5 effective strategies to have a successful ice cream parlor
The key to success is good planning that can help direct your resources, time, and energy in the most efficient way possible, especially when it comes to a business with as many possibilities as an ice cream parlor.
1. Study the location of your premises well
If you are looking for a clientele with a purchasing power of the middle or upper class, you should do a market study to be able to find the ideal location. This also implies easy vehicular access and a good influx of people in the area.
Perhaps there are areas where you should invest more to buy or rent the premises that will occupy your ice cream parlor, but in the long run, it can be a successful strategy. The greater the flow of customers, the faster you will get profits and the return on your investment.
Other location factors may also be relevant to you, such as having parking space, proximity to school zones, and even the profitability of investing in solar panels based on the amount of light in the area.
Of course, the location influences the areas that you can cover with home delivery, which is becoming increasingly important in the consumption of this type of product.
2. Work on the generation of web content and social networks
Social networks are the most direct tool to interact with your customers and reach more people immediately. Constant activity through posts, statuses, and direct messages will give your customers a feeling of closeness.
Focusing your efforts on content generation is an effective and non-invasive way to attract the attention of potential customers. It is about increasing the visibility and relevance of your brand so that people are interested in visiting you.
This content can be:
- Videos about processes or relevant aspects of the manufacture of ice cream
- Infographics with curious facts and varied information
- Online tutorials and workshops
You can also make written web content such as blog articles that talk about: recipes, techniques, flavors, and any other topic that is consistent with your business strategies.
This strategy can bring better benefits if your ice cream parlor offers additional services to direct sales in your business, such as the option to buy through an online store with delivery.
3. Develop your business identity
You need to develop an identity for your ice cream shop, it is a valuable strategy to last in the memory of your customers. You must do a general review of your image to aesthetically align everything that has contact with the public.
This implies the organization of elements both in your store and in your social networks and website:
- Colors
- Style
- Decor
- Music
- letter fonts
All these aspects must be well taken care of, the goal is to achieve the ideal balance between a sober and elegant image as well as a modern one. This will help you get more customers for your ice cream parlor and offer them a pleasant space that they want to return to.
Another related point that can contribute to the development of your identity as a brand can be the creation of a mascot. Invent some character with which you can attract the attention of children and generate a special attachment with adults.
4. Offer unique flavors and mixes
An infallible strategy to be successful is to place a product in your ice cream shop that is so good and exclusive that only you can offer it. This means making mixtures of both flavors and other products that could be complementary, such as nuts, cookies, and assorted sweets.
You can develop this strategy by periodically creating your own recipes that are only available in your store. If you get one that has enough impact on the public, it can become a dessert that serves as an emblem for your business.
Many ice cream parlors have chosen to use flavors indigenous to the country or particular regions. The interesting thing is that, although it is not exactly a new idea, the potential to make something unique is enormous and depends solely on your creativity.
5. Create strategic alliances with other related businesses
Collaboration with other stores and strategic alliances with related food and dessert companies have good earning potential because they allow:
- Offer a greater variety of products
- Give visibility to your brand in other places
- Obtain advertising diffusion through social networks
- attract new customers
You can create an alliance between your ice cream parlor and a cookie shop, for example, so that both companies can benefit from improved products, better positioning, and advertising exchange.
The idea of a strategic alliance can be oriented from different angles depending on the type of exchange that they decide to negotiate, the two most common are usually oriented in the following way:
1. One company positions its finished products in the other.
For example:
The placement of stands or ice cream carts in other stores in exchange for offering their products in your establishment.
2. The complement for the production line:
For example:
The exclusive use of a particular brand of ice cream machines in exchange for special prices or alliances with sweets, liquor companies, or any other source of products that allow you to develop new recipes
Think out of the box
These strategies outlined are an effective way to jumpstart your ice cream parlor, but the best way to succeed is by breaking out of common paradigms. A successful strategy should never be copied, it should serve to inspire creative thinking and help you find your own path.
