owning a Business
Productivity
Seasonal
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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Next Monday April 1 is April Fool’s Day. That means you have six more days to plan a creative way to celebrate this fun holiday in your store and create a marketing buzz at the same time. Why not play a few April Fool’s Day jokes on your customers, or help them play one on their friends and family. One of many ideas may be to create a “zero calorie chocolate box” promotion that will just be available on April Fool’s Day. Then, the box could be empty (zero calories, of course!) but contain a coupon for your store along with information about the health benefits of chocolate. You could promote via social media leading up the day that you’re going to have a big product reveal.
Get inspired by reading what some large companies such as Google and Burger King have done over the years to create a buzz around April Fool’s Day:
As you plan your fun prank, be careful not to confuse or frustrate your customers but to make it enjoyable for everyone involved and something they’d want to share with others (which spreads the word about your store). Be sure to leave us a comment below to share your fun ideas and let us know how they work out!
Tags:
Holidays
Marketing
Merchandising
Owning a Business
Seasonal
Social Media
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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Looking for an inexpensive way to promote a special event or sale? Consider creating a postcard or a business card-size advertisement to help promote it. You can even print it high gloss to really make your product images stand out. What will you do with these cards to help spread the word?
1. Insert them in your retail shopping bags to alert customers of upcoming sales.
2. Share them with fellow businesses in your area to display near their registers.
3. Carry them in your car/purse/pocket just like you do your ‘normal’ business cards.
Here are some great websites to get started for low-cost printing:
For each of the websites above, you’ll want to have print-ready files from your designer prepared to upload. Be sure to incorporate your brand colors and feel plus beautiful pictures of your products. Also, include your store contact information, website and social media handles (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). Now, time to come up with a special promotion so you can get started!
P.S. Happy National Chocolate Caramel Day!!
Tags:
Marketing
Merchandising
Photos
Social Media
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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Have you hired a new employee recently? How did your other employees react – are they proactive to be a part of the training process? Do you allow them to be a part of it? This week’s tip is to take advantage of the knowledge and experience of your current employees by assigning each new employee a designated trainer or mentor.
Mentorship programs will give your more experienced employees the opportunity to sharpen additional skills such as communication and supervising. Additionally, it helps new employees to build relationships with their new colleagues. There are a variety of ways to build training and mentoring programs for new employees. We’ve gathered a few articles and blog posts to help you create a successful mentoring program to onboard your new employees:
Do you have additional tips for creating a peer mentor training program? Please leave us a comment below!
Tags:
Employee Management
Owning a Business
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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Are you looking for a new product to debut this Spring and Easter season? Extremely popular Easter items for many of our members are personalized Easter eggs. Parents and grandparents love to put their kids and grandkids names on the eggs, making it an annual tradition for many. You can buy egg moulds in a variety of sizes. Bonus: Buy hollow moulds and give your customers the chance to fill their eggs with even more treats from your store!
For the best adherence when personalizing items, use chocolate on chocolate and compound coating on compound coating. Sometimes when using a compound coating on chocolate the message will not adhere and it will fall off so be extra aware and cautious. Make a small decorating bag out of parchment paper to do your writing and try to do as many as possible at one time.
Have fun decorating chocolate Easter eggs!
Tags:
Candy Making
Holidays
Seasonal
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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Now that you’re finished with those Valentine’s Day moulds, it’s time to clean and put them away until the next holiday season. Be sure to follow these steps courtesy of RCI associate supplier member Tomric Systems, Inc. to take the best care of your moulds:
Because moulds are made of plastic, upkeep is minimal. At the end of the season, moulds need to be washed, well rinsed, dried and stored in a cool, dry location. If maintained, the moulds will have a shiny finish and release a nicely glossed piece of chocolate.
- Wipe with soft cloth in clear, warm water.
- DO NOT use an abrasive cleanser. If moulds become coated with cocoa butter, wash with a mild grease-cutting detergent. Use detergent sparingly and avoid scratching the inside surface of the moulds.
- Rinse in clear, cool water.
- Dry and store in a cool location.
- Use moulds at room temperature.
RCI Members: Our recent Kettle Talk publication contained an article with these step-by-step instructions. Access this and other member-only Kettle Talk articles by signing in to the RCI website as a member.
Tags:
Candy Making
Cleaning
GMP's
Quality Control
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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1-800-FLOWERS knew exactly what they were doing when they created their phone number. They created something memorable that connected directly to the products and services they provide: flower delivery.
So, do you know what your phone number spells? We’ve found a cool tool online that will tell you and also may help you create a phone number your customers will have a hard time forgetting.
- Enter your full phone number and see what words and phrases it spells. You’ll see a variety of possible combinations and words. See if any of these could work to your advantage to make your phone number easy to remember.
- Enter the start of a phone number and see what words start with those digits. If you’re just starting out or looking to create a new memorable phone number, you can see what possible combinations you have to work with. If you know that your phone number has to include a certain set of numbers (i.e. area code), see what words start with those digits to get your creativity rolling.
- Enter some letters and see (and even dial) the corresponding number. So you want to create a memorable phone number and you’ve narrowed the key words for your business down to a select few. On phonespell.org you can enter the word or words you want to include and find out what number combinations those create. You can even dial it to see if someone already has that phone number combination.
By creating a memorable phone number, your customers (both current and potential) will always know who to call when they need a chocolate and candy fix!
If you create or already have a memorable phone number, we want to hear about it – leave us a comment below!
Tags:
Customer Service
Marketing
Owning a Business
Technology
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