Labor Day is only weeks away and 25% of Americans will be getting out of town, 35 million of them hitting the roads and 16.5 million taking to the skies worldwide. Big travel weekends can mean big sales opportunities for food retailers. According to a survey conducted by Frito-Lay, 75% of travelers say that they’re packing snacks for their trips. However, what those snacks look like is changing.
Celebrate National Beach Day this week – it’s August 30th. Customers will be packing their coolers and driving to the coast to enjoy those curling waves and sandy dunes while raising awareness about beach preservation. Do you know what tops off a great beach day? A little sweet! Holidays like National Beach Day are a great way to drive traffic (and sales) during the summer months.
According to Specialty Food Magazine, summer months can often mean a slump for candy sales due to the large gap between holidays and the rising temps. Creating events around national awareness days like National Beach Day gives customers a new reason to celebrate. And let’s be honest – aren’t we all looking for another reason to celebrate (and eat candy)?
Boost Back-to-School Sales with In-Store Sampling Programs
We don’t want to think about it, but the countdown to back-to-school is on (for some, it may have just ended – sorry). That means your customers are seeking “the” best lunchbox snacks. Make the decision easy for them and increase sales with an in-store sampling program.
You might ask, “How is giving something away for free going to increase sales?” The answer is the rule of reciprocity. This psychology rule says a person will respond to a positive action (aka a free sample) with another positive action (aka – making a purchase at the store offering the sample). Big box stores like Costco use in-store sampling with very positive results. According to The Atlantic, in-store sampling not only entices a one-time purchase, but over time found that giving out “… samples of frozen pizza increased sales by 600%.”
