Boosting summer candy sales is a matter of reminding convenience store shoppers just how much fun summer should be — and what a large part of that fun candy has always been and will always remain.
It begins with the retailing basics: having a good mix of the best-selling candies and brands together with value-driven packaging, varying price points and interesting new flavors.
C-store consumers love promotional offerings, of course, and so taking full advantage of seasonal promotions will also help drive sales. Cross-promoting with cold beverages and other outdoor and picnic products and snacks will also move product.
Messaging is critical with any special occasion, especially one that lasts three months. First, candy should be tied in with summertime holidays like Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, as well as with outdoor occasions like vacations, barbecues, picnics, road trips, outdoor concerts, ballgames and trips to the beach.
Signage can play a powerful role in helping make candy a part of this long-anticipated break from the rest of the year’s mundane routine. The use of phrasing is key to connecting with consumers. The promotional verbiage should drive home the connection to summer with language bringing forth memories of campfires, fairs, etc.
An easily overlooked but nonetheless powerful way to drive candy sales during the summer months is to help consumers — who increasingly love good causes and are loyal to the brands that support them — feel better about their indulgences by helping with those efforts. Employees can keep track of the efforts different confectionery brands are making in the community and make them known, a tactic that could be beneficial year-round.