Before you take the plunge, here are a few things that you should know before opening a dessert shop with success.
There is no shortage of all the corny things one can say about dessert. Think way back into your childhood, to the first time you realized that this was the best part of any meal. Your grandmother was probably always telling you to “save room for dessert,” so that you could enjoy her delish pies, cakes, and sugary treats.
Dessert is more than the perfect end to a meal. Dessert melts in the mouth, will fill it up with sweetness and a feeling of calm that will make you warm and fuzzy. It makes perfect sense that you would want to dedicate an entire shop to the best gastronomic experience of the day. Picture surrounding yourself every day with delicate crepes topped with whipped cream and chocolate sauce, or ice cream topped with sweet, sticky berries.
Are You Giving Enough Value?
Customers will often purchase a product that delivers to them value, above all else. There are so many ways to define value, from the look and feel of your brand, to how it fits into a lifestyle and even Instagram ability. When looking to open a dessert shop, you need to feed into this. To attain value, begin with customization and concept, making sure that your offerings stand out from other shops that offer similar services. Customers need to have an entirely new experience when they come into your shop.
For example, just like your grandmother taught you, you may want to focus on creating pies. This is traditional and may seem like a slam dunk idea. However, with evolving tastes and styles in all things food, you may not inspire customers to come in and buy. Now, pie slices served in small cones with a message to brighten their day may be what is called for. This makes your pies easy to carry so you can have a pie in one hand, and coffee in another. Offering value that is outside the box will create talk-ability, build customer curiosity and cause a wave of excitement on social media.
Have a Clear Identity
You should go through the most essential motions when
This goes beyond the delicious product offerings you will create, and also includes the look and feel of your product. Some believe that coming up with your identity may be expensive, and for sure, it will cost a pretty penny. However, one does not need to pay for everything at once. It is possible to lease out items that are pricey and establish whether it is worth investing in them or on it or not.
To further enhance all your efforts, make sure that you can reach your customers through active marketing, and getting them to try out your product. Sampling is probably the cheapest, most effective way to get direct and honest feedback, so you can tweak your product if you need to. See some tips on branding things like ice cream cones or ice cream boxes here for your dessert shop (if you include ice cream of course).
Practical Experience is Important
Understanding the psychology around customers, and what they are looking for in a dessert shop is key to getting it right. There are not very many specialist desserts shops, though there are lots of cafes that sell dessert.
To get some practical experience, you need to spend some time in one of these shops or cafes, working behind the scenes. While you are there, talk to customers to get firsthand feedback on their experience. This is excellent for positive reviews, but also for finding out what customers are most critical about. Immerse yourself in what if feels like to be the customer, identify the gaps, and then make sure that your shop will fill them in.
Also, working in a café or another dessert shop can also give you an idea of how many desserts you need to sell, and at what price, so that you are able to make a profit. This reality check you should know before opening a dessert shop will help you manage your expenses and make your way to the top.
If you don’t have practical experience this might be a great article for you to read. It’s about managing a coffee shop but this can be cross utilized for dessert shops too! Read more about it by clicking here.
Fresh or Frozen?
The equipment that you will have in your shop will really depend on whether you are working on fresh or frozen desserts. Perhaps the simplest way to differentiate the two is fresh desserts are typically baked or cooked. These types of desserts require specialized equipment. This would include ovens, warmers and the like.
Frozen is totally different, as you will require equipment that can keep delicate raw ingredients at their best. You will also need to install large freezers, cold displays and more. Fresh ingredients tend to be dry, with frozen ingredients being wet. Furthermore, your dessert shop may end up being seasonal depending on the weather. Consider these factors as they may hit you where it hurts most – the bottom line.
Dessert Shop
With any business, there are a few challenges that you need to think through to make sure that you get it right. The benefit of a dessert shop lies in the ever-present sweet tooth that so many people have.
There is such a vast world of desserts too, including confections and cold desserts, baked items, and even sweets. Make sure that you are delivering value that will translate into cash and sales. Go through the cool merch collections and fill your shop with brilliant items that will help you stand out from the crowd.
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