It’s our favorite time of year—scoop shop season is here! As an ice cream shop owner, you know there’s no better way to spend a hot summer day than indulging in ice cream. Make the most of this summer with these tips for a successful season.
Tip 1: Be social
Social media is a great tool for staying connected to your current ice cream shop customers and getting introduced to new customers. Sharing inviting content will have ice cream lovers planning a trip to your shop. Facebook, Instagram and TikTok are all great places to begin! Here are some content ideas to get you started:
- Photos and video of your flavors and ice cream creations
- Behind-the-scenes video
- Contests
- Employee highlights (birthdays, promotions, new hires and personal accomplishments)
- Products – If you offer products like t-shirts or gift cards, let your customers know!
- Fun facts – How much ice cream do you go through in a year? What’s your most popular flavor?
- Post two flavors and have fans vote on their favorite
- Menu items – Post available flavors so people can decide what they’re craving before arriving to your shop. Have a signature sundae? A photo or video could inspire appetites!
- Solicit feedback from your customers, which flavors would they like to see?
Get creative and post often during peak season, this will keep you top of mind for customers. It helps to enlist your team members, too! If social is their thing, they may be happy to help create ice cream shop content.
Need more inspiration? Here are a few scoop shops posting great content:
Be sure to tag @perrysicecream in your posts, we love to share many of the posts and videos that we’re tagged in!
Want more social media tools? Contact your sales rep for a copy of our social media guide for scoop shop customers and to get access to our scoop shop exclusive photo library.
Tip 2: Get noticed
Signage will help get eyes on your shop and traffic into your door. We offer large cone signs, pennants, posters, umbrellas and more! To order, contact your sales rep.
Offering customers something to do in addition to enjoying ice cream is always a bonus! Think a play area for kids, car shows and games. This is another area where you can get creative!
Tip 3: Offer Variety
A good variety gives customers options. We have several craveable flavors that are exclusive to scoop shops and not sold in stores. A mix of the classics and new flavors are always a great place to start! Don’t forget about sundaes and ice cream bombes, milkshakes and freakshakes, ice cream cakes, ice cream sandwiches and more.
Each month, we have a Featured Flavor program that invites consumers to try a new flavor. Check out this season’s flavors. If you’re interested in participating in our Featured Flavor program, contact your sales rep for details.
Don’t forget about seasonal flavors! During the cooler months, flavors like Cider Mill and Peppermint Stick are customer favs.
Tip 4: Connect with your Community
Getting involved with your community is a great way to give back and get noticed. Sponsor a local sports team, make a charitable donation, offer a special discount, an event, contest or challenge.
Tip 5: Handle with Care
To ensure product safety and longevity, be sure to store your ice cream following these tips:
- Once received, ice cream should be checked in immediately and moved to frozen storage. Melting and refreezing can cause ice crystals to form and damage natural texture.
- Avoid storing ice cream directly on concrete floors or against freezer walls. This can restrict important air circulation.
- Keep ice cream at a constant temperature. Always stock ice cream in the rear of the freezer.
- Rotate inventory at a first-in-first-out basis. Any cases not bearing rotation coding instructions should be dated upon receipt.
- While loading ice cream into the freezer, proper inventory rotations should be followed. New products should be placed below existing stock.
- Establish a pattern for positioning assorted flavors of ice cream in the freezer. This helps preserve the natural flavor. Avoid placing containers with conflicting flavors near each other. Certain flavors such as mint and coffee have a strong aroma. Be sure to keep them away from milder aroma ice creams such as vanilla.
- In the freezer, items should be placed outside of the designated load limit line; and care should be taken not to block air flow.
- Consult ice cream supplier for specific recommendations. Different product formulas vary greatly.
Be Aware of Allergies
Some individuals may be allergic to the proteins found in peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, dairy, wheat and other cereal grains and soy beans. To avoid accidental ingestion of these allergens, be sure allergens are properly labeled, avoid cross-contamination, clean scoops between flavors and display our Allergen Chart so allergens can easily be identified.
Wishing you a successful season! As always, if you need any assistance or have questions, your sales rep is available to help you achieve a great ice cream shop season!
Contributor: Kristin Rozewski