Autumn is a favourite season for many people. Often described as the “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness” it’s the time of the year when nature can provide some incredible landscapes and tastes. If you have an ice cream shop then autumn offers some fantastic marketing opportunities that can help your business to make the transition from the summer to the winter months.
It’s true that spring and summer tend to be the key seasons when it comes to ice cream sales. However, there is still a healthy demand for this sweet treat all year round, especially if you are ready to put the time and effort into marketing it properly. Key to this is creating a marketing plan and not completely taking a step back just because the summer season is over.
The most obvious flavour is probably pumpkin, as this is the season of pumpkin pie and pumpkin spiced lattes. However that’s not the only way to integrate autumn into your ice cream business. There are many other delicious flavours that people love at this time of year and which they will be keen to try in ice cream form. For example, spiced apple is always popular, as well as warming flavours like rum and raisin and anything that involves cinnamon.
If you’ve stuck to the more traditional ice cream flavours during the summer months then this might be a good time to try something new. For example, your customers might appreciate being able to try a white pepper ice cream or maple and walnut. You could also look into offering water ice (or granita), as there are many different options for adding a range of bold flavours to water ice. Bear in mind that if your customers have been eating many of the same flavours through the summer they might well be ready to try something new and open to your investment in innovation.
You may need to be a bit more creative in your marketing for autumn if you have an ice cream shop. There are plenty of opportunities to do this, whether you look at local events or national themes and holidays. Tailor your marketing to Halloween or Bonfire Night, for example, or include specific fixtures in the autumn sporting timetable. You can also give marketing a boost by taking into account the structure of the school year and the different themes and holidays, from Back to School to half term.
With Christmas coming up this is the ideal time to start adding some extras to your offering that could also help with revenue generation. This could be anything, from branded ice cream cups and bowls to creating a loyalty card scheme or gift vouchers that customers can give during the festive season.
Autumn can still be a great time for your ice cream shop, as long as you’re ready to get creative with the marketing.