Promotional Displays for Bakeries

A well-designed bakery display captivates the imagination.

Betty Slove, co-owner of Lovin Oven Cakery in Round Lake Beach, Illinois, says she loves hearing customers say they forgot why they came in, because that's when she knows their imaginations have gotten the better of them. "Modern Baking's" 2010 Leadership Award winner for merchandising says her two most consistent sources of merchandising inspiration are seasonality and pop culture. The secret to merchandising that sells is always seeing your bakery with fresh eyes, like a new customer would.

Coordinated Wedding Displays

Set the wedding cake display up on a table using fresh flowers, crystal, china and linens.

Wedding cakes make attention-getting displays. Use collaborative marketing to get the most promotional mileage. Set the cake up on a table just like it would look at the wedding reception. Include wedding reception linens, china, crystal and silverware. Include information and photos from the caterer and the reception location. Use hand-lettered placeholders and provide information on the calligraphist. Include fresh flowers in the display, and provide contact information for the florist. Have each of these business owners agree to construct the same type of display, including your wedding cake book and sample dummy cake. Do the same collaborative marketing on your website.

Picnic Baskets

Picnic baskets make excellent promotional displays.

For summer, set up a picnic basket display. Include fresh strawberries and desserts with strawberries, like angel food cake or brioche. Add sandwiches on multi-grain breads, apples, apple pie, grapes and wine. Have fresh flowers in the display. Offer a limited menu of three or four types of picnic baskets that customers can order to go, picking them up on their way to their picnic. Bakery consultant and former million-dollar bakery owner Marilyn Winstead recommends coordinating your marketing with local wineries and picnic locations to get referral business.

Cupcake Decorating Day

Hold a cupcake decorating class.

Make a huge, colorful window display with all types of cupcakes. Some eye-catching cupcake ideas include green topped with coconut and three jellybeans for Easter, butterflies made with half-pretzels for wings, ladybugs, cartoon characters with marshmallow heads, dogs, cats or Matchbox cars made with circus peanut bodies and M&Ms for wheels.

Even the fanciest cupcake is not difficult to learn how to make. Hold a cupcake decorating class for children. Each child is automatically registered in the Cupcake of the Month club, good for one free cupcake and discounts on dozens.

Bread Display

Sales of multi-grain breads are increasing, while white bread sales are declining.

Sales of natural whole grains certified products grew 11.1 percent in 2010 to $687.3 million, said Bobbi Leahy, director of sales for SPINS Inc., a sales data company. Consumers are voting with their dollars and embracing whole grains. Bakeries are at an advantage over most grocery stores, because they don't put preservatives in their breads. Build a big display once a month that features one or two specific whole grains. Display different ways to use the breads in recipes. Offer customers recipe cards with a discount coupon at the bottom. Post times when each specific bread will be coming "hot out of the oven."

References

• Marilyn Winstead; Bakery Consultant and Former Bakery Owner; Nashville, TN
• "Modern Baking"; Lovin Oven Cakery: It's all in the presentation; Matthew Reynolds; Nov 1, 2010
• ABT: Promotional Partnerships and Events
• "Modern Baking"; Strawberry brioche: offer a bit of summer year-round; Aug 1, 2010, San Francisco Baking Institute
• "Modern Baking"; Making whole grains the new norm; Mar 17, 2011
• Martha Stewart: Cupcakes

Resources

• "How to Open a Financially Successful Bakery", Volume 1; S. L. Fullen, D. R. Brown; 2004
• "Modern Baking"; How BigY in-stores culture innovation; Heather Brown; May 1, 2005
• Gourment Touch Bakery: Cupcakes