Summer is here! This seasonal change provides you with an excellent opportunity to boost your sales and draw in more business. Unfortunately, many bakers seem to lack ideas on how exactly to do this. So let’s start with the most foundational method and build from there.
It's a no brainer to provide holiday fruitcake for Christmas, pumpkin pie for Halloween and heart-shaped-anything for Valentine's Day. Even though summer doesn't have any of the major holidays, your bakery should still be providing seasonally appropriate options.
These limited-time options invoke an urgent desire within your customer base. Remember how all news channels buzz when Starbucks releases their Pumpkin Spice Latte or seasonal red cups every year? Because these options are limited, they are considered special and they should be promoted more than the standard desserts you provide. Your regulars will jump with the excitement to try your delicious new delectables!
When summer comes around everyone takes advantage of the warm, sunny weather and goes outdoors. This is the time when people enjoy doing activities such as going to the park, biking, running and swimming. So to reach out to your potential customer base, you’ll need to get out and join them! How? Well there are a couple of ways to do this. Firstly: Farmers Markets.
Farmers Markets are a cheap and low cost way of getting outdoors to the crowds of people. They can be as little as $40 for a booth place or $70 for a booth seasonal pass. Of course, you’ll need to verify with your local markets. With it only taking a few people to staff the booth, labor will be low and local residents will swoon over the locally baked, summer-themed goodies. But more importantly, you are getting your name out there and reaching out to consumers you wouldn’t have otherwise had access to. Be sure to promote your attendance utilizing your website, Twitter and Facebook accounts.
Another way to get outdoors would be having a booth at your local fairs or festivals. These may have a higher booth fee and require more staffing, however these events draw even larger crowds than farmers markets. If you can impress consumers there, they are bound to search your bakery out and become loyal customers!
Whether it be corporate events, beach parties, birthdays or barbeques, it takes a lot of planning to fully execute such events. Therefore let your customers know that you’re ready to join the party and help take the baking load off of their hands by your providing catering services. List your catering options on your online platforms and tweet and post about this option routinely. Soon enough, you'll have orders lined up for the summer days and your customers will be thanking you!