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Ice-cream: scoop up extra sales!

From pricing tactics to presentation ideas, from profitable trends to extra ingredients, #teamforest serves up several scoops to make National Ice-Cream Month sweeter than ever.


1. Experiment with decoy pricing

 

Decoy pricing can be a smart tactic to nudge customers towards the dishes you most want them to choose. Try it first on a simple dish such as ice-cream and the concept will feel more approachable, and the results more obvious.


Here's how to do it...


Decoy pricing is the idea of deliberately setting up a few options (typically three) to steer a customer towards the dish you most want to sell. You do this by deliberately introducing a third option that is less appealing than the first two, and so boosting the feeling of value in the one you do want to sell (typically the middle priced one). This works especially well if you present the first option as the 'basics' version.


So, to put this into an ice-cream example:


Single scoop of ice-cream, £3.75
Double-scoop (any two flavours), served on top of home-made meringue with fresh cream & chocolate drops, £6.25
Three scoops of ice-cream, served on top of home-made meringue with fresh cream & chocolate drops, £9.95

In this situation, customers will typically gravitate towards the middle option, feeling the upgrade is well worth the price increase.


If you're going to try this, follow these tips:


  • Your aim should be for your low-priced option to appeal to price-sensitive customers (hence this especially suits ice-cream on dessert menus).


  • The middle-priced option (the one you most want to sell) should offer additional luxury. In this example, the meringue, cream and chocolate drops.


  • The decoy option (i.e. the most expensive) should be priced slightly higher again but with little extra appeal. So here we've added only one extra scoop, and left the other ingredients the same.


By taking this approach, you've made the difference between the options clear and probably upgraded those who would have bought a single-scoop to the double-scoop dessert. (The thinking being that you would very rarely have sold your decoy dessert anyway, and it still suits you if they do go that far!).


There's a lot more to decoy pricing if you're interested. Our Account Managers would love to share their experiences with you and help you plan your menu strategies. Please just ask!


Tempted to try other pricing tactics? Ice-cream lends itself well to meal-deals too, but is often best reserved for children's menus, otherwise you'll find your main desserts dropping.


2. Ride the trends


A key part of being 'on trend' is pulling off your experimental style with confidence, whilst also encouraging customers to feel safe to join in.


The 'Nostalgia' trend has been seen working across many dishes for the past few years, and it's easy to join the party (quite literally!) through ice-cream.


You'll find even the most decadent of restaurants playing with twists on children's party food, as they encourage big kids to gather together and celebrate childhood memories. It's all great for increasing footfall, upsells and Instagram shares!


Keen to know the restaurants who've given it a go? Read more of the nostalgic trend here.

Ideas to try:

  • Create your own secret recipe jelly, served classically with ice-cream.

  • Pile it high, with a monster-sized sharing-sundae!

  • Baked Alaska ... or a Bombe Alaska.

  • Arctic roll, the ultimate school dessert!

  • Banana splits (theatrically dressed up on rectangular plates).



3. Add some intrigue


Some ideas have been around a while, yet still intrigue customers. The key is to use a well crafted dish-descriptor to explain the idea and the novelty factor should then make you super memorable!


Be inspired by:

  • An affogato - Summer's espresso (with a cheeky Amaretto shot - ideal for those determined to resist dessert).

  • Ice-cream terrines - Don't forget to take pre-sliced photos for your social media!

  • Boozy ice-cream soda floats - Think Whisky & Coke, Rum n' raisin, Vanilla Vodka shots, Peach or Butterscotch Schnapps, Coffee liqueurs... go wild!

Have you entered our July prize-draw? This is your chance to win an entire month's order of Callestick ice-cream for free! See details here.


4. Show a little lovin'!

We're all used to loyalty rewards focused on coffee purchases, but rewarding customers for their loyalty on their birthdays, at Valentines Day, or after a certain number of visits is a great way to show you care. A complimentary ice-cream can be a sweet gesture (and will usually not detract from dessert sales in this situation, as it's the thought that counts).


5. Take-away temptations


Take-away ice-cream is easy to serve and so you may feel that front-of-house can look after these extra seasonal sales.


Encouraging a separate queuing space can help, and don't forget outdoor signage to catch passers-by! It can be a good way to tempt prospective customers inside so that they remember you for a main meal another time.


Don't forget: There's 12% off all 4 Litre tubs of all Callestick flavours this July!

6. Vegans & Non-Dairy


Ice-cream is often cited as one of the delights that Vegans and Non-Dairy customers miss most. Present these customers with a solution, and you'll often find they're very vocal on social media and quick to share their new finds!


#Teamforest solutions:

  • Granny Gothards Dairy free Vanilla Ice Cream

  • Granny Gothards Strawberry Ice Cream

  • Granny Gothards Salted Chocolate Ice Cream


7. Add the extras


How you choose to 'pimp your ice-cream' says a lot about your style of establishment, and - to be frank - how much your care. It's not necessarily about loading it up, as even a single scoop will seem elegant if presented in the right way, and the supplier story shared. However, the extras always go down well, and it's an easy way to upsell some creamy bling!


At Forest Produce, we've lots of ingredients to help your ice-cream stand out.

From honeycomb to nuts, fresh British cherries to crispy pearls, it's all in our online app (or just ask your Account Manager for inspiration!).


Below: Waffle cones, meringue pieces, honeycomb and raspberry grit.




8. A cheaper chocolate fix


With the prices of cocoa ingredients on the rise, ice-cream based desserts provide an easy way to get a chocolate focused dessert onto your menu, for less.


Firstly, for clarity on the chocolate price hike, read our article here.


Secondly, be inspired by our chocolatey ingredients below. Yes, some of them will also feel the effect of the price rise over time, but when used efficiently (and with tempting dish descriptors), they'll help you to offer a dessert for chocolate lovers at a lower price point.


Below: Dark chocolate crispy pearls, chocolate popping candy, dark chocolate garnishing sauce and chocolate waffle baskets.




Enough is enough.


Just like with ice-cream, it's hard to find a good stopping point!

We're full of dessert ideas, profit-boosters and inspiring ingredients, but we'll let our #teamforest Account Managers take it from here.


Give us a call and we'll help make National Ice-Cream month work for you.


p.s. Don't miss our free prize draw this July. It's your chance to win a month of free Callestick ice-cream! See how easy it is to enter our competition.


Final temptations....




01884 849274




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