What sets small business ice cream shops apart from the national chains? Or a dying local business apart from a thriving store giving treats to the entire community?
Ice cream shops are based on a fundamentally great idea and can reap the rewards of doing business in the right way in the right location. So if you’re looking to grow your business or considering entering into the ice cream business, consider these four things that every success story in the ice cream business contains.
A Killer Location
Of course, it all begins with a killer location. Owners may think stores located across large thoroughfares or divided highways are solid choices, but in many cases, the ice cream experience lends itself not to massive vehicle traffic but foot traffic.
Ice cream shops with killer locations can be found wherever people gather on foot—whether that is the local town square, connected to a grocery store, or near the local park.
Ice cream shops can thrive in a location where people want to be—and aren’t simply passing through.
A Unique Experience
Ice cream shops are both a stop and a gathering place, and the experience of entering into your store needs to be unique to itself.
Given the simplicity of the store concept, it may seem not easy, but there are many ways to build community and foster unique experiences.
Consider putting on karaoke or trivia nights or setting up tables with fast Wi-Fi for people to get work done. So long as your store is creating community, the experience will always be as unique as the people inside.
A Pulse on The Community
Speaking of community, it’s important to have a finger on the pulse of a local area. Does this town thrive on high school sports or collegiate arts? Is it a town that’s closed on Sundays or a town that stays up late?
Keep an eye out to see the kinds of experiences desired in your town and find a way to incorporate that experience into your store.
Cutting-Edge Technology
Finally, the fastest-growing ice cream shops utilize the technology that the national chains use—without the endless fees.
The Franpos solution, for instance, gives ice cream shops the ability to manage multiple locations on the same account, manage Customer Loyalty campaigns, grow business through automated Growth Marketing, and even sell products online via eCommerce.
And Franpos offers all of this for one low cost—no technology hassle and no endless fees. Just one fee to grow your business.
We hope you take some of these tips and items to grow your ice cream business this summer. And, if you want to take your store to the next level, schedule a free demo today to see why hundreds of ice cream shops use Franpos to increase revenue.
