At Husky, we are hoping for a hot, sunny Summer in 2019 and Easter marks the start of the ice-cream sales season. With a market demand of £255m* in the convenience store channel, are you ready for high profit impulse ice-cream sales when the sun shines?
Follow our top 5 tips for successful ice-cream trading:
#1 Offer a good range, merchandised well, in individual baskets. The range should include core lines such as Magnum, Cornetto and Calippo etc, complemented with a few niche, more expensive, lines plus some cheaper ones too.
#2 Keep an eye on the weather. To manage orders when a spike in demand is expected, identify a secondary supplier. Stock can easily sell out fast in sunny weather and it’s disheartening to turn customers away because new stock isn’t available.
#3 More than half of ice cream shoppers say their purchase was unplanned** and consumed immediately. Therefore, range visibility in a bright, modern attractive freezer is essential. Consider upgrading to a Husky Ice Cream Freezer or a Husky PRO Upright Glass Door Freezer, all available with spread the payment at 0% APR over six months.
#4 Make the freezer unmissable – place it among other impulse products such as crisps, confectionary and soft drinks so it can be easily seen. Utilise POS signs, flags and waste bins outside the store to advertise outside the store to tempt shoppers inside. Consider promoting your ice cream range on social media on warmer days to drive shoppers into your store. A Husky Ice Cream Freezer features an illuminated lightbox and eye-catching branding for this purpose.
#5 Keep it clean; ensure that the freezer is clean and regularly defrosted as this will not only attract more sales but also lengthen the life of the appliance and reduce running costs
*(Neilsen 52 w/e 28 January 2017) ** (54%, Shopper iQ 2014)