How to improve your bakery's customer experience: our tips for attracting and retaining customers

The 6B rule is a merchandising technique that will help you design your store. The 6 Bs correspond to :

• Good product,
• Good location,
• Good quantity,
• A good time,
• Good price,
• Good information.

To ensure that you meet these 6Bs, you need to put yourself in your customers' shoes and ask what they expect from you in terms of choice, quality, advice and value for money.

Have you identified the 6Bs of your business? You've got the basis of a good customer journey. Now it's time to put it into practice in your store, through a number of different elements.

It's essential to catch the eye of passers-by from the street. A beautiful window display can make all the difference, especially when, like you, you sell "beautiful" home-made products. In the bakery sector, there are several window display options:

• Highlight your store's interior and your brand
• Add value to your productswhich will be displayed directly in the window
• Or have a showcase your laboratory for example

In any case, make sure your store's universe is reflected right from the front. You can also think about changing the world of your shop window according to the seasons or the products you make, especially at times like Halloween, Christmas or Easter. If you've aroused a passer-by's curiosity and they stop to look, you're more likely to get them to walk past your bakery next!

Once a customer has entered your bakery, they almost always leave with something. ! All you have to do is make people want to spend more than they had planned...

The word "theatrical" may sound like an exaggeration, but it's not.

Highlighting your brand universe, your differences from the competition and your flagship products is essential if you are to stand out from the crowd.

• Enhance your bakery's brand image by ensuring aesthetic coherence between your store window and the interior of your boutique, thanks to furnishings in your colors, and consistent price tags in their presentation.
  Play with the codes of your trade: flour, wheat, "homemade": your bakery must also reflect your professionalism.
• Bakery products are "beautiful". Whether bread or pastries, they must appeal to the eye.
  Make sure your display is clean and appetizing. For example, it's better to arrange pastries in a single row than to stack them on top of each other.
• If you can, promote your laboratory and your know-how. Customers like to see how the products they buy are made.

Depending on its size, your bakery may be able to accommodate as many as ten customers at the same time. Its layout must therefore be easy to understand and facilitate the shopping experience. (entrance, exit, queue...). It should also enable you to highlight complementary products that the customer didn't come to look for in the first place - the famous "Good Place" of the 6Bs.

Remember that your store is divided into 2 sales zones, which your customers will have to pass:

• The hot zoneThis is where products are best displayed and most accessible to the eye. You'll want to reserve this space for products that give you the highest margins, or those likely to generate impulse purchases (beautiful pastries or products to take away for later, such as chocolates, brioches...).
• The cold zone less well-placed in the store, is reserved for products that sell themselves, such as your baguettes. If you get the chance, don't hesitate to change this area from time to time to force customers to take a fresh look at your store.

Once this is in place, your customers will have access to your entire offer !

Perhaps you have a catering area? If so, make sure it's clearly defined for consumers, with specific signage for example.

Beyond products, the human element in a convenience store is essential. Advice at the moment of sale, conviviality at the moment of payment, exchanges with the baker or pastry chef when he leaves his laboratory are all little moments that will give your bakery that little something extra. If your customers feel at home, and you show conviction in what you share, they'll have confidence in you and your proposals. And let's not forget that their shopping journey always ends with a payment at the checkout in front of someone! Make sure your customers have a good time at your placeEven if it's only for a few minutes. If exchanges are not as expected, you can have the best products in the world, but no one will ever come to your bakery again!

Your labelling may seem like a small detail in the context of all the information listed above. But since "the right information" is an essential part of your customer journey, you can easily conclude that the labeling of your products (and services) should is one of the levers that can help assert and promote your bakery's identity..

Attractive, well-thought-out labelling:

• Enhances professional appearance of your stalls thanks to harmonized visuals between your different products or departments.
• Adds value to your know-how by providing your customers with precise, legible and clear information to help them make the right purchase decision (name, composition, allergens, "organic"/"vegan"/"sugar-free" specificities, etc.).
• Highlight your offer by highlighting a new product or a product of the day with an inscription such as: "today", "new", "specialty"... The idea is to appeal to the customer and provoke an unplanned purchase.

And to further enhance your brand image, go one step further by homogenizing .

• store signage.
• your promotional materials (posters, flyers, business cards).
• your price tags.
• and other communication tools for your store.

Your bakery price tags must meet a number of criteria, including .

• An adapted format The label format depends on the size and layout of your products. For example, bread legally requires a specific label format. But you can also opt for smaller labels for the rest of your offer, so as not to hide it.
• A rigid support Price tags: price tags must be able to withstand the rough handling to which they are subjected, so as not to crease or tear.
• Moisture resistance Water is the enemy of paper price labels. The impermeability offered by certain substrates, such as PVC, guarantees that the label installed in departments where moisture is present (such as the fishmonger's or cheese shop) will not fade.
• A smooth, flat surface In addition to being water-resistant, your labels must also be easy to clean, to lighten your daily chores. For fast maintenance, avoid price tags with gaps, perforations or irregularities.
• A clear presentation Labels need to be easily and harmoniously arranged in your stalls, thanks to suitable supports. The key is to find the right combination of label and support.

These numerous constraints have been integrated into the solution Edikio Price Tag.

Thought for bakery professionalsEdikio Price Tag offers you an all-in-one solution for creating and printing attractive, personalized price tags yourself.

Baker and Cook, a chain of artisan bakeries and sandwich shops, has adopted the Baker and Cook solution. Edikio Price Tag Access in more than 17 of its stores in Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Saudi Arabia. The designer was convinced by

• The harmonious, professional look of the matte black cards printed in white matched the design of his bakeries,
• Easy card personalization for all uses
• The ability to provide customers with all information (ingredients, allergens, etc.) in an easy-to-read format.