10 Top Tips to Entice Your Bakery Customers back into your Store

The Great Bakery Bounce-Back

A big talking point with our customers recently has been around how to entice more consumers back into their stores.  So at Berica we thought it would be a good idea to put together some ideas for you to use to promote your bakery.

In this article, you’ll discover four great ideas on how to promote your bakery and six ideas to focus your promotion.  Not only cementing established customer relationships that you have built but also gaining new customers to drive business.

How to promote your bakery

Top four great ideas:

(1) Social Media

Successful bakers and bakeries of every size need to understand the power of social media – to attract new customers and keep loyal ones.  If you have won over an audience, then nurture them and put together some content to promote what you are doing.

(2) Local Advertising

Let your local community know that you are around and waiting to receive them.  Create small visual assets.  Posters and flyers are still very effective in this day and age! (Canva is a great medium for this and it’s free!)

(3) Tasters

If your bakery is in a prime location with lots of foot traffic you could give tasters to passers-by to regain their attention.  Remember those safety rules and have your tasters wrapped or bagged and be sure that whoever is physically promoting is following the latest safety requirements.

(4) Deals

Are you in a position to offer discounts or deals?  This will not only entice established customers but new ones, too.  Remember any promotion will perform better if you are doing something new and different than before.

Our top 6 ideas to focus your promotion

(1) Encourage Your Customers

Make your customers feel safe and welcome them warmly into your bakery. Every customer matters!

(2) Introduce Safety Measures In Your Bakery

Your customers are going to be wary of a) cleanliness and b) COVID precautions – this is only natural!  So, make it clear that you’re taking the New Zealand Government’s guidance and adhering to it to the letter.  Displaying mask posters in your windows is great but why not take it a step further and display how you are planning to keep your products and seating areas (if you have one) clean?

(3) Entice Them with Indulgent Bakes

We have heard it said many times that when the “present” is unpredictable, humans opt for comfort.  How can we define “comfort”?  With so many people WFH, bringing meals home instead of eating out and continual changing your offerings is a win, win.  Who doesn’t crave a fresh brownie or a muffin!?

(4) Offer Personal Cake, Brownie Variations or Something Different Altogether

In this highly competitive environment it is so important to set yourself apart from your competitors.  Why not try introducing personalised variety boxes that customers can order and collect in-store?  Or perhaps offer bespoke bakes for upcoming special occasions such as Easter or Matariki? You can go that extra yard and put together a basket of delicious treats with a finishing touch such as a bow.

What this does is enable your customers to think that your bakery is the ideal place to go for those unusual and personal gifts – just for them.  They will remember you! And talking about personalisation, giving customers the chance to choose their portion sizes gives them flexibility to buy what suits their demands. Remember, it is not all about colours and flavours.

(5) Continue to Offer Home Delivery

In NZ pre-COVID, experts were predicting that the baking sector would literally be taking a bigger slice of the delivery market.  With bakeries adapting to home delivery and online, it’s a trend set to stay and grow. How can you easily integrate this into your business?

(6) Offer Healthy Bake Alternatives

During restrictions consumers are focusing on their health – especially when it comes to everyday products like bread.  Nutritional info has become more attractive – and necessary – than ever for consumers, conscious of what they’re buying and feeding their families.

By offering healthier variations you could entice returning and newer health conscious customers to your bakery.

In Summary

We know that it hasn’t been easy for the baking sector in New Zealand over the last few years.  With supply chains being disrupted, customer behaviour harder to predict and limited in-store experiences, it’s been tough for so many. So now is the time to be brave and bring your existing and new lines to life with our beautiful bakery packaging.

berica.co.nz | 0800 237 422 | sales@berica.co.nz