Bakeries Increase Sales By Selling More Than Just Products And Services.

(Sunday, February 01, 2004) - Picture if you will a farm fresh apple pie that's just been pulled from the oven and is cooling on a windowsill. Red and white gingham curtains softly flap in the breeze and the inviting smell of cinnamon and apples hangs in the air. Now ask yourself how many of your customers have ever actually seen this in their own lives. If they are under the age of 40, grew up in a city or had two working parents, the answer is probably never. But that doesn't stop them from wanting it.

Does this mean you will have to put windows in your bakery and get rid of your cooling racks? Of course not. It does mean, however, that your customers are looking to you for more than just great tasting, quality products and fast, friendly service. They want an experience. If you're smart, you're going to give it to them.

Experiential marketing has been pulling customers in for years, says Albert Hasse, president of Breadsmith. Impulse displays, bundled products, cross merchandising and "soft" sales -- or products that are displayed and purchased with little or no customer service -- are fast becoming the industry standard for bakery merchandising, he says.

Hasse knows first-hand what selling an experience takes. Prior to 2002, Breadsmith stores were set up so that all customers had to do was go to the counter, place their order and pay for their bread. This familiar bakery environment however did nothing to promote an experience or add-on sales.

"We were already bringing the production process to our customers by having an open bakery where customers could see our bakers working the dough on the bench and pulling loaves from the oven, but we weren't really offering anything that would encourage customers to stop and linger," Hasse says. Sure there was sampling, educational handouts and baking schedule calendars, but there was not a strong connection to the product.

With the help of a top-notch design firm, Breadsmith brought the bread out in the open, so to speak, and closer to customers. Getting rid of the high counter that separated baker, bread and customer, Breadsmith replaced it with a low three-foot metal bar allowing customers to see and smell the bread better. The redesign also included meandering flow patterns with middle-of-the-store displays and angled displays that created an increased sensory experience. "We included several more focal points so that the customer's eye went to other areas than just the cash register. We had so much selling space, but really we weren't using it all." Hasse says.

In the end, the remodel garnered a $1 to $2.50 per sale increase for Breadsmith.

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