By Max Jenvey of Oxxygen Marketing Partnership, a strategic management agency that focuses on business and brand development within the bakery, foodservice and convenience sectors.
Following the festive parties, drinking, late nights and early mornings at this time of year, there is one New Year’s resolution that almost everyone wants to keep: losing those extra Christmas pounds. So how can you, as bakers, retailers and café owners support your customers with their diet resoltuions? Why not focus on a programme of support so consumers can avoid the ’guilt trip’ around eating bakery goods and food-on-the-go.
Add healthy and balanced elements to your range, such as oatmeal cookies, yoghurt with cereals, dried fruit and nuts. Customers still want to eat breakfast, lunch and the usual snacks, but with losing weight in mind, they are looking for a more balanced alternative. Our colleagues from market researcher him! say 67% of health-conscious female customers "take away" their lunch or snack and, during their visit, 55% choose a sandwich. Try offering a wholemeal chicken pesto sandwich for instance, which has no fattening mayo.
New Year is also a time when everyone starts to think of ways of saving money. So combine your healthy choice offer in great-value meal deals and make your customers aware of them through effective communication, clearly visible from outside your store. Make sure your promotions stand out at key decision points within your store as almost 30% of our customers remember promotions and meal deals from the last time they visited (him! Food-to-go report, 2009).
Meal deals can include a wholegrain bar and for those who can bake on-site there’s nothing easier than creating your own: choose nuts, seeds and berries, bound together with brown sugars or honey. To seal the deal, why not include a healthy fruit juice or smoothie, contributing to your customers’ five-a-day!
Oxxygen would like to wish you a very happy and safe festive season.

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