In agritourism, it's all about experience. Studies have shown that consumers are actively choosing to spend their money on experiences over products. They desire fun and excitement, while also creating unforgettable memories with their family and friends. While consumers tend to be uncertain and cautious about how they spend their money overall, they still seem to yearn for experiences. A focus on "experiences" helped revive the farming industry and create a fresh new reason for people to visit. Your farm already offers the authentic experiences customers crave. Why not expand your options and harvest the opportunity to increase profits?
What do you need to do?
In order to provide authentic experiences, farm owners are investing in making deeper connections with their potential and repeat customers by offering personalized, and engaging experiences that will create lasting memories and build loyalty among their guests.
Consumers have a wide variety of choices when deciding where and how to spend their money. Farmers must think about how to make the consumer experience uniquely theirs so that consumers will seek them out, remember the day fondly and plan to come back again.
Fudge as an Experience
As a company who understands the importance of giving consumers memorable and interactive encounters, Calico Cottage can help add to your consumers’ experiences and WOW them at the same time. Fudge products and in-store fudge making are experiences that engage the customer’s senses while connecting to their emotions.
At Calico, we work with our partners to create an exciting and entertaining atmosphere with a beautiful display of scrumptious fudge and eye-catching signage to attract consumers. We’ve spent more than 50 years creating and perfecting retail experiences with fudge to engage shoppers and keep them wanting more. Calico’s fudge is known as the best in the world, but you will never see our name on it. Fudge is branded with the farm’s name and authentically yours.
5 Elements of Experiential Retailing with Fudge
At the core of experiential retailing is interaction. Stores can connect with shoppers by engaging all of their senses in an original way and making them feel as if the experience was created just for them.
Here are five things you can do to create a memorable shopping experience that will grow your sales by boosting foot traffic and increasing browsing time. After all, the longer a person lingers in your store, the more they're likely to buy.
1. Creating a unique experience
Fudge can be unexpected delight in any retail setting, whether it’s a gift shop, candy store, or a general store that sells fudge under its own name. By serving flavors that are uniquely yours and fit with your location, your fudge and your business will stand out. Calico can help you set up your fudge display and select best-selling fudge flavors.
2. Sampling products
Giving the customer an opportunity to try the product is an experience in itself and, once they taste your creamy delicious fudge, the experience becomes memorable. We know that 60% to 95% of consumers that try fudge, will buy.
3. Engaging the senses
Fudge is a rare product with multi-sensory benefits. Seeing fudge being made on-site and smelling its tantalizing aroma is enticing. Glimpsing at a colorful display with its tempting array of flavors is inviting. And feeling the softness of fudge in your hand as it is being sampled conveys freshness. Watching an employee stir, pour or cut fudge, when they are making it in full view of the customers, intrigues a shopper and makes them think, “What is going on over there?” And tasting fudge? That’s a selling point all of its own.
4. Making it personal
The fudge you sell is uniquely yours and authentically made at the farm. Carrying your own brand of fudge, with your store label, and making a personal connection with shoppers is something that e-commerce just can’t do. Whether it’s seeing someone making fudge in-store, a staff member conversing with a patron as they peruse the irresistible fudge varieties, or an employee providing tasty samples, the interaction is warm and personal.
5. Bringing them back
By cultivating a memorable experience, a merchant can inspire return visits. What consumer wouldn’t want to return to a place that made her or him feel good? Another way to attract customers back is by offering a seasonal fudge program, so shoppers will have new options every time they visit and look forward to their favorites each season.
"I've always encouraged anybody who asks us about Calico that it's a great additional product line to carry…It more than pays for itself. I can't say enough good things about it, but it's just an easy business to get into. When we realized that, we couldn't believe that we hadn't done it earlier."
Nancy Rose, Red Apple Farm
Calico is Your Experiential Retail Partner
Whether you choose to invest in our Fresh Fudge Made On-Site Program, Made to Order Bulk Program, or Packaged Fudge Your Way Program, Calico can guarantee that it will be a unique experience for your consumers. By giving customers the opportunity to sample fudge, they are actively creating a memorable experience at your location. People feel good when eating fudge…it tastes delicious and brings back fond memories and emotions.
Calico has the key to help your business become an experiential retailer and we're eager to not only provide it to you, but to help you grow and expand as your business begins to overflow with success.