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How to Boost Sales Throughout Easter
Retailers of chocolate and sweets will be aware of just how important the Easter period is. With so many seasonal lines and lots of excitement among customers, there is ample opportunity to have a very successful period.
Last year, Easter grew in independent and symbol shops and there is the scope to grow even more this year. In 2023, Easter Sunday comes early in April, presenting incentives to start your Easter promotions early. Shoppers will surely appreciate this, given that more confectionery is eaten before Easter than afterwards!
Stocking bulk chocolate impulse lines is a great way to kickstart your early Easter season. The first wave of Easter sales last year was dominated by on-the-go and impulse lines, with mini eggs, self-eat eggs and Easter blocks accounting for 70% of early sales. Popular sharing choices include bags of Galaxy Creamy Truffles Mini Eggs, and Cadbury Mini Creme Eggs, with Cadbury Mini Eggs proving the most popular chocolate bags this time of year. Compliment these with sought-after singles, with the Cadbury Creme Egg and Caramel Egg the two most popular lines, joined by the Maltesers Chocolate Easter Bunny. In terms of sharing blocks, Cadbury dominates again with the Mini Eggs Chocolate Bar and the Dairy Milk Hot Cross Bun Chocolate Bar making their way into baskets more often than any other bars. Given that shoppers who buy Easter lines had a 43% higher basket spend than average, offering the stock they want will benefit any store.
Throughout the period, 40% of Easter products are impulse buys. Once you’ve built your range of popular lines, it is important to signpost them in-store so customers don’t miss the stock! Utilise sections of the store that have a high footfall, this way you’re making sure that more shoppers notice the stock, which will kickstart the Easter period. Don’t just rely on your in-store merchandising though, make use of your online presence and alert customers on your social media channels and your website, too.
Whilst an early start is important to any Easter campaign, carrying momentum throughout the period is also key. There are several ways in which you can continue to encourage sales throughout the period. On their journey through the store, it has been found that 68% of shoppers buy Easter lines from a secondary location, whilst 66% will buy both seasonal and standard confectionery – so highlight both in-store. When choosing their sweet treats, shoppers most often buy from a brand they recognise and trust. With their wide range of seasonal specials, Cadbury is the most popular brand at Easter, so make sure that you offer plenty of not only their seasonal stock but the year-round favourites as well.
Creative displays are a great way to sustain shopper engagement, whilst also adding some sparkle to your store. There are plenty of new seasonal lines that arrive just for Easter and adding them to your offering is a sure-fire way to catch the eye of shoppers and maintain that Easter excitement. Across your Easter range, offering options for a range of budgets will be appreciated by customers. This will particularly be of use to those seeking last-minute purchases, whilst it also gives you the opportunity to encourage a trade-up options to higher value lines.
An important aspect of any Easter offering is, of course, Easter eggs. The gifting centrepiece is popular with chocoholics of all ages – they’re also essential to sustaining sales throughout the period. All of the biggest brands have a wide range of variations, so offering something for every customer is easy. Again, Cadbury Easter Eggs are among the most popular choices here as shoppers not only love their chocolate but trust the brand, too. Stocking up on enough of your core lines will ensure that you offer availability right through the Easter holiday and keep the sales coming in.
On the confectionery calendar, Easter is definitely one of the highlights. With recent growth and the undying popularity of chocolate lines, there is plenty of opportunity for repeated growth this year. Applying your focus to different aspects as Easter approaches can help your store to capitalise on the excitement and cater to the demand.
Here at Hancocks, we understand the importance of Easter for retailers of confectionery. That’s why we’ve worked so hard to offer such a wide range of wholesale chocolate for Easter, ranging from impulse and novelty lines to wholesale sharing bags, chocolate bars and, obviously, Easter eggs! As always, we’re only happy to help here at Hancocks. Don’t forget to check our delivery options to make sure you get your stock when you need it, and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact our team.