Tips to Improve Shaved Ice Sales

Having a shaved ice business may sound like a delicious dream, but it’s not all fun and games. Of course, it’s important to have a deep passion for the refreshing, flavorful treat. However, it takes a lot more than just that to make your business successful. Hopefully, you have solid sales and business is booming. If this is not quite the case or if you are looking for ways to expand your shaved ice business, we have compiled some useful tips for you to put into practice. Before you know it, you will see a rise in sales and even inefficiency. Ready? LET'S GET SHAVING!

Simplify
In a highly competitive playing field, everyone is vying for customers’ attention. What can you do to set yourself apart? Start with your displays. When it comes to your storefront signs and menu displays, believe it or not, you don’t need anything elaborate, expensive and showy to clearly convey your message.

By simplifying signage—displaying menu items and flavors neatly and clearly, without the use of distracting and overwhelming color schemes and graphics, customers will feel more at ease and more inclined to make a purchase. You should also simplify in terms of your actual product offerings. Offering too many products may negatively impact sales and cause additional headaches for you and your employees.

Get the Right Team
If you are hiring employees, make sure that they are highly personable, are as dedicated to the success of the business as you are and if possible, have some sales experience. Remember that good customer service is one of the key aspects of a flourishing business. In training your employees, it is critical that they know the menu inside and out, so they can effectively serve customers.

Up-Sell
When you sell shaved ice, you may notice that customers like having some options for toppings as well. As a business owner, you can use this to your advantage and offer toppings at an additional cost. Ask questions like, “would you like to add a topping? Would you like a large for $1 more?” It’s an easy way to boost your sale, just don’t be too pushy!

Consider Your Menu Options
As we said, you should keep your menu simple, so as not to turn off customers. However, at the same time, you also need to stand out in the crowd. For example, consider adding healthy options to your menu, such as sugar-free flavors or you may want to add coffee or other hot items to your menu. Customers who are sensitive to cold food may appreciate a nice cup of joe! Additionally, it should come as no surprise that customers love saving money. For that reason, specials are always a plus! Something like a ‘flavor-of-the-week’ at a discounted price could easily help you expand your reach.

Promote Your Business
Once you’ve got your shaved ice business going, you’ll obviously want to get the word out. How can you entice new customers and keep your returning customers happy? Conduct some smart marketing. Utilize social media to keep customers informed of the latest deals and happenings in your business and entertain them with fun facts, recipes, etc. For repeat customers, you could provide them with frequency cards, so they can redeem credits and get exclusive discounts. Another tactic is to offer free samples, as potential customers pass by your storefront, to entice them. This is especially effective if you are setting up a shaved ice stand at an event.

These are just some of the easy steps you can take to tweak your shaved ice business and boost your sales, without busting your tight budget and investing excessive time and resources.