7 tips and tricks for successfully selling chocolate
If you have decided to connect your life with chocolate (and not just connect it, but also receive pleasant dividends in monetary terms from "cooperation" with it), then it is worth knowing some business rules. And we, the Millennium company, can share our secrets of successful chocolate sales with you. Ready? Then remember and implement these tricks that will contribute to the flourishing of your business.
Chocolate is a pleasure for many: from children to the elderly. It can be milk, dark, white and even pink chocolate with various additions. And each of its flavors has its own fan, who would not trade their moment of pleasure for anything else. Despite this, the competition in the chocolate market is quite big, so it is so important to declare yourself correctly in order to attract as many customers and fans as possible.
If you've been dreaming of your own chocolate business for a long time but don't know where to start, here are our actionable tips and tricks to help you get started.
1. Determine who your future buyers are
To start planning your business, you first need to understand who your future customers are and find your niche in the chocolate market. Try to create your ideal imaginary customers. And to make it easier for you, answer the following questions:
- Who are my main buyers?
- What are they passionate about?
- Which chocolate do they like more – milk, dark or white?
- Do they like chocolate with different flavors and fillings? Or are they still fans of the pure chocolate taste?
- Or maybe they care about their health and should be offered special chocolate (for example, dark chocolate with minimal sugar or no sugar at all)?
- What do my customers do and how do they like to spend their free time?
If your ideal imaginary buyers are young people who care about their health and prefer dark chocolate, you should focus on this type of chocolate, because it is dark chocolate is healthier. Children, especially younger schoolchildren and teenagers, will be more interested in milk and white with different variations of fillings. Or they may be to their liking in general chocolate or bars. Experimenters and those who like to taste something unusual will like chocolate with non-standard additions, such as flower petals, candied fruits, exotic fruits, cookies...
2. Take care of the original packaging of the chocolate
When thinking about the development of your chocolate business, do not forget about packaging. It is better if it is eye-catching. In addition, the packaging should also protect the chocolate from external factors (temperature drops, sunlight, etc.). Do your future buyers prefer a healthy lifestyle? Consider kraft packaging options.
3. Analyze competitors to plan your own price
Calculating the cost of chocolate can be difficult. And it's no wonder, because you want to make a profit and at the same time be quite competitive. To do this, we recommend analyzing the prices of competitors in your niche and developing your own plan to attract buyers with the cost of chocolate. For example, you can offer discounts on certain products or develop a bonus system for regular customers. There is also an option wholesale for those who are interested.
4. Choose quality materials
Quality is important for selling any product, and chocolate is especially important. If the chocolate does not satisfy the buyers with its quality, it will be impossible to return it. Therefore, it is very important to choose fresh ingredients and components. Also, give preference to purchasing chocolate from suppliers who already have a positive long-term history and experience (such as Millennium).
5. Develop your marketing strategy
How to inform future buyers about your products and how they differ from competitors' chocolate? On which social media platforms is it better to promote yourself? Marketing answers these and other questions. Thanks to a marketing plan, you will be able to gain the trust of future buyers in the shortest possible time.
6. Gather a team of like-minded people
Quality customer service is one of the components of a profitable business. Therefore, it is very important to form a team that is “on the same wavelength” with you, understands your products perfectly, and can easily convey important information about your chocolate to customers.
7. Office and point of sale location
The location of your head office and points of sale are also important for business promotion. If you are easy to get to on your own, this is already a plus. In busy places, you have a better chance of attracting fans of your chocolate. Therefore, you should consider options for placing your products in shopping centers or think about opening retail outlets on busy streets.
The above recommendations from Millennium are important for successful chocolate sales (and, by the way, not only in the chocolate business). But it is also worth adding another useful tip: listen to the opinions of your customers, because sometimes their reviews about chocolate can lead to a new idea or the creation of something new and extraordinary.