There are now over 60,000 coffee shop locations across the United States, and countless of other bakeries and specialty shops that serve coffee and related beverages. This makes the coffee shop one of the most highly competitive retail environments in the U.S. And one of the easiest ways to differentiate your business is with fun specialty drinks your customers love because specialty drinks provide customers with the staple products they expect while also providing your business with a product to:
- Increase your profit
- Leverage to promote your shop’s brand
A frozen drink that costs $5 or $6 may have a 30% COGS but adds an impressive $4.20 in profit. The combination of profit potential and the higher likelihood of a guest ordering several times a week means frozen drink offerings are a crucial component to accelerate your business year-round. And these higher margins mean you can discount these products to cost effectively promote your shop.
But whether frozen drinks are a staple of your business, or a new offering from a shop looking to broaden its menu, here are some basic promotional ideas to help you promote your shop.
“DRINK OF THE WEEK” OR “DRINK OF THE MONTH”
With higher margins of frozen drinks, and the flexibility that Polar Powder provides to create dozens of drinks and Polar Powder’s stable price, you can leverage Polar Powder to offer a fun drink at a discounted price. We help to support this effort with easy-to-use recipes making it simple for you to create taste adventures for your customers on a regular basis.
YOU CAN PUSH “DRINK OFFER” THIS ON SOCIAL TO MAKE YOUR SOCIAL FEED STICKY
A website and social media sites optimized for mobile devices are now a minimum requirement. Where service industry locations used to rely on word of mouth as their primary marketing tool, today’s entrepreneur knows the business’s digital footprint is often a consumer’s first introduction to a new coffee shop
But it’s not the technical approach that drives customers to your doorstep, it is content. The
average person spends 2.5 hours daily on various social media channels. Not having a strong digital presence means you’re missing out on dozens of potential customers daily. You can use your frozen drinks and your “Drink of the Week” to stay relevant in your customer’s social feeds.
A well-made frozen drink, with its appealing colors and styling—think of the mountains of whipped cream and chocolate drizzle on top of your favorite coffee-based frozen drink, or a small tropical flower adorning a drink from the tropical flavor palette—is a natural digital billboard for your business. And good professional quality images can be used on multiple platforms, alongside customer reviews on Yelp and Google, and as content on a shop’s own Instagram page. Frozenta can offer you some content support in this area. Reach out to our team to learn more.
DON’T FORGET TO REACH OUT TO OTHER LOCAL BUSINESSES IN YOUR SERVICE AREA
A coffee shop owner is uniquely positioned to build relationships in the community. Other business owners drink frozen drinks. Their employees drink frozen drinks. Leverage these business owners as local micro-influencers and build relationships. Make it clear to them that you can offer them incentives for their customers and employees with the same discounted drinks. As employees return to traditional face-to-face employment, smart businesses recognize the need for to make the workplace just as friendly and inviting as the comfort of the work-from-home environment. Leverage this knowledge and partner with local owners to help them to delight their employees and customers with a fun frozen drink.
OFFER TASTING MENUS AND FREE SAMPLING
Every season now seems to have a menu palette. East coast summers mean lobster rolls, fresh veggies, corn on the cob. And fall means pumpkin spice everything. Each region has its own popular flavors and food traditions, ones that can easily be incorporated into your frozen drink menu—think peppermint candy canes in the holiday season, or fresh and fruity in spring.
Providing customers with samples of frozen drinks, putting great flavor in their hands, not only advertises your product but subtly reminds each customer that your place of business is a place of hospitality and welcome.
And customers do not have to set foot in your store to be made aware of a great new addition to your menu. Digital and physical coupons are proven tools to bring new purchasers into your business.
INCLUDE FROZEN DRINKS IN YOUR CONVENTIONAL PROMOTIONS
Be aware of all marketing tools that are available for shops, and know what works in your area:
- Bounceback receipt promotions
- Loyalty cards
- Seasonal offerings
- Printed sleeves and cups
DON’T FORGET SEASONAL OFFERS AND LEVERAGE THE FUN AND UNIQUE FLAVOR PROFILES
And finally, like the number of drink possibilities that can be based on Frozenta Polar Powder, the only limit to promotion is your creativity. Seasonal offerings, unique flavor profiles, and regionally inspired menus are all regular features in successful shops, and those products are made easier when made with Polar Powder. You can access a wide variety of easy to learn and easy to create recipes here
Try it yourself by ordering Frozenta’s Mocha Sample Kit free of charge! You can give yourself and your employees the best brain freeze they’ve ever had by doing the following:
- Go to Frozenta.com/beginbrainfreeze
- Create an Account
- Add the Mocha Sample Kit to your Cart
- Use the promo code "BrainFREEze" at checkout