The holidays are a perfect time to highlight in-store bakeries. This is the time of year when shoppers are more likely to take a chance on in-store bakery products, creating an opportunity for bakeries to win repeat customers in the process.
An overall trend within bakery is having different size options for consumers. During the holidays, customers are shopping for big get-togethers and looking to splurge on holiday sweets. Offering a variety of sizes allows you to be more approachable with price points and gives shoppers the option to purchase multiple products.
Many customers will be looking for full-size pies and cakes, full loaves of bread, bulk boxes of cookies, sweet breads and pastries. But other shoppers will be looking for half pies, half loaves of bread and a smaller assortment of cookies, to cater to smaller households and gatherings. Offering a different variety of sizes is important to attract a variety of customers.
An advantage to in-store baking is that it’s customizable. Given the ability to customize products, items can easily take on a festive look. Holiday-specific icing colors can be used to convert everyday products into seasonal ones. For example, add an orange drizzle to brownies and cookies to create seasonal offerings. Shades of blue, red and green are perfect for the winter holidays, and by simply adding a color to an existing dessert cake, it can become seasonal.
Focus on Seasonality
It’s important to know what’s seasonally popular and to offer easy, ready-to-serve, sharing-sized options to drive impulse purchases. Key bakery categories tend to over-index this time of year, and offering increased options in seasonal flavors creates excitement. Chocolate is always the top-selling flavor, so be sure to have enough chocolate items in the mix. Red velvet, peppermint, maple, carrot and pumpkin spice are popular flavors that are in high demand during the holiday season. And salted caramel has been steadily increasing in popularity and deserves a spot in the holiday mix.
For fall, demand for pound cake, muffins, fruit pies and seasonal cookies will increase, with cupcakes, cookies and brownies performing well. Dessert cakes, cream pies, holiday cookie and bar assortments, and bread pudding should be a focus for winter holidays. For these recipes and more, visit our seasonal deli recipes resource page.
Since many holiday sweets and specialty pastries require an expertise that might not be found on staff at your co-op, it may be worth collaborating with outside vendors to ease the burden on bakery staff. Outside vendors can also provide quality, premade products that fit into specific dietary guidelines, such as dairy free, low sugar and gluten free, as these are often items subject to government regulations, and many co-ops may not have the time, space and equipment needed to properly produce these products. Taking advantage of ready-to-sell bakery products allows staff to focus on delivering in-house products that are in high demand.
Local Traditions
Being aware of local traditions and area demographics will enable you to create the perfect product mix for specialty bakery items. For example, Día de Los Muertos and Three Kings Day are popular holidays among Hispanic communities, and catering to these events creates an opportunity to capture additional sales.
Día de Los Muertos — a Mexican holiday celebrated from Oct. 31 to Nov. 6 to remember loved ones who have died — celebrates with a uniquely shaped, butter-flavored sesame or sugar loaf called “Day of the Dead Bread.” Around Three Kings Day, which falls on Jan. 6, the traditional Rosca de Reyes or King’s Ring — a sweet bread shaped like a wreath with candied fruit on top and a figurine of Jesus baked inside — is also popular.
Finally, to drive awareness of both new products and limited-time items, partnering with marketing is essential to make customers aware of your holiday bakery products and make them easy to find in the store. To execute a successful display, remember the 4 Ps of marketing: Product, Placement, Pricing, Promotion.
