Tag: starting frozen yogurt business

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Increase Sales Part 1: Expand Menu

Expand Your Menu Beyond Frozen Yogurt

A great way to increase sales, gain new customers, and supplement your frozen yogurt sales is to add new menu items. If you are competing with a large chain, an expanded menu can be extremely effective, because the big chains are restricted on what changes they can make.

There are two different types of menu items you can offer:
  1. Self-service menu items
  2. Full-service menu items.

Self-Service Menu Items

For self-serve frozen yogurt stores, the consistency of the self-serve concept may be very important – both for the customer experience and for in-store operational processes and employees. Here several ideas for self-serve menu items:

  • Belgian waffles. Using a rotating Belgian waffle maker, customers can make their own waffles. This concept is commonly used in hotels and works extremely well. You can charge by the waffle or even by the ounce.
  • Pre-packaged salads
  • Soups
  • Pre-packaged sandwiches
  • Cookies or other pastries
  • Oatmeal
  • Coffee

Full-Service Menu Items

  • Smoothies
  • Sandwiches made to order
  • Full breakfast. Items may include eggs, omelets, breakfast burritos, hash browns, etc.
  • Crepes

Before making any menu changes, you should check your lease agreement to make sure you aren’t prohibited from offering additional food items.

Do you have other ideas you’d like to share? Email them to us at info@nancis.com

CLICK HERE TO READ PART 2: IMPROVE CUSTOMER SERVICE

 

 

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Benefits of dry powder frozen yogurt mix

Nanci’s has manufactured liquid yogurt mix in the past and now manufactures and sells dry frozen yogurt mix, so we fully understand the pluses and minuses to each. In our local market (Phoenix, Arizona) we used to offer a liquid frozen yogurt mix that was a terrific product, but about 27 years ago, we developed our first dry mix and since then we have added to that product line and have decided that dry frozen yogurt mix is the way to go – so our dry mixes have become our signature products.

Here are some of the reasons we are believers in dry mix:

  • With Nanci’s Frozen Yogurt dry mixes you don’t compromise taste, texture, or quality compared to liquid. We have done many blind taste tests between liquid and dry and no one can tell them apart.
  • Nanci’s dry mix has great probiotics you want in frozen yogurt. We have a unique method of micro-encapsulation that protects the good bacteria in the dry form. When you eat the frozen yogurt the probiotics come to life and deliver all the great health benefits yogurt is known for.
  • Less expensive than liquid mix. In addition to the price of the mix, liquid mix is expensive to store and ship. Nanci’s dry mix is usually at least $1 per gallon less expensive than comparable liquid mix plus the savings on storage and shipping.
  • Easy and inexpensive to store – you don’t need a ton of refrigerated space. Liquid mix actually comes frozen solid and it takes 1-3 days to thaw before you can pour it into your machine. This can cause logistical problems when you are out of product and requires a large amount of expensive freezer and refrigerator space.
  • Easy to use – you can use it right when you need it. Our dry mix is very easy to mix up – you just stir it into water or milk and then pour into your machine. It literally takes 3 minutes.
  • You can customize it if you want. Dry mix is very flexible. You can adjust the amount of liquid to affect the creaminess/iciness and you can mix and match flavors with the base mix.
  • Liquid mixes are pre-flavored, so storing in inventory a good variety of mixes can be prohibitive. We’ve solved that problem with our 100 flavor concentrates that you can combine to create more than 200 amazing flavors.
  • With dry mix you’re in control. You can control the level of flavor the overall texture from extra creamy to cold and icy. With liquid mix the factory is in control, not you.

If you want to talk more about the dry frozen yogurt mix versus liquid frozen yogurt mix give us a call at 1-800-788-0808 or email us at info@nancis.com. You can also get more info on our mixes on our Frozen Yogurt Mix webpage.

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Marketing Tips to Attract New Customers

There are several different approaches you can take to help your company market successfully. There are two main parts of retail market: 1) marketing to attract new customers, and 2) marketing to customers once they are in the store.

In-store marketing includes loyalty programs, contests, and prize giveaways and can ensure that your customers come back. While these steps are crucial to continued business success, getting customers in the door for the first time is even more important. Here are a few ideas to find new customers:LogosBar

  • Daily Deal Websites (Groupon, Living Social, Amazon Local, etc.). Daily deal websites can be an excellent resource for you as a frozen yogurt storeowner. Groupon does not charge up front for their services, and in most cases, the fee is a percentage of the revenue generated through the “Local Deal” created by you. Most of these deals last 24 hours, however there are options to run even longer or shorter deals as well. One example is to offer a deal where $10 paid by the customer through Groupon will give that customer $18 in credit to your store. But you can create any deal you want to offer – with approval from Groupon. This is a great way to attract first time customers, especially if you are opening a new store. Once customers come in, you can utilize your in-store marketing techniques. Living Social, Amazon local, and local daily deal websites are also good options in addition to Groupon.
  • Partner Marketing. Many yogurt stores are located in strip malls or in very close proximity to other businesses. Common neighbors are gyms, movie theaters, nail salons, pizza parlors, and other types of restaurants. Reach out to your neighbors and ask them to place flyers or coupons in their stores near the registers. If someone is walking out of a Chinese restaurant for example, a quick glance at on one your flyers on their way out the door could be all it takes to have them pop in for a little dessert. In exchange, you can help advertise for your neighboring companies.Screenshot 2015-01-27 10.13.41
  • Sign Marketing. Depending on your location, different regulations may exist for placing or even hiring people to hold signs to advertise your shop. Your town, city or county will handle these regulations. If placing a stand-alone sign is not acceptable, sometimes having a hired worker hold a sign is a viable option. But be careful about using sign holders. An energetic, well-groomed worker who is charismatic can attract customers to your store, while a lazy-looking, sloppy individual with his sign sitting on the ground can drive customers away. You can also use a lighted sign at night to attract attention
  • Traditional Advertising. This is usually the most expensive option, but can reach the most people as well. Traditional advertising includes television, radio, newspaper, coupon pack mailers (moneymailer.com, www.valpak.com), and the back of grocery store receipts.
  • Online Advertising. Google AdWords Express is a great way to advertise locally online. It is a local version of Google’s traditional AdWords platform. When people click on your ad, the link can go to your website or to a free Google business page. Customers can also call your business directly. You pay when a someone clicks on your add or calls the phone numberin the ad. Visit http://www.google.com/adwords/express/ to get started.Google-Adwords-Express-Logo1

 

 

 

The most important thing to remember is that you CANNOT rely on the famous quote from the movie The Field of Dreams, “If you build it, they will come.” …If they don’t know about it, then they definitely won’t come!

Be creative and try several different things until you find marketing methods that work for you. And if you have any ideas or suggestions we’d love to hear about it – please contact us.

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Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt Shop versus Behind-the-Counter

Over the last several years, the self-serve frozen yogurt concept has really taken off. Here are brief descriptions of self-serve and traditional behind-the-counter frozen yogurt concepts with advantages and disadvantages for each.

Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt Concept
In a self-serve shop, the customers fill their own cups with whatever yogurt and toppings they want. Their cup is weighed, and then they pay by the ounce.

Advantages: The customers pay for exactly what they get.
Complete control over your profit margin.
Customers can make it their way with whatever yogurt and topping combinations they want.
Usually requires fewer employees to run the store – many shops use just one employee.
Average dollar purchase is higher than traditional frozen yogurt shops.

Disadvantages:
Requires more machines to do it right – the minimum we recommend is five.
Makes it difficult to add additional menu items that require employee labor (like smoothies or crepes).
You end up losing a lot of product to free samples.
Because you can’t charge a separate price for the toppings, you really don’t end up making much money on them. In some cases you lose money on the toppings.

Traditional Behind-the-Counter Concept
The tradition way of running a frozen yogurt shop is with 2 to 4 machines behind a counter. Customers order the size and flavor and the employee dispenses it for them. The customers pay a set amount for each size.

Advantages:
Requires fewer machines.
Less wear and tear on the machines.
Better suited for serving other menu items (like shakes, smoothies, sundaes, food items, etc).
Toppings can be a profit center if priced separately.
Less wasted product.
More control over the customer experience.

Disadvantages:
Inconsistent portions served by employees.
Requires more employees to operate.
The average dollar purchase tends to be less than with self-serve shops.

As you can see, there are advantages to either concept. Ultimately, you need to decide what is right for your market and your business plan. It’s important to be aware of the trade-offs and adjust accordingly.

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Recent News: Article about Nanci’s Frozen Yogurt

Check out this article about us: https://www.sintelsystems.com/blog/2014/08/28/nancis-frozen-yogurt-takes-charge-supplying-just-froyo/

It was written by the folks at Sintel Systems — they sell Point of Sale Systems for frozen yogurt stores and restaurants.

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SmoothYo Frozen Yogurt Launches First Store

May 15, 2014, Dominican Republic – SmoothYo Frozen Yogurt, an international frozen yogurt concept, opened its first location and is poised for rapid expansion. The first store is located in the Dominican Republic and has disrupted the traditional frozen yogurt store business model.

With extremely low start-up costs and minimal space requirement, the inaugural SmoothYo store start-up costs were one-tenth of the industry average for frozen yogurt startups. Low start-up costs allow operators to turn a profit more quickly and also charge lower prices that are more suitable to the local market.

“SmoothYo is so easy to set up that you could start a shop literally anywhere in the world,” said Luis Macouzet Zepeda, owner of the SmoothYo store in the Dominican Republic. “And the frozen yogurt mix is incredible. It’s easy to use and customers love it!”

The SmoothYo Frozen Yogurt brand is part of a start-up package offered by Wudel Incorporated, manufacturers and distributors of Nanci’s Frozen Yogurt mixes and flavorings.

“The best part about the SmoothYo licensing concept is the flexibility,” commented Johny Wudel, Vice President at Wudel Incorporated. “We can help you with everything from a full scale frozen yogurt shop to a one machine kiosk.”

About Wudel Incorporated and Nanci’s Frozen Yogurt

Wudel Inc. manufacturers and distributes Nanci’s Frozen Yogurt mixes and flavorings in more than 30 countries worldwide. With more than 25 years of experience in the frozen yogurt industry, Wudel is the leader in powder frozen yogurt mixes in the world. Wudel Inc. offers the SmoothYo Frozen Yogurt brand for licensing around the world.

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Review of Nanci’s Frozen Yogurt

Check out this review of our frozen yogurt mixes by The Frozen Yogurt Review website. This is a neutral third party that wrote this review — we have no affiliation or connection to them.

You can read the full review on their website at: http://www.thefrozenyogurtreview.com/2014/03/12/review-nancis-frozen-yogurt-mix/

Review of Nanci’s Frozen Yogurt by TheFrozenYogurtReview.com

“Whenever I go into a frozen yogurt store I am curious to see what type of frozen yogurt mix they use.  Last month I had a delicious mix of chocolate and low fat vanilla. The yogurt tasted perfect! It was creamy, cold, and had a delicious clean and rich flavor.  It was not too sweet and it also did not leave a poor aftertaste. I asked the cashier what product they used and she told me Nanci’s. This young lady was very helpful and gave me a little bit of background on Nanci’s frozen yogurt mix. She shared that the customers have always complimented on the stores flavors and that she has not heard of any of their customers being unhappy with the frozen yogurt product.

“I believed it. My cup of fro-yo was delicious. The chocolate was dreamy and the vanilla was velvety! I wanted to share my experience with you guys because the one thing that left me shocked is that Nanci’s frozen yogurt is a dry powder mix!! Dry powder mix? Yes it is a powder base and all you need to do is add water!!! I thought this was amazing that a powder base mix could taste so creamy, milky, and fluffy!

“After talking to the store employees about the frozen yogurt mix they used I went home and did a little research and contacted Nanci’s. I emailed the owner and he got back to me right away which showed me professionalism and dedication to his company. He was more than happy to give me information on his frozen yogurt mix so that I could share it with The Frozen Yogurt Review readers.”

 

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New Profit Calculator

We have relaunched our new and improved Frozen Yogurt Profit Calculator. You can access the Profit Calculator here: /resources/profit-calculator-2/.The results will now display immediately upon submission. You can also change your inputs and try multiple scenarios. Feel free to call us to discuss the profit model or to talk about how you can structure your business to be more profitable.

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Friday Fun: The Most Popular Brands by State

Branding is powerful! Every consumer-facing company fights to gain brand recognition and consumer mind-share. As a frozen yogurt store owner, you want people to think of your brand first when asked looking for frozen yogurt. Here is a fun article and map that shows the most famous brands for each of the 50 U.S. states.

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/corporate-states-america-map-shows-each-states-most-famous-brand-150794

brand-map-hed-2013
Courtesy of steve-lovelace.com and AdWeek.com