I was recently driving through the rolling hills and winding roads south of Philadelphia and stumbled upon Wolff's Apple House. The farm with roots back to 1910 has been a staple market for the local community. I noticed a number of small but great little ideas for direct farm and produce marketers. TIP 1: LOCAL SIGNAGE These signs very clearly communicate the price and highlight their locally grown attributes. Each sign connected the actual location in mileage from the market to allow customers to transparently see the level of freshness and commitment to sustainable foods. KEY TIP 2: MEETING CUSTOMERS NEEDS: Sometimes the best way to market is to simply meet a customer's needs. This packaging method for fresh spinach and field greens was unique and very relevant to many buyers needs. The size of the package was manageable and I presume this could be created in-house by buying bulk greens and packing in house. The display gave a great view of the product and was topped with a selection of salad dressings! Due to the turns on this display no refrigeration was apparently necessary. Another example of whole fresh greens is below: KEY TIP 3: CHOOSE THE RIGHT FIXTURE FOR THE JOB: This special fresh produce fixture was designed to hold large watermelons upright at an angle. It certainly filled the customers view with fresh I could hardly resist. I always recommend cutting a melon open on these displays and labeling as "display only). The pink or red flesh really helps sell the melons and can increase impulse purchases! KEY TIP 4: CONVENIENCE IS KING! These pre-husked corn packages were ready-to-go for time-saving dinner solutions. The display was highlighted with a great signage and accented with a nicely designed and printed collateral piece: a recipe card co-sponsored by 3 local agriculture and sustainability focused organizations including Grid Magazine. So just how are you implementing new ideas in your market or food store? It's always difficult to come up with new ideas when you're working INSIDE YOUR BUSINESS day after day. If you need help we offer on-site or remote reviews of your merchandising strategy. But before you request help you might take a moment to review your operation independently to see if any short falls exist between your current efforts and potential opportunities to drive food sales.
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During our collaborative recent revamp of a well-known specialty retailer's fresh produce department the great signs below were developed by the Marketing Team at Di Bruno Brothers Philadelphia. The team worked with Hubert to procure all the appropriate sign holders. These examples are very unique and were the result of direct interaction with the local farmers to obtain favorable images for the design. The produce department signs themselves are a beta test of a special water-proof material excellent for use in this application. Our consulting group recommended the supplier of this innovative technology. The category signage was featured on special market crates built by Crate Farm and were designed to look like European license plates. Educational pieces highlight information about the stores commitment to Local Produce and summarize key supplier partnerships. A front and center display featured key seasonal spring produce items such as fresh ramps, fiddle head ferns, and flat leaf spinach from the Philadephia and South Jersey region through a partnership with Mikey Azzara at Zone 7. This old world style sign was created with a framed chalkboard and hand drawn by Di Bruno's in-house creative team. The roll signage can play for the retailer is monumental. This component of the revamp is the central piece that tied our project together to educate our customers with high impact visuals, selling points, and information to make good buying decisions. Upgrade your signage to drive sales.When we first mentioned this signage solution to our client they were completely excited. Managing signage in the fresh retail environment has many challenges to stay clean, legal, and on message. Hiring full time sign artists is also a tremendous cost. If you could use help improving your signage systems operationally, visually, or strategically to sell more food contact us below.
There's no perfect way to sell any product, but some ways are better than others. Here's a few tips on how to sell donuts, breads, pies, and cakes that I've discovered that might be helpful to your market, bakery, or specialty food store. SHOW THE FOOD, NOT THE PACKAGINGStep 1: Show the Product through your packaging whenever possible. Plastic and Paper doesn't make your customer's mouths water, but the view of a delicious sweet and savory baked goods does! FILL THE CUSTOMER'S VIEW WITH PRODUCTSTEP 2: Mass out the display and fill as much vertical space with the product as possible. This challenge can be difficult with pies, or certain items that do not stack well. This retailer solved this challenge buy building an upright angled display. From floor to face you're engaged by a wall of fresh baked goods all in clear packaging. KEEP IT INTERESTINGTIP 3: Don't follow the typical methods for displaying products. I typically don't recommend overlapping products, but reconsidered my thoughts when seeing how this display caught my attention. Fresh pastries filled the view, but also took on a form of art in this delicate but intentional stacking pattern. SHOW A NAKED PIETIP 4: Whenever possible show at least one example of the un-boxed product. Glass or acrylic display cases work well for this purpose. In this example boxed ready to buy pies were placed behind for the customers convenience. BRAND YOUR PRODUCTSTIP 5: Focus on using your packaging to highlight your brand. Beware of covering your food product with printing and packaging. Your brand logo should highlight and add value to the package, but not dominate. Exceptions might be food products that are unappealing to see in their raw form. COMPLEMENTARY CONTAINERSTIP 6: These muffin tins really connect the produce with their freshness as they look like they have come right out of the oven. They work well in this case to present the product on an angle so you can observe the entire top of the muffin without any distractions. This unit is well lit and merchandises this food item very well. In any case ensure the container you choose doesn't hide the view of the product any more than necessary. Grow Bakery Your In-store, Market or Farm Bakery SalesIt's difficult to see opportunities when you have been in a business for years. It's also challenging to set up a new location and minimize hurdles limiting your sales. We have prepared some simple ideas to help you for free and are available for consultation if implementation assistance is needed. Click on the link below for our free ebook.
It's all about apples at landmark market Delicious Orchards. Well apples, oranges, baked goods, and just about any other fresh item you could imagine in massive quantities. While they are not a client of mine they do retailing very well! These marketers of fresh produce must move volumes because I'm not sure I've ever seen such a large pepper display in any other major supermarket. What's even better is their management are apparently well focused on quality. It was difficult to find items in less than near perfect condition. As retailers this commitment to quality builds a high level of trust with our customers which translates to repeat business. Here are some great examples of food merchandising below: Believe it or not Delicious Orchards has their own fresh juice bar well merchandised with fresh offerings to choose from. From the retailer's perspective I'll bet this strategy helps the bottom line! I was impressed to see full cases of fresh produce. Not many retailers have the capacity to move quantities in this way anymore. However, It's a great way to move a lot at one time, and build volume with your suppliers! This pear display is a good example of using contrast between varieties to clearly show the different available offerings. Another example of "Pile it High, and Watch It Fly!" A great way to drive sales is to be aggressive! This display presents many pineapples to choose from and really demonstrates the retailers commitment to the product quality when so many are available to buy. Value-added cored or cut pineapples were crossed merchandised close by. Delicious Orchards has a full line of organics something untraditional for most farm market type retailers. This well manicured display had an extensive variety of produce. Their commitment to the offerings would allow a guest to do an entire order...rather than just a simple few items here and there. Great effort! Delicious Orchards is well known for their gift items. I saw more fruit baskets on display during this trip than any other retailers I've seen in years. Something must be working, and it appears to be the packaging and commitment to fresh produce in their baskets! It was great to see a fresh produce merchant so aggressively marketing and maintaining an impeccable sales floor. The numerous staff members were ready to assist and were very engaged in keeping quality at it's peak.
Great Job Delicious Orchards! It's hard not to find innovative ideas when you look closely at what other retailers are doing. In many cases...it can simply be the "Why didn't I think of that" ones that are easy to implement and quick methods to improve upon current techniques. This display below was in the free coffee sample area at Trader Joes in Ardmore, PA. Using the beans themselves as a drip plate, this method shows the culinary aspect of the hot beverage inside the pump pot. This display discovered in the Ardmore's Farmers Market featured mini wooden 2 quart farm marketing baskets lined with burlap and filled with raw beans. The window cling signage uses great culinary imagery to demonstrate the flavorings. This strategy seems to work, as I've seen many retailers focus on the ingredients in their packaging. One great example is Hagen Daz. This method using burlap would allow use of almost any container as seen at McCaffrey's Market in Princeton, NJ. I personally would leave out the plastic liner,or have it down deeper in the container so it's not as distracting to the product. I loved this poster from Ikea's Food Market area upon exit of their stores. The large format culinary imagery captures attention with a pertinent display underneath. Just a few quick ideas on how to present coffee in compelling methods. Thanks for reading.
It must have been the lighting at Carlinos combined with fresh colorful ingredients because many of their unique food products were jumping off the shelves. This artistically tiered display for fresh pizzas, was too much for me to pass by, and so I enjoyed one of the greatest pieces of white pizza I've ever had. Luckily, I was able to enjoy it on a special patio area the family has created in the back of the parking lot, called Carlinos Garden. It's a quaint fenced in area, surrounded by fresh tomato plants, and some cute signage. It absolutely loved the well-angled, under counter lit shelving to hold the pizzas as seen below. Just like the Travelocity Gnome Carlino's has a cheese headed character of their own. This interactive marketing idea, lets guests take a cut-out version with them throughout the world, and encourages posting social media marketing. Behind this idea is marketing director, Nick Carlino, who comes to work each day with armed an education from St. Joe's University one of the leading food marketing schools in the country. What else does Carlino's have to differentiate themselves in the marketplace? Great Products. As one of bacon's number one fans, I had never seen this product below before. How could this not be absolutely amazing. Great Job Carlinos on Food Marketing & Merchandising well done!
What caught my attention first were the enormous billboards on the side of 1-95. I had never heard of Linvilla, but figured I better get there and see what was happening! As you know I work with a number of direct farm marketers to help them drive their profitability. So whenever I'm on the road, I like to visit new locations to gather great ideas. If there's one thing farmers are known for it's their ingenuity, and that was apparent in the merchandising at Linvilla Orchards. Linvilla Orchards is a landmark activity farm below Philadelphia. The property features two distinct swim clubs, animal viewing areas, a farm market, picnic areas, u-pick, as a start. In the business of agri-tainment many opportunities exist to profit from an audience ready to immerse themselves in the experience of the farm and to purchase souvenirs and farm products. Here's some ideas for more successful sustainable farming...which in my mind means selling more farm fresh products! I've seen this before packaged differently in New York State, but these large boxes feature what I imagine are cuttings/prunings, or chip/shredded old fruit trees conditioned for culinary purposes. These smoking and grilling chips were highlighted in this special outdoor shed and nicely signed. Farms might consider adding some informational sheets or posting information on their websites online to direct customers to. These informational sheets could also have a qr code, or the display itself a QR sign directing guests on how to have success with the product. Pile it High, and Watch it Fly! The age old motto of retailers shouts out with this big display of canning supplies. This is the perfect tie-in for farm producers as it prompts ideas for the customers, gives them the tools to complete a fun project, and allows for additional profitable opportunities. These canning jars don't have an expiration date...if they don't sell you can put them out next year! This lighted pie case featured each distinct type of pie separately. The white trays create great contrast to see the actual product more clearly. These probable homemade larger than life vegetable props were highlighted above the refrigerated cooler. They were certainly one-of-a-kind visuals to communicate to the guest. Hopefully I'll have the chance to visit Linvilla Orchards with my family some day soon! It's not easy running a farming operation, I know. I grew up on a farm in Western NY and began direct farm marketing at a young age. Most farm markets have many opportunities to decrease shrink/ produce loss and drive more sales. There's too much hard work not to maximize returns! If you'd like to learn more, send me an email or visit our print farm marketing collateral tools for easy templates you can customize and order easily right online.
Concourse C at Chicago's International Airport was bursting with great merchandising ideas during my most recent visit. As seen below American Dog had some great backlit light boxes with high impact culinary photography. The outside eating area is constructed with a barrier lined with great imagery as well. American Dog has converted most of the available surfaces into major marketing opportunities. Visually the under counter chip display below works. Although this display is not manicured or filled, I like the use of the vertical space...which when filled would create a massive wall of product with many facings. My critique is simply that the depth of the shelf appears to only hold one layer of product. The challenge occurs once a purchase is made, leaving a blank whole in the display. This display would be best improved with 2 layers of product to solve this challenge. The picture below was taken through the plastic air cover on the refrigerated cooler. The package is filled with a sandwich with an open window. This operator (I believe HMS Host) filled the window with the exciting garnish and meat (so many vendors make a sandwich look like a loaf of bread). The kraft bag looks natural and gift like with the ribbon wrap. The sandwich board below is an "in-your-face" call to action. The pink color stands out in contrast to the surroundings and in contrast to the chocolate ice cream. The rounded top separates this sign from it's regular rectangle counter parts. This special unit below has an under tray counter beverage cooler. I've never seen this before. The beverages are very well lit. This acrylic rack expanded upon the shelf of the beverage case. The tie in and cross-selling opportunity is great in a very limited space. The display case below was interesting because it did not contain trays for the baked goods. This strategy has 100% product view and really looked great in a well-lit manner. The shape of this sign and it's old fashioned look really caught my attention. It is one of many of the like in the Jazz themed food court which included many concepts such as Manchu Wok, a sandwich shop, bar, and Edy's Ice Cream. It's certainly an original look. Great culinary decorations and ideas are all around you if you take a moment to collect them. I recommend snapping a quick photo if possible and keep an idea file or directory on your computer. With sites like pinterest, etc. it is easy to create boards on particular topics to reference as projects arise in your organization. Finding Great Ideas for your Food Business. Ideas and challenges are all around us. Taking a close look at retailers in all industries can be as simple as a focused shopping trip. Other opportunities can be observed by simply slowing down and looking at your business critically for the purpose of continuous merchandising improvement. Our team helps grow food sales through professional advice, but you can too by starting with a self-analysis.
I had the pleasure of visiting a historic landmark in the Resort area of South Haven this past week. A number of great examples of branding were evident throughout the historic building. The bar seen below came off an old steamship. The building itself was a former bank and was filled with architectural details. Take a look at some of the visuals below that caught my attention: Branded Glassware with the Clementines Logo greeted me at the bar. I really liked the logo and branding on these placemats, and felt the historic look and colors reminded me of a country club atmosphere. The original wood work was apparently damages, and don't ask me how but this eagle was actually created from paper mache according to the bartender. The Clementine logos appears to be painted on the glass mirror. Many antiques are lining the top of the bar. A moose head and some other taxidermy were observed throughout the facility to create an interesting theme. I really liked these bar menus, particularly because each section had imagery and fonts communicating the menu item itself. These caught my attention and really highlighted each feature in a positive light. The menu items also featured creative names drawn from the local area. Lastly when the check arrived I was glad to see the logo image on the top, but also a selling opportunity presented at the bottom. They even offered (what I presumed to be stamped) postcards for $1 each. This has the potential to increase average guest checks, and also to market the restaurant around the country in the process. Beyond these benefits, they're probably making a quarter on the card itself. All in all, my trip to Michigan offered from great new ideas for food merchandising!
It's all about blueberries at this specialty food retailer. Everything you can imagine has a blueberry on it or in it, and why not it's deep in the heart of one of America's greatest cultivated blueberry growing regions. Nestled along the western shore of Lake Mighican, South Haven's resort beach community has a vibrant town center. In the center of town I discovered this quaint little shop, (which had at least one other location on the main route). I always enjoy merchandising around a focused topic, so check out the images below! A good photo opportunity for guests is a great way to market and also fun for kids. Some opportunities exist in this set up to highlight the local community in signage, and also a URL to the store http://www.theblueberrystore.com/. This strategy allows residual marketing effect when today's entertainment customers share the link in various social media formats, such as Facebook. Nearby, a video communicated facts about blueberries, creating 1. a relevant food educational opportunity and 2. A distraction for husbands whose wives might be loading up their shopping baskets. True Blue Farms markets their fresh berries (currently 5lbs for $13, ...I believe) through the store. The product seemed fresh and cold upon examination. I noticed at least one customer carrying the box down the sidewalk later that morning. Opportunities exist for this strategy to highlight the actual berries by opening a lid or two...only it appeared from my understanding of a small sign nearby people were probably helping themselves to handfuls. A custom acrylic cover might solve this challenge and highlight the bulk berries to the guests making the sale more compelling to guests. Here are just a few of the other value-added products on display. The purpose of this post is simply to convey the power of focusing on a particular product in your merchandising...the novelty of it attracts guests! If you consider following suite, make sure to staff well-informed staff that can be an ambassador for your farm or organization. Equip them to recognize opportunities beyond the in store transactions..such as larger orders, and to engage guests in conversation. I did not speak to any staff at this location as I was in a hurry. Good luck Blueberry Store!
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Jonathan Raduns
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