Mini desserts have grown more popular year after year for a number of different reasons. The applications of mini desserts vary greatly and make them a fantastic addition to any bakery café’s menu. In light of the strength and influence of the health and wellness movement in America, consumers still want their indulgences. Mini desserts provide a compromise to shoppers looking to eat healthier yet enjoying their favorite sweets.
Advantages
Aside from the calorie and health advantages given to the consumer, mini desserts give retailers the ability to offer shoppers more choices and possibly added flexibility. Rather than showing your customers two to four full size items, such as cakes, pies or cheesecakes in the case, show them eight to ten variations of these items.
By displaying multiple mini desserts in your case, you also provide consumers with the option of sampling multiple items of different flavors. Your customers can now enjoy some cake, cheesecake and pie while still feeling good and healthy about their choice of buying mini desserts.
The variety of multiple mini desserts in your case also appeals to shoppers’ eyes. “They lend themselves to visual extravagance and gorgeous groupings,” says pastry chef Mackie Israth. This visual stimulus might persuade consumers to purchase items they didn’t originally intend to buy.
Scaled Down Originals
Any retail bakery’s products can easily be produced as a mini. Start off by making your top sellers into mini desserts to bring customers in. Once you see steady sales, you can begin to experiment with other products and even make some specialties that only come in mini portions. This will give those products even more novelty and possibly become favorites. For a premium price point, you can offer certain minis in regular size as custom orders.
Run promotional specials by offering groups of multiple mini desserts at sale prices. Allow customers to mix and match and buy in bulk for special occasions. Make sure shoppers know that larger and custom orders need lead time, and make sure they know how long they need to give. If you operate a café, make mini desserts part of your regular business by making them a permanent item on the menu.
