Visual food merchandising is one of the hottest trends in the restaurant, foodservice, and hospitality industry today, which is the art of presenting your products in a way that entices your customers to buy, as well as bring it to life. to your products with attractions. demonstrations of freshness, color, quality and abundance.
An excellent food merchandising program combined with cross-marketing strategies will help significantly increase sales for your restaurant or foodservice operations, as well as increase customer satisfaction and return on business.
The benefits of eye-catching food merchandising displays and cross-merchandising techniques are immediate. Sales will increase anywhere from 15 to 300 percent if you’ve done a proper job with your merchandising program. The morale of your staff will also rise due to the improved environment and customer satisfaction.
Running a foodservice operation requires much more than just displaying the usual information, such as “daily special.” As a trader, you need to consider what will attract your customers to your trade in the first place. Here are some basic merchandising rules and tips to follow:
1. Make it look appetizing
You should build your food displays so customers can see them from all angles of your facility. Use only the freshest ingredients and colorful foods to grab their attention. Display your food using uniquely shaped plates and plates with different textures. Use terracotta and other eco-friendly colors and incorporate natural wood and bamboo to create a more modern, clean and elegant look.
For example, the addition of a simple, thick wooden board placed inside a standard glass sandwich display unit emphasizes to customers that the sandwiches have just been made. Without the board, the sandwiches appear bare and bare, leaving customers to wonder how long they’ve been sitting there, as a glass and steel display case tends to evoke a feeling of coldness and emptiness. The cutting board helps add warmth and life to the display unit.
2. Place products tilted and use color
Food always displays best when placed on an angle and not flat. Show your customers your products! European-style slanted wooden shelves are a great merchandising tool for displaying breads, pies, pastries, and other products, creating an attractive display to entice your customers to purchase.
Color is one of the most important factors when it comes to food displays. Many food products tend to come from the brown and beige color ranges, so brightening up your operation with greens, reds, oranges and yellows is a must to create a fresh and healthy look as well. Consider looking at what items you may already have on hand in your kitchen, pantry, and storage rooms that could add delicious color and substance to your display.
3. Use cross-marketing techniques to increase sales
For cafeterias and market operations, cross-merchandising is an excellent opportunity to increase sales by putting the right foods together. Soups, sandwiches, and chips should be placed in the same place, while coffee and tea should be served right next to desserts. Side dishes and salads can be split. For example, small salad containers could be packed and placed on ice next to the grill, as well as placed next to sandwiches. Also try different varieties of cream cheese alongside bagels, or fresh fruit and whipped cream alongside pastries and ice cream. Coffee and tea are a great partner for bakery items. Sales of beautifully packaged coffee will skyrocket when placed next to baked goods.
4. Use the cash wrap area
The cash wrap area is prime real estate for merchandising. Proper merchandising of additional retail products in the cash wrap area will help you increase average checks. Use your cash sales area for last minute sales of coffee, soda, desserts, candy and chocolate bars, and create an irresistible display of products that customers can’t refuse.
5. Proper signage points the way to increased revenue
The right signage can help you tell customers what you need to tell them when you can’t give them personalized attention. It is very important to be clear, concise and direct when designing signage for your operation. Make it as easy as possible for customers to shop for groceries by providing them with the right signage that informs your customers of your products for purchase. Signage can be displayed in all shapes and sizes and should be used accordingly. Use mini brand cards to label and price your products, and write brief item descriptions detailing the ingredients you used or your cooking method. If you insist on handwriting your signs, be sure to make them legible and graphically appealing.