Summer may be coming down, but it’s certainly not out. There are still plenty of customers who are looking forward to what your ice cream shop has to offer.
Keeping them satisfied is a matter of sorting out your custom cups from standard varieties. It means double-checking the popular flavor of the month and keeping your soft serve ice cream machines working smoothly. There are a lot of little ingredients that go into your average tub of ice cream. Your shop is no different. The effort you put into your dessert supplies will reflect positively on your consumer base, creating an experience they won’t forget even as autumn and winter start knocking on everybody’s door.
The top five list below will sort out which ice cream supplies you should never be caught without.
Custom Cups
How do you make sure your shop stands out from the competition? Let your custom cups do the talking. By the time 2013 wrapped up there were over 2,500 frozen yogurt stores across the United States. Let’s not even get started on the old-fashioned ice cream businesses and specialty gelato stores! It’s estimate as many as 90% of American households will indulge in a sweet frozen treat at some point. Custom cups can be adorned with unique logos, color arrangements and lids to ensure they won’t forget the impact you left on them.
Colored Spoons
A popular staple of the ice cream shop are the cute, colorful spoons. There’s something uniquely charming about whether you want a blue spoon or pink spoon to complete your sundae! A recent study revealed over one and a half billion gallons of ice cream, as well as similar desserts, are produced in the United States every single year. According to the International Ice Cream Association, vanilla has remained the most popular flavor among American consumers at nearly 30%.
Eco-Friendly Paper Straws
Does your shop go out of its way to be more eco-friendly than usual? Show it off by making sure your paper straws are front and center. Not everyone wants a sundae or a soft serve cone, after all, and some are quite content to leave your store with a delicious shake in hand. The average American will consume ice cream nearly 30 times in a single year and, according to the NPD Group, 40% of Americans will eat ice cream multiple times in any given two-week period.
To Go Cups
Your shop needs to make sure customers of all stripes are covered. That includes the ones that want to linger and take their time enjoying a sundae as well as the ones who are already raring to leave. To go cups are useful when a customer doesn’t want to risk getting ice cream all over their fingers when they return to their car, particularly if they come with a lid and portable spoon. These can be combined with custom cups or containers, the latter of which is increasingly popular when offered with special-edition flavors.
Tasting Spoon
No ice cream shop is complete without the tasting spoon. This is one of the most interactive ways you can get your customers excited about the next big thing. Who wants to spend money on a flavor they’re not sure they’re going to love? While vanilla has reigned supreme, as explored above, many shops like to offer unique combinations to keep consumers coming back for more. That means you should have strawberry and chocolate right alongside your pumpkin spice, sea salt caramel and pistachio mint.
Custom cups and frozen treats. It’s all in a day’s work for your above average ice cream shop!
