Improving your customer journey: the 6B rule
What are the 6Bs?
The 6B rule is a merchandising technique that will help you design your shop correctly. The 6 B's are :
- Good product,
- Good location,
- Good quantity,
- A good time,
- A good price,
- Good information.
How can you apply the 6B rule to merchandising your bakery?
To ensure that you meet these 6Bs, you naturally need to put yourself in your customers' shoes and ask yourself what they expect from you in terms of choice, quality, advice and value for money.
The right product will be the one that suits your business. If you're an artisan baker but pastry-making isn't your core business, you need to specialise! Offer a wide choice of breads and bakery products. On the other hand, do you have an exceptional pastry chef on your team who is renowned for his delicious cakes? Make them the highlight of your bakery.
The right place corresponds to the layout of your product range. Perhaps you offer bread, a selection of pastries, confectionery, chocolates or snacks? Your shop needs to be "readable" for your customers. The interior layout is at the heart of the customer experience, so that when they enter your storeIn other words, they don't find themselves "lost" when faced with a product range that has no head or tail. In fact, did you know that when a customer enters a shop, their first inclination is to go to the right? Think about what you want to promote first, from the moment you enter (your home-baked breads or pastries) right through to the checkout (like the famous sweets or favourite products).
The right amountYou're probably already familiar with it. You know that customers buy pastries and bread early in the morning, snack foods and pastries at lunchtime, pastries and confectionery at snack time, bread again in the evening and last-minute purchases for the evening meal. So all you need to do isadapt your quantities to your customers' consumption habits! Make sure you have bread for your last evening customers
The right moment is all about quantity! But beyond the day, your bakery is also highly seasonal. It's logical to offer crêpes at Chandeleur, galettes between December and January, and chocolates at Easter. Adapt your product offering to your customers' expectations. It would be a shame to miss out on a sale because you don't offer a product that's eagerly awaited for the season!
The right price is sometimes hard to determine. So do your homework and don't hesitate to check competitors' prices. The right price will be the customer's price, but it will also be your price in relation to the cost of raw materials. Make adjustments, without exceeding your customers' famous "psychological price".
The right informationLast but not least, they should not be underestimated. They concern your products as well as their location. You need to provide your customers with everything they need to make their choice easier, mais également des informations légales comme les allergènes présents dans vos produits. Offer clear and precise information will help you to avoid long decision-making processes that will reduce your waiting time in the shop, or disappointment over a poorly-informed choice.
Attracting, retaining and convincing customers to your bakery
Have you identified the 6Bs of your business? You've got the basis for a good customer journey. Now you just need to put it into practice in your shop, using a number of different elements.
A great showcase
It's essential to catch the eye of passers-by from the street. A good 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:
- Showcasing the interior of your shop and your sign
- Promote your productswhich will be displayed directly in the window
- Or have a showcase your laboratory for example
In all cases, ensure that the world of your shop is reflected right from the shop front. You can also think about changing the world of your shop window according to the season or the products you make, especially at times like Halloween, Christmas or Easter. If you've attracted the curiosity of a passer-by and they stop to look, you're more likely to get them to walk past your bakery next!
A theatrical universe
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 seem like an exaggeration, but it's not really.
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 creating an aesthetic coherence between your shop window and the interior of your shop, with furnishings in your own colours and with consistent price tags in their presentation.
Play with the codes of your trade: flour, wheat, "home-made": your bakery should also reflect your professionalism. - Bakery products are "beautiful". Whether bread or pastries, they have to appeal to the eye.
Make sure your display is clean and appetising. 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 expertise. Customers like to see how the products they buy are made.
An easy-to-understand layout
Depending on its size, your bakery may be able to accommodate as many as ten customers at the same time. Its layout must therefore facilitate the shopping experience by being easy to understand. (entrance, exit, queuing, etc.). It should also allow 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 shop is divided into 2 sales areas, which your customers will have to pass:
- The hot zoneThis is where the products are best displayed and most accessible to the eye. You should reserve this space for products that give you the highest margins or those that are likely to generate impulse buys (beautiful pastries or products to take away for later, such as chocolates, buns, etc.).
- The cold zone less well placed in the shop 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 shop.
Once this is in place, your customers will have had access to your entire offer !
Perhaps you have a catering area? If so, make sure it's clearly defined for customers, with specific signage for example.
A unique welcome
Beyond products, the human element in a convenience store is essential. Advice at the point of sale, a friendly atmosphere at the point of payment, talking to the baker or confectioner when he leaves his laboratory - these are all little moments that will give your bakery that little bit extra. If your customers feel at home and you show conviction in what you share, they will have confidence in you and what you offer. And let's not forget that their shopping journey always ends with them paying at the checkout in front of someone! So make sure your customers have a good time with youEven if it's only for a few minutes. If the exchanges aren't up to scratch, you can have the best products in the world, but no-one will ever come to your bakery again!
What if labelling was one of the key levers for your bakery?
What are the advantages of attractive labelling for your bakery?
Your labelling may seem like a detail in all the information listed above. But since the "right information" is an essential part of your customer journey, you can easily conclude that the labelling of your products (and services) is one of the levers that can help to assert and promote your bakery's identity.
Attractive, well-thought-out labelling:
- Enhances professional appearance of your stalls thanks to a harmonised visual 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", "speciality", etc. The idea is to appeal to customers and encourage them to make an unexpected purchase.
And to further enhance your brand image, go even further by homogenising .
- your shop signage.
- your promotional materials (posters, flyers, business cards).
- your price tags.
- and any other communication tool for your shop.
How do you choose the price tags for your bakery?
Your bakery price tags must meet a number of criteria, including .
- The right format 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 labels: price labels must be able to withstand the numerous handling operations to which they are subjected, so that they do not crease or tear.
- Resistance to humidity 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 there is moisture (such as the fishmonger's or cheese shop) will not fade.
- A smooth, flat surface As well as being water-resistant, your labels should be easy to clean, so that you don't have to do a lot of work every day. For quick maintenance, avoid price labels with gaps, perforations or irregularities.
- A clear presentation Labels need to be easily and harmoniously arranged in your stalls, using suitable supports. So it's important to find the right combination of label and stand.
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 personalised, attractive price tags yourself.
Case study - The Baker & Cook international bakery and sandwich chain
Baker and Cook, the traditional bakery and sandwich chain, has adopted the 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 matt black cards printed in white matched the design of its bakeries,
- Easy personalisation of cards for all uses
- The ability to provide customers with all the information they need (ingredients, allergens, etc.) in an easy-to-read format.