The Tip Jar-Sight Sells

Tuesday May 27, 2014 // By Matthew Moseley

The Tip Jar“It was love at first sight.”  Something that many, if not all, of us aspire to experience during our lifetimes.  However, it also says something about our human psyche.  We are quick to make judgements and form opinions based on our very first glimpse of something or someone new.  Think about how much effort and attention we put into making great first impressions; or how devastating it is to make a bad one.  Though, this habit creates some negative social implications, as a business owner it reveals an invaluable insight that could help your future sales. Consider the following: you would never go to a regal ball in a ratty t-shirt and sweatpants not expecting to get some serious dissapproval from the rest of those in attendance.  So, why would you expect a product you sell to experience a great reception among your customers without putting it’s best foot forward?

So, let’s go back to where we started; love at first sight.  Sight sells.  Not only do pictures help to set customer expectations and reduce aversion to trying something new, but colors can be an amazing way to captivate attention and drive consumer decision.  Consider the fact that many, to all, consumer goods come in a vast array of color options.  Or how often companies will add new colors and designs to existing products in order to try to increase sales.  These are just two examples of how powerful colors are in the consumer decision process.  What this means to you is take advantage of colors!  

Many of the products you sell during the spring and summer months will inherently have beautiful, vibrant colors; think about fruit smoothies and italian sodas.  Leverage this by taking photos of a finished drink!  Once you have a high quality photo, display it on menu boards, on table tents, and especially on your counter near the register.  This is a great, easy method for introducing your customers to new products and hopefully increasing interest.  Do you have social media pages for your company? If you do, be sure to post the image there as well.  This helps to expand the number of customers aware of new products.  Also, it will give your patrons an easy way to engage and share their favorite drinks with their friends!

What about some of your other products that are not as easy to just take a picture and throw it on the menu?  Not only is menu board space limited, somethings will just not be eye-catching.  This is where you will need to take a close look at how you utilize counter space.  Your counter can be a very powerful tool for increasing sales; or, it can be set up in such a way that is either a waste or detracts from overall efficiency.  Let’s take a look at how you can make it valuable to your bottom line.  Many people use the time they spend waiting in line to make up their minds on what to purchase.  This is why making a point to display products can be beneficial.  They may have come with the intent to just buy a mocha, but notice you sell grab-n-go items and leave with a snack bar as well.

KIND Bar 3 Box Display Racks available at BaristaProShop.com

How do you make this happen? Display grab-n-go products right by the register in a convenient display rack.  Didn’t know we carried those, well we do.  Barista Pro Shop carries a selection of racks to help you display grab-n-go items, teas, and sauces/syrups.  All of these products can be difficult to display on menu boards and even more difficult to encourage employees to suggestively sell.  So, take away some of the chance for these products going unnoticed by putting the product proudly and obviously in front of your customers’ eyes!

No room for display racks?  Don’t have a camera?  If neither of these options are feasible, but you still need to make it easier for customers to be aware of your shop’s new offerings? Take advantage of window and tabletop space.  POS, or point of sale, materials are an easy, space-saving way to promote new flavors or products.  These come in a variety of forms from basic sell sheets to posters to table tents.  So, there is really no reason for any of your shop’s offerings to suffer poor sales because of lack of awareness.  Not only does Barista Pro Shop hold a wide variety of POS on-hand; we can also reach out to vendors to get POS on any products you are interested in.  

Top
Welcome ! Remember that any order of $1750 or more qualifies for free shipping, and that you will receive at least a $50 rebate towards freight if you spend more than $750.