The fear of COVID and the government restrictions have turned the food and beverage industry upside down, but the business owners have slowly started to adapt to the situation. Most owners were forced onto the digital platform just to stay relevant and attract customers. These days the goal has been to create new ways to sell without relying on impulse buys.
Here, we will show you some of the trending methods people use to make their bakeries stand out from the rest and sell.
Food Trucks
Food trucks have been in style for decades now; they offer excellent mobility and flexibility to a food business. Instead of spending lots of money on marketing to attract customers, you can bring the restaurant to crowds and events to make sales. Most of the food trucks follow a specific route within the city, and, depending on the business, they make regular stops creating a routine. Food trucks set up shop in the busiest parts of the town during break times; this allows for efficient management of time, and the owner can always change lanes to get more customers as long as the food is appealing enough.
The pandemic has shaken the food and beverages industry and brought many restaurants to their knees. But most food truck businesses have managed to stay afloat and even prosper because of their advantage over stationery stores. Most bakeries that moved to food trucks for sales ultimately succeeded in bringing in more customers; this is also an excellent idea for carrying out large orders for weddings or functions.
Best Baked Goodies To Sell On Food Truck
- Baklava
- Churros
- Cupcakes
- Cookies
- Scons
- Pastries
- Fresh Bread
- Donuts
Keep in mind when starting, it’s okay just to have 2 to 7 items on the menu; you add more later based on customer preference. Fresh bread on food trucks sells really well, but the demand for cakes isn’t that great unless they are pre-ordered, so you can reuse the best-selling cake recipes and create new types of cupcakes based on that. Cupcakes are cheaper per unit and easier to sell, not to mention that they sell in large numbers at a time compared to cakes.
The Visual Appeal
The visual appeal of baked goods dramatically increases the chances of impulse buys from the customer, especially now as most home bakers and shops use social media such as Instagram to showcase their products. No matter how tasty the product, it won’t sell unless it catches the eyes of the customer first, meaning the presentation matters. Most bakeries now have a variety of baked goods with different colors and textures that are easy to market without the customer actually being in the store. As bakeries are now offering home deliveries, they are paying more attention to the packing material and design itself to solidify their brand.
There is also a trend going around social media of realistic cakes that look like everyday objects. They have become quite popular as the cake can be customized to any object, even living things such as dogs and cats. These ultra-realistic cakes have been used to pull pranks and create content for multiple media. They are pricy and in demand, at the moment as people like to enjoy their pastries and cakes with a bit of trickery, not to mention the gaping reactions from other people and even pets.
Bakers have also been focusing on creating more complex flavors and designs with more layers and textures that look mesmerizing. Apart from the ultra-realistic cakes, there has also been a rise in artisan goods, they are specially handcrafted, and each product is unique in design.
Longer Shelf Life
As most customers limited their trips to physical stores because of the pandemic, retail food has started to gain ground. People now like to buy in bulk and slowly eat it over the week, so bakers are trying to increase the shelf life of their products without compromising on the taste or ingredients. Bakeries are now paying more attention to ingredients like sourdough bread, vinegar, gum acacia, carboxymethylcellulose, honey in their delivery products. And those who don’t want to add unwanted preservatives turn their attention to improving the packing process for increasing the shelf life. Using airtight vacuum containers and freezing the product while storage and before delivery; will increase the shelf life, an excellent option for home bakers with small orders. And when it comes to baked goods, cold and darkness are your allies as heat and light allow the fungus to take hold faster.
Natural Ingredients To Increase Shelf Life For Home Bakers
- Honey
- Cinnamon
- Golden Raisin
- Salted Butter
- A Piece Of Bread - To absorb moisture
- Lemon Juice.
- Grapefruit Seed Extract.
- Rosemary Extract
Before using these ingredients, test them thoroughly to see if they go along with the recipe without altering the taste much.
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