Retail Therapy: How to Create Merchandising Speed Bumps

In this five-week series, retail strategists and instructors at RCI’s Merchandising Boot Camp, Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender, of KIZER & BENDER, share important areas of your retail space that can either set your business up for sales success or failure. As the last part of this series, we’re sharing how slowing shoppers down can increase sales.

In a previous post, we learned about the “decompression zone,” which is the space within a five-foot radius of the entrance. Just beyond this space, front and center on your sales floor, is where you should position your “speed bump” displays. Speed bumps are used to slow customers down and refocus them on shopping. These displays can also be used to set the stage for what shoppers can expect to see while browsing the rest of the store.

Use a single, small table or cluster a few together for a bigger impact. Add product from different departments to create fun-to-shop, “I have to have that!” displays. Change your speed bumps once a week, whether they need it or not. Remember, this display is a BIG part of your store’s ambiance.

Overall, it is important to keep your sales floor fresh. Get a blank calendar and preplan your merchandising moves. Check your 10-second impression daily, again, change your speed bumps at least once a week, tweak your lake-front property frequently and change your window displays on a monthly basis. Refresh your entire sales floor at least once every quarter, making changes to customer flow as necessary. And have fun!

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Retail Therapy: Leverage This Store Layout to Capture More Sales

In this five-week series, retail strategists and instructors at RCI’s Merchandising Boot Camp, Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender, of KIZER & BENDER, share important areas of your retail space that can either set your business up for sales success or failure. This week we’re covering another variation to the store layout which Kizer and Bender like to refer to as “Lake Front Property.” Learn if this approach applies to your store layout and what to display in this space to capture more sales.

Ninety percent of people enter a store and look or turn to the right. This space is prime real estate, otherwise known to as “Lake Front Property.” Too many retailers use this area as just another space to house merchandise, or worse, it’s where you find the checkout counter (ideally, the checkout belongs in the center or on the left side of the store, at the natural end of the shopping experience). If the front right does not work for your sales floor just reverse the flow, making the left side your lake front property.

Use your lake front property to feature new items; tell product stories and display high-demand, high-profit items. Kizer and Bender recommend changing this display frequently to keep your sales floor fresh.

Stay tuned for more retail therapy next week to learn about a sales tactic known as a “speed bump” and how it can set the tone of your whole store.

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Retail Therapy: Maximize your Free-Flow Layout

In this five-week series, retail strategists and instructors at RCI’s Merchandising Boot Camp, Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender, of KIZER & BENDER, share important areas of your retail space that can either set your business up for sales success or failure. This week we’re covering an important consideration for maximizing the free-flow store layout.

Once shoppers are on your sales floor, where they go is up to you. If you are like most independent retailers, you probably utilize a free-flow layout, because it offers you unlimited opportunities to highlight merchandise and create display vignettes.

A free-flow layout has no set aisles so shoppers roam the sales floor freely, guided by how you plan the fixtures. When arranging fixtures, avoid straight lines when you can. Instead angle your fixtures so shoppers are unconsciously directed through the store. The more they see, the more opportunity they have to buy.

Stay tuned for more retail therapy next week, when we’ll share KIZER & BENDER’s tips for maximizing a “lake front property” store layout.

Crave more? Click here to subscribe and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox. RCI's blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices. Follow us on Facebook for even more sweet inspiration.

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Retail Therapy: Clear the Decompression Zone

 

In this five-week series, retail strategists and instructors at RCI’s Merchandising Boot Camp, Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender, of KIZER & BENDER, share important areas of your retail space that can either set your business up for sales success or failure.

Just inside your front door is a space called the decompression zone; an area customers breeze right through without stopping. You can expect they will miss everything you place in this zone of the store.

You may wonder why no one is reading that big sign just inside the door—it’s because people are not focused on shopping yet. In fact, they are unlikely to notice anything until they are at least five-feet inside the door. Anything in the decompression zone is essentially invisible, including shopping baskets.

The placement of your shopping baskets alone, may be costing you sales. There is a direct correlation between the percentage of shoppers using a basket/cart and the size of the average transaction. Want customers to spend more money? Make sure your shopping basket is at least five-feet away from the entrance.

Stay tuned for more retail therapy next week, when we’ll share KIZER & BENDER’s tips for maximizing a free-flow store layout.

Crave more? Click here to subscribe and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox. RCI's blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices. Follow us on Facebook for even more sweet inspiration.

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Retail Therapy: 10 Seconds to Sell

Shopping today is all about experience. People can buy what you sell in any number of places, so a visit to your retail store has to entice them to make a purchase once they arrive. This requires constant reinvention, so shoppers are thrilled each time they visit. In the next five weeks, retail strategists and instructors at RCI’s Merchandising Boot Camp, Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender, of KIZER & BENDER, share five important areas of your retail space that can either set your business up for sales success or failure.

Upon entering, shoppers make a value judgement about your store in 10 seconds or less. In those 10 seconds they are unconsciously determining whether it’s a good place to be. What does your store say to shoppers in the first 10 seconds? Is the sales floor interesting? Do your displays invite shoppers to touch the product? Stand inside your front door and take an objective look. Like the saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

By taking a few seconds to observe your store from the lens of a new shopper, you just might identify quick fixes to make your space more inviting to shoppers. Although this week’s tip is intended for a physical store, it could also be applied to your website. In today’s retail environment, it’s important you put just as much effort into your website.

Stay tuned for more retail therapy next week, when we’ll address the decompression zone. For more information about KIZER & BENDER, contact them at info@kizerandbender.com or 630-513-8020.

Crave more? Click here to subscribe and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox. RCI's blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices. Follow us on Facebook for even more sweet inspiration.

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Trend Alert: Chocolate Fidgets

If you have children, fidget toys have likely infiltrated your home. Designed to help with focus and attention, fidget toys come in many shapes, sizes and colors. You may already sell fidgets in your store—if they sell well, that’s all the more reason to make edible versions. If you don’t currently sell fidgets in your store, this could be a missed opportunity to target consumers shopping for youngsters.

Fidget Spinners

In the midst of the fidget spinner craze a few years ago, RCI member Vande Walle’s Candies began making what they called “Fidget Non-Spinners.” During her Candy Clinic presentation, Tess Vande Walle explained, “They don’t spin, but they taste better!” To create a replica, Vande Walle’s filled the packaging from an actual fidget spinner toy with colored white chocolate. There are, however, a number of inexpensive moulds on the market to make chocolate fidget spinners.

Photo credit: The Soccer Mom Blog

Pop Its

More recently Pop Its—flexible silicone toys akin to Bubble Wrap—began popping up in retail shops, birthday favor bags and school playgrounds everywhere. These wildly popular fidgets are available in a seemingly endless variety of colors, shapes and sizes from sparkly pink mermaid tails to rainbow striped cars. Like the Beanie Babies of yesteryear, many kids aspire to collect them ALL.

Photo credit: Facebook.com / Anderson’s Candies

The already popular toy took a sweet turn when TikTokers started filling them with candy and melted chocolate. See for yourself in this video by HelloWondeful. RCI member, Anderson’s Candies, took advantage of the trend by creating their own versions just in time for Easter. We love this idea because it not only provides a treat to eat, but also a toy to keep and enjoy!

While anyone could create this on their own with a couple ingredients from the grocery store, confectioners can highlight the superior quality of your chocolate and get creative with different fillings. Although M&M candies seem to be a popular choice on TikTok, consider filling the cavities with peanut butter meltaway, caramel, roasted nuts or other popular fillings before capping it off with chocolate. Better yet, why not use a variety of fillings to create a mystery of sweet surprises? Note: Look for Pop Its made with FDA approved or food-grade silicone.

Photo credit: Etsy / Cherry Bay Cakes

With lots of holiday themed Pop Its on the market, this trend could also make for great holiday gifts for kids. We like how Cherry Bay Cakes created an Easter themed chocolate Pop It with pastel M&Ms and a custom tag that reads, “Hope you have a poppin’ Easter!”

Keeping a pulse on trends with kids’ toys are a great way to identify ways to appeal to consumers looking to buy treats for the kids and kids-at-heart in their lives. 

Crave more? Click here to subscribe and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox. RCI's blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices. Follow us on Facebook for even more sweet inspiration.

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Say “hello summer!” with Transfer Sheets

 

There are so many reasons to love summer! Warmer temperatures, longer days, RCI’s Annual Convention & Industry Expo (mark your calendars for July 25-29, 2022) and a whole lot more fun that you don’t get to have indoors during the cooler seasons!

Admittedly, we’re counting down the days until the first day of summer on June 21 (77 days from when this post was first published)! If you’re looking to introduce new flavors to your product lineup this summer, we’ve got some fun and easy ways to make your mark this upcoming season!

Photo credit: American Chocolate Designs

Cocoa butter transfer sheets are a great visual option to denote summer flavors like coconut, banana, and citrus flavors and themes on your chocolate-covered treats. Transfer sheets can be used on any number of chocolate treats, such as truffles, dipped sandwich cookies and bark. For those who sell ice cream or gelato, RCI member American Chocolate Designs suggests garnishing with a piece of decorated chocolate to emphasize the flavor or add the finishing touch for a theme.

Photo credit: Bruce’s Candy Kitchen, RCI Candy Clinic; Easy Baked

Is there anything that says summer more than a pair of brightly colored flip flops? RCI member Bruce’s Candy Kitchen of Cannon Beach, Oregon uses a cookie cutter to cut out slab marshmallow in the shape of a flip flop base before dipping it in chocolate and adhering various chocolate transfer sheets to achieve the bright colors and fun designs found on flip flops. This look could also be achieved with chocolate-covered Nutter Butter cookies.

What creative uses for chocolate transfer sheets have you discovered for summer? Share your ideas on RCI’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/RetailConfectioners. Cheers to summer!

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Fresh Squeezed Inspiration: Lemon Confections 4 Ways

 

A quintessential spring and summer flavor, lemon and other citrus fruits are experiencing increased popularity as a source of immune-boosting vitamin C. As the temperature heats up, give your product lineup a refresh with these fresh-squeezed lemon confections.

Lemon Twist Bark

Made with a layer of dark chocolate, topped with lemon white chocolate, then sprinkled with crushed lemon candies and lemon-twist sea salt. A drizzle of dark chocolate is the finishing touch to this sweet, salty and sour bark from Olympian Candies.

Lemon Buttercream

Take it from RCI member Winans Chocolates + Coffees of Piqua, Ohio and add your favorite lemon flavor for a fresh spin on your traditional buttercream recipe. To create even more interest, Winans named the product "Cioccolato de Limone." Bellissimo!

Lemon Blueberry Caramel

Lemon and caramel may not be the most expected flavor combinations, but after Walker’s Chocolates of Burlington, Ontario won best new piece at Candy Clinic in 2015 for their Lemon Blueberry Caramel, we’d say it’s a winner! The flavor is achieved by adding lemon oil and dried blueberries to their caramel recipe.

Photo credit: Sconza Chocolates

Lemoncello Chocolate Almonds^®
Inspired by the Italian liqueur, this popular panned treat combines roasted almonds with a coating of white chocolate and lemon cream. Although this product is available for private label from Sconza Chocolates, you can achieve your own lemoncello-inspired treats by adding a hint of vanilla to an existing lemon-flavored confection.

Loyal customers can be your most powerful sales tool. Launching new products that capture customers’ interest and attention is a great way to remain relevant and encourage customers to promote your business through word of mouth. Promoting your new products on social media makes it easy for your followers to share your content within their circles.

Crave more? Click here to subscribe and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox. RCI's blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices. Follow us on Facebook for even more sweet inspiration.

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EGGS-tra Easter Egg Inspiration

How do you like your eggs?

And by that, we mean Easter eggs? April 17 will be here before we know it, but there’s still time to introduce some fresh ideas when it comes to chocolate Easter eggs. This week, we’re featuring EGGS-tra Easter eggs to help spark your imagination.

Photo credit: Sarris Candies

Smash Eggs
Say “goodbye” to hot cocoa bombs and “hello” to smash eggs! Many chocolatiers already have a hollow Easter egg mould in their toolkit, but what do you fill it with? Depending on the size of your mould, you may want to fill your smash egg with jelly beans, miniature foiled chocolates, truffles, chocolate-covered mini pretzels, chocolate-covered nuts and/or berries, etc. 

Photo credits: Williams Sonoma, Art CoCo/Simply Chocolate 

Some other unique ideas we’ve seen are eggs filled with tiny white chocolate chicks (cue “aww!”) and the more unexpected mini chocolate dinosaurs (cue gasp!). For even more dramatic effect, don’t forget the sprinkles, which will undoubtedly go flying upon impact between the egg and the mallet!

We love how RCI members Anderson’s Candies and Sarris Candies displayed their colorful smash eggs on their Facebook pages!

Photo credit: Aldi’s Curious Inventions Eggs

Easter Egg Overflow
There’s no surprise what you’re getting with Aldi’s Curious Inventions Easter Eggs! These Easter eggs are so packed with flavor, the contents are bursting through the chocolate shell. Although this does create a nice visual effect, the flavor combinations are just as intriguing.

There are six different varieties, such as banoffee (banana, caramel and butterscotch flavors); salted pretzel and orange; cookies and cream; popping candy; strawberries and cream (with real freeze-dried strawberry pieces) and the Billionaire egg, featuring chocolate and caramel fudge, white chocolate covered cookies and honeycomb candy.

Photo credits: Little Sugar Snaps, Chocolate Pizza Company

Easter Egg Bark
Who says Easter eggs have to be three-dimensional? Here’s two examples of eggs that, despite their shape, don’t fall flat on the delivery!

It’s eggs-on-eggs-on-eggs with this chocolate bark by the LittleSugar Snaps blog that features loads of popular egg-themed candies. We love the swirls of color on the eggs by the Chocolate Pizza Company, plus the addition of a beautifully scribed name is an extra special touch.

Photo credits: Waitrose, Melt London

Fruity Follies

These fruity lookalikes will have you doing a double-take! With a little imagination, Melt London transforms a standard three-dimensional egg into a strawberry filled with a chocolate strawberry cake.

Fruit lovers will undoubtedly fall for these lifelike pomegranate and lemon-shaped moulded chocolates sold by British grocery retailer, Waitrose. The pomegranate is made with caramelized white chocolate and real pomegranate, while the lemon version features white chocolate infused with zesty lemon flavors.

 

Photo credits: Cacao Australia, Roberto Cavalli

Animal-Themed Eggs
Take a walk on the wild side when pulling your inspiration from this barnyard bunch by Australian chocolatier, Cacao or try a more abstract approach with the animal prints created for fashion designer Roberto Cavalli’s Italian coffee shop.

No matter if you like your chocolate Easter eggs more traditional or if you prefer a more unconventional approach, we hope this week’s post offers plenty of sweet inspiration this season!

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Celebrate St. Patty’s Day with Irish Cream Caramels Recipe

This week’s sweet idea is proof that you don’t need rainbows and green food coloring to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in proper fashion. Transform your caramel recipe by adding a splash or two of Irish cream flavor to add familiar hints of cocoa and vanilla found in Baileys^® Irish Cream liqueur.  

Photo credit: LorAnn Oils

Take your caramel up a notch with this recipe for Irish Cream Caramels from LorAnn Oils. Enjoy layers of indulgent sweetness with drizzles of white and milk chocolate, followed by sprinkles of crushed toffee pieces—yes, please! 

If you fancy plenty of rainbows and green food coloring for your St. Patty’s Day celebration, we’ve got you covered! Click here for 5 sweet treats for St. Patrick’s Day. Share your favorite St. Patty’s inspired treats on RCI’s Facebook page.

Crave more? Click here to subscribe and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox. RCI's blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices. Follow us on Facebook for even more sweet inspiration.

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2 Ways to Spread Kindness this Spring

Even in the midst of a global pandemic, people found ways to spread joy and lift up their neighbors through acts of kindness. Even the smallest gestures made a big impact to those affected the most.

In many cases things seem to moving in a positive direction, yet, there are still many industries and individuals experiencing new or continued challenges with staffing and material shortages, burnout and etc.

With the arrival of spring this month and Easter around the corner, consider ways to create opportunities for members of your community to show kindness to others. Here’s some examples of ways RCI members are helping spreading joy through sweetness for you to use as inspiration.

Credit: O’Shea’s Candies

Easter Basket Giveaway for Senior Citizens

For Easter of 2020, O’Shea’s Candies hosted an Easter basket giveaway for senior citizens living in nursing homes. Social media followers were invited to post the name of someone at a nursing home who would enjoy an Easter basket from O’Shea’s. Five winners were chosen at random and baskets of treats were delivered or shipped directly to the winners’ nursing homes across the United States.

You’re never too old for an Easter basket! This sweet contest is a way to give some much-deserved love to the elderly in your community.

Credit: Aigner Chocolates

Flower Power Artwork Exchange

In exchange for hand-drawn artwork by area youth, Aigner Chocolates offered free chocolate lollipops. In 2020, Aigner requested drawings of rainbows to cheer up front-line workers at their local hospital. This year, they tasked local kids and schools to draw colorful flowers for children and staff in the pediatric units at two local hospitals. Resulting in just over 1,500 drawings (more than double their goal), there’s no doubt the campaign made a significant impact to all the participants. Their efforts were so successful, Aigner Chocolates was highlighted on national ABC News. Click here to view the news story.

The success of a campaign like this relies on good word of mouth. Take advantage of all the channels available to your business to help spread the word. This may include social media, e-newsletter, in-store signage, press releases to your local media, etc. If your campaign involves kids, share your initiative with your local schools and ask them to help spread the word. If you team up with a hospital, like Aigner Chocolates did, they too may be able to spread the word.

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples.”

-       - Mother Teresa

With so many people in need of a little extra love and care, in addition to those with crucial roles in our community experiencing burnout due to continued challenges caused by the pandemic, consider what role your business can play to lift up your community and make its members feel appreciated and cared for. 

Crave more? Click here to subscribe and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox. RCI's blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices. Follow us on Facebook for even more sweet inspiration.

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