Welcometo2023everybody
Wellafteranotherwildandwoollyyear,wefindourselvesatthebeginningofanewone I alwayssayatthistimeeveryyear,“NewYear;NewMe”
Wecouldprobablyequallysay,“NewYear;NewGoals”,or“NewYear;NewStrategy”,or“NewYear; NewEnergy”.
In that regard, you may see a change in the way the monthly bulletin is formatted this year As the association office works on a more targeted content stream, we are utilizing topics and focuses each month that reflect on the time of year, where we are in the season, and those aspectsthatwillmostalignwiththefocusofourindustryandourmembers.
ThefirstbulletinoftheyearconcentratesonGoalsandPlanning
Ihopethatasyouareplanningyourpersonalandbusinessyearout,yourgoalsremainSMART
Remembertheoldacronym:
This is the perfect time of year to look at menu content and layout, sales volumes, labor and food costs, marketing plans and the other aspects of the business that seem to challenge us whenweareelbowdeepinabucketofcookiesandcreaminJuly
Oneaspectofyourassociationmembershipthatwewouldliketotakeoffyourplateis wonderingwhenyourrenewaldateis.Manymembershaveexpressedthemanyhourstheylay awakeinbedatnightwonderingiftheirmembershipduesarecurrent.Worrynomore.Thisyear wearemovingtoasingledayrenewalwhichwillbeonthe1stofSeptember
Moreonthatlater(andbytheway,noneedtothankus–that’swhatwedo) I hope the information in this edition of the bulletin is helpful to realign priorities, stretch your goalsandachievemorethanyouexpectedin2023
HappyNewYearandAlltheBestfor2023
ExecutiveDirector
If you have not yet downloaded the association app add it to your new years resolutions This app will give you the functionality and information available with your association membership at your fingertips
IfyouareaMemberoftheAssociation,and an apple user, go to the Apple App Store and search “North American Ice Cream Assoc”tofindanddownloadtheapp
Android users – Go to the Google Play Store and search “North American Ice Cream Assoc” to find and download the app
On the login screen, enter your username and password you use to log into the associationmembershipsite.
Within the app you will see icons to he you navigate through the informatio available
SocialFeed
Interact with members through postin images, questions, and comments in o SocialFeedarea
Discuss items relating Food Safet Marekting,Production,HR,Training,Busines growthandproductrelatedinformation.
Join your geographic division and discuss locationspecificquandaries.
Keep all of your saved topics, division, suppliers, member connections, in one centralplace.
Search our membership directory for members in your area Connect with other membersthroughemail,overthephoneor throughtheirwebsite
View what events are coming up for the association, but also events hosted by our suppliers
Conecon
Our convention app is accessed through the Conecon section of the association app.
Find
Leadership&Staff
Connect
Access
TheBulletin
Scan the QR Code below to download the app and unlock all of these features
Hopefully,atthebeginningofthisnewyear, you are looking at a 2023 calendar, that is relatively blank. Sure, there are the obligatory dates and events that you have penciled in, but way before the season commences, let’s spend a couple of paragraphs and talk about penciling in some events and occurrences nice and early,so,theyarealreadylockedin
Having a meeting with your managers and your crew is an essential part of running a business There are so many good things that happen as a result of regular team meetings
The most important of which is that your crew feels that they have a say, and their opinions are heard, as to what happens in theday-to-day,runningofthebusiness IfI were to suggest a time frame for these meetings, I would have them every six weeks. Every month tends to be a little too often,butiftheyblowouttotwomonthsor more, you don’t get any momentum out of thesemeetings.
Perhaps schedule them on a Saturday morningsothattheydon’tconflictwithany ofthestorehours.Remember,thisisapaid meeting Theyareonthepayrollwhenthey comealong,but reallyyoushouldn’tneedanymorethanan hour
We used to serve them up a simple breakfast,maybepancakesandjuice,and then go over some new flavors and promotions, some changes in policy and procedure, and give our crew a chance to give us feedback on the management andoperationofthebusiness
Again, I found personally that when you takethetimetoacknowledgeandlistento your team, they tend to work better together, and there is less resistance in followinginstructionsand requests
Every month you should block out a morning or an afternoon to concentrate onyourmarketingstrategyforthatmonth
Marketing and promotions fall into the classic “important but not urgent” bucket. We all should be doing it, but often those urgent matters that rise to the top of the task list push marketing planning down to thebottom
Having time already blocked out to review community events and happenings, sponsorshipopportunities,andcommunity events can be very valuable, particularly if you participate regularly in happenings aroundyourcommunity
Part of this session should also include what your focus will be on social media and digital marketing for the upcoming month.Perhapsthefirstsessionofthe
year should look at your website. Are all of your information, menu and links current? Isittimeforarefresh?
Do you have all of your social media accounts listed correctly? All of these things take time, and if you already have a block of time dedicated on the calendar, it’s a lot easier to commit rather than kick thecandowntheroad
Once a month, you should also be taking some time to reviewing your invoices and ensuring that what you are paying for your ingredients, and what you projected that you were paying are the same thing Your two variable costs are your food cost, and your labor cost These are described as “variable” for a reason. Without being checked,theycanblowoutofcontrol
You may only need a couple of hours here, but this is valuable time to go through invoices and payroll spreadsheets and make sure that what you think is happeningonthebalancesheet,andwhat actuallyishappeningareoneinthesame
This may be one of the meetings that you are great at scheduling, or perhaps terrible at Many entrepreneurs find joy in the challenge of running their business, growing their business, or even looking at newopportunities.
My wife calls me a plate spinner Do you remember those old spinning plate performers? They have a dinner plate, spinning on the top of a tall rod, and the moretheytwirltherod,theplate keeps spinning and stays upright As soon as one of the rods starts to lose its momentum,theplatestartstowobble,and if attention isn’t given to it, the plate will comecrashingtotheground
Many entrepreneurs find themselves spinning plates and bouncing between each pole to keep them spinning This can be exhausting, and if you don’t have any way to relieve the stress or blow off some steam, this could have disastrous outcomes
Perhaps once every two or three weeks, scheduleanhourortwoforyourselftodo something that you like. Go on a hike or play some tennis It might even be taking some time off to visit some other ice creamorfrozendessertstores
Timeawayfromyourbusinesscanbean extremely valuable way of reinvigorating your entrepreneurial spirit and not sufferingfromburnout
Yes, there will be many daily, weekly, and other monthly meetings that you can schedule in and around these blocks of time But in reality, if you don’t get onto your calendar nice and early and block out some of these important, but not urgent sessions, you will find it very hard tofindtimewhenyouareinthethickofit
The years move fast, but social media moves faster Staying informed on social media marketing trends is crucial for brands to boost engagement, reach, and conversion rates while simultaneously building customer loyalty and a unique brandimpression HereatTargetMarket,we know a thing or two about staying up to datewiththelatestsocialmediamarketing trends. Check out the projected trends for 2023!
Augmented reality is a subsection of artificial intelligence and is predicted to become mainstream in the coming years Not only does it allow your brand to improve its promotion and advertising efforts,butitalsoreinventshowconsumers share, communicate, and create content on various social platforms Some benefits ofARinsocialmediamarketinginclude
‘Try’beforeyoubuy Immersiveexperiences
Brandedfilters
With the benefits of augmented reality beingsogreatandadaptationsoeasy,the number of mobile AR users is expected to reach1.4billionin2023.
Influencer marketing is not a new phenomenon Big brands such as Dunkin’ will collaborate with influencers that boast millions of followers to increase sales However,in2023micro-influencersare
expected to lead to great success compared to celebrity endorsements
Although micro-influencers have smaller audiences, they often have higher engagement rates and a lower price point. For your social media marketing in 2023, partnering with several smaller influencers with niche communities may resultinabetterreturnoninvestment
It’s no secret that video is king Unlike static images, video offers a landscape to express creativity in such a crowded space. As 2023 approaches, audiences continue to consume more and more short-form video content. Is this due to our depleting attention spans? Maybe Regardless, video is here to stay Apps like Tik Tok have proven consumers ’ appetite for short-form videos, which expanded to other platforms such as Instagram reels and YouTube shorts Short-form videos can be a great addition to your social media marketing strategy in 2023 If you don’t know where tostart,TargetMarkethasyoucovered.
SocialmediaplatformssuchasFacebook are entering the market early with an audiocreationtoolthatwillallowusersto create “Soundbites” According to Facebook, Soundbites are creative, shortform audio clips for capturing anecdotes, jokes, moments of inspiration, and more. In addition to Soundbites, Facebook is addingapodcastfeatureandliveaudio
rooms in Facebook and Messenger. Facebook is not the only one jumping on the social audio bandwagon. Twitter also has voice tweets and Twitter spaces, while LinkedInhasAudioEvents.
UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) codes are used to track and measure the effectiveness of digital marketing campaigns, including those on social media. Hootsuite outlines the three main benefitsofUTMtags,including
Track the value of social marketing programs and campaigns to measure ROI
Provide precise data about conversion ratesandtrafficsources
Allow you to test on individual posts in anA/Btestingstyle
UTM codes are pieces of code that get added to URLs and are among the most accurate way to measure and prove the value of your social media efforts, refine your social media marketing strategy, and trackinfluencermarketingresults
Well here we are in 2023, and who else is looking forward to a cracking year of excitementandscooping??IknowIam.
Among all of the other fun “off season ” activities you are more than likely involved in right now, may I suggest we take a couple of days to review where our pricing isanddeterminewherewewillbetweaking the menu boards? You may be taking a double take there and questioning to yourself,“Acoupleofdays??”
Traditionally ice cream and frozen dessert businessownerswouldhaveacursorylook atthepastyear'ssales,andsimplywavea “3% to 5%” wand over the menu for next year and call it a day Well last year wasn’t any ordinary old year Fuel and energy prices went through the roof. The butter index, which drives the commodity pricing for dairy products in the US, has spiked to an all time high, and pretty well everything thatweusetomakeupourfabulousmane itemshasriseninpriceoverthepast6to8 months
So,whenwelookstrategicallyatourpricing for this coming season, I think we need to do a little more research So, as we dig a little deeper into raising prices, let’s talk about a little history, before we jump into factoringinthefuture
I don’t think any of us really maximize the full use of our POS or register systems The reportsanddatathatwecanmineis
almost endless. However, there are some simple and essential reports we can run todeterminewhatshouldevenfeatureon ourmenusthisseason
The first of which is the percentage of sales each item on the menu is reporting across your total yearly sales. If you have a menu item that is markedly lower in sales than others on the menu, you really need to consider taking it off It doesn’t need to go to the flavor graveyard altogether; A lot of these items can still perform well as a seasonal item or a limitedtimeoffer.
And let's face it; not every menu item is a winner, but I think when you pull the data, you will find that there may be 2 to 5 itemsthatyouknowjustaren’tsellingwell. It'stimetotakethemoff
You may not even have to replace them with anything Less can be more when it comes to an ice cream shop menu. Too many of us like to pack the menu to make itlookfull,ratherthanconcentrateonitems that are really popular and sell well Once you have carved some of the dead wood away,wecanconcentrateonsomeofyour costs
Whenwasthelasttimeyoureallysatdown with a price list, a spreadsheet and honestly figured out how much each item on the menu actually costs you I’m not talking about “off the top of your head” or an accurate guess. I’m talking about breakingdownthebuildingblocksofeach menu item and accurately listing the current cost of each element of that menu item. For example. Lets break down the elementsofahotfudgesundae:
1x12ozsundaecup
3 x 3oz scoops of vanilla ice cream (include the landed cost of that vanilla as well)
2pumpsofhotchocolatefudge
2spoonsofnuttopping
1dollopofwhippedcream
1maraschinocherry
1spoon
1Napkin
¼ofalid
Hitupyoursuppliers
You should have a breakdown like this of every single item you have on your menu. From every size cone to your medium and large, frozen beverages, and each, and every flavor you have in the case, if this appliestoyou
You can’t just guesstimate want items fit into each Sundae. You have to be very specific and targeted to cover every menu itemyouhaveonyourmenuboard.
For example, you will note that I listed a quarterofalid Thiswouldbeanexample where we don’t give a lid out with every single item, but we calculate that about one in four customers may ask for a lid. Your employee should not be encouraged to offer a lid. You are more than willing to provide one if they ask, but simply offering a lid to every single customer, whether they want one or not, doesnotmakegoodfinancialsense
This whole process of calculation may fill many tabs of a spreadsheet. Remember, you have already peeled off some of the menu items that don’t sell well, so you onlyreallyneedtodothiscalculationwith thosethatyouknowarepopular
If you ’ re in the premium ice cream or gelato game, you should have a tab on your spreadsheet for every single flavor thatyoumake Aniceeasyvanillashould only contain your base and a vanilla extract Something more complicated like a black raspberry cheesecake, should include your base, your cheesecake extract or syrup, your cheesecake bits, yourribbonofblackraspberrypurée,your pie crust pieces, and everything else you putinthisflavor.
Allofthismaysoundalittletedious,butit is a must if you truly want to master the process of knowing exactly what you sell, and what it actually costs you I know what you ’ re thinking I didn’t get into the Ice-Creambusinesstoslaveoverahot spreadsheet late at night, looking at how manymini-M&MsIneedtomakeup aflurry,andhow much they cost Yes, this isn’t the sexy part of owning an ice cream shop But it isoneofthe essentialparts.
Once you have worked through all of this costing,youcanfeelconfidentknowingthat this information will help you focus on communicating with your suppliers in vendors, and also help you refocus on portioncontrol.
OK Nowthatyouhaveallofthisinformation in your arsenal, it’s time to start looking to reduce some of the food, cost percentages, orcostofgoodsonthespreadsheet
A call or an email to your suppliers asking for updated pricing should be on your list of things to do at the beginning of every season If you have continually grown your business,andyourvolumeorderedlastyear was more than the year before, surely that isworthareductioninpricing.
Never be embarrassed or reluctant to ask a supplier for a price break. Remember, as you grow your business, they grow theirs, so any assistance they can give you to be more profitable and sell more items, they are going to benefit from in the long term anyway
If you don’t qualify for a volume discount, ask your suppliers about new products, or differentsuppliersthatcanprovideasimilar quality product that you are using for a reduced price. This is only one element of doingtheresearchonapriceincreasebutit is an important one At least you can feel comfortableknowingthatyouhavethebest possiblepricefromyoursuppliers
You may come across another supplier, either online or around town, that may have oneortwoitemsforaslightlycheaperprice, butyoumaythinkthatitwouldbemoreofa hassle to bring on a new supplier for one item only You need to get this thought out ofyourmind.
Let’s say for example my 12-ounce sundae cup is costing me $15 from my regular broadline distributor I may do some online research or find out that another paper supplierintownhasthatverysamecup,or something almost exactly the same for $10 lessabox
I would be going back to my initial supplier andsaytohim,hey,Ihavesomeoneelsein town with a better price than yours on this Sundae cup Can you match it? This conversation can only really go two ways. Theycanmatchit,andyoucancontinueto order the same cup from the same supplieralittlecheaper,ortheycantellyou that they are locked into their pricing, and theycan’tdoanythingforyou.
In my opinion, you need to then go to that second supplier and start buying that one product from them. This sent the message toyourinitialsupplier,thatyouarewillingto overlook convenience, to ensure the best pricingyoucanget
This may mean a little more bookwork, and dealingwithoneortwomoresuppliers,but keeping your core suppliers honest, and knowingthatthereareothersinthemarket that are providing good competition, is essentialinensuringtheprofitabilityofyour business.
Nowthatyouknowyourmenuispopulated with items that are popular and will sell, and you have the best possible pricing structureafterdoingsomeresearch,nowis the time to determine what the price increasewillbe,andwhetheritwillapplyto everything, or just selected items on the menu
Selectitemstoincrease. There are two ways to look at price increasesforyourproducts Youcaneither
just apply an increases for your products. You can either just apply an increase to everything on the menu, or you can select certain items that you know are higher in yourcostingandaresellingwell
I personally don’t think that your whole menu deserves a price increase. After the research that you ’ ve done, you will be able to see that some menu items are well priced, and increasing them for the sake of it, may not go down well with your customers.
You really need to look at those items that sell well but are a little more expensive to make These are the items you should be concentrating on as a price increase. Again, in previous years, ice cream shop owners would throw a 3% to 5% increase in, but last year many ice cream shop owners bumped that percentage up to 8% or 12% onsomeitems
Youknowyourcustomersbetterthanmost, and you should have a really good feel for the demographic and the vibe of your customer base Remember, general increaseinpricingoffood,andinparticular ice cream products will be no surprise to them Many of your customers are already well aware of the rising costs of fuel and food
But remember, that this simple ice cream treat, or what we call an inexpensive 15minute vacation down to the ice cream shop,isoftenastressrelieveroramoment totakeastepbackfromthestressesoflife, and just enjoy a sweet treat to take the edge off some of the troubles they are goingthrough
Iwillalsoaddthatmanyofyourcustomers are not coming into your shop just to get icecream.Theyarethereforacelebration, oracommiseration,orapickmeup,or
treating a family member for a job well done
Also, people are paying for their entire experienceandnotjusttheicecreamitself
If your business is well decorated, with a beautifulwaftofwafflecones,andsoothing music, with excellence in customer service, you can charge a little more knowing that the overall experience in your store is what yourcustomersarepayingfor.
I really do think that this research is essential, particularly this coming year People are watching what they are spending money on, and ice cream and frozen dessert is a relatively inexpensive novelty or treat, but do you want to make sure you are giving them the best experienceforareasonableprice.
The only way you can really do that, is understanding exactly how your costs and prices are in relation to each other, and ensuring you are building your financial elements to benefit you and your business forthecomingyear.
NewYearsDay:1
NationalBuffetDay:2
DrinkingStrawDay:3
NationalChocolateCoveredCherryDay:3
TriviaDay:4
NationalKetoDay:5 WhippedCreamDay:5
NationalShortbreadDay:6
ThreeKingsDay:6
NationalPlayOutsideDay:7
NationalEnglishToffeeDay:8
NationalHotTeaDay:12
RubberDuckyDay:13
NationalBagelDay:15 FigNewtonDay:16
NationalRyeWhiskeyDay:17 PopcornDay:19
NationalCheeseLoversDay:20 NationalPieDay:23
NationalPeanutButterDay:24
NationalIrishCoffeeDay:25
NationalPeanutBrittleDay:26
FruitcakeTossDay:28 NationalPuzzleDay:29 CroissantDay:30
Candy-MakingDay:1
CrepeDay:2
BubbleGumDay:3
NationalIceCreamForBreakfastDay:4
WorldNutellaDay:5
InternationalFrozenYogurtDay:6 OperaDay:8
NationalPizzaDay:9
NoOneEatsAloneDay:10
Don'tCryOverSpilledMilkDay:11
SuperBowlLVII(57):12
Galentine'sDay:13 ValentinesDay:14
NationalGumDropDay:15
NationalAlmondDay:16
RandomActsofKindnessDay:17
NationalDrinkWineDay:18
ChocolateMintDay:19 PresidentsDay:20
InternationalPancakeDay:21
GeorgeWashington'sBirthday:22
NationalChiliDay:23 TootsieRollDay:23 TartarSauceDay:24 WorldPistachioDay:26 NationalRetroDay:27
NationalToothFairyDay:28 LeapYearDay:29 Superman'sBirthday:29
Heythere,SupplierMember.Hopefullyby nowyouhaveseenquiteafewchangesin thewaytheassociationisimproving memberbenefitsandcommunicatingwith ourmembers
Ourmainmethodofcommunicationisstill ourmonthlyBulletinpublishedonthe10thof eachmonth Upuntilrecently,TheBulletin hasstruggledtoattractadvertisersandwe havebeenofferingfreeadstothosesupplier memberswhocontributedanarticle
ImmediatePastPresident
DaveDeadman,ChocolateShoppeIce Cream,Madison,WI
ExecutiveDirector
SteveChristensen,Wildwood,MO
ExecutiveCommittee
KellyLarson,SweetTemptations,Grand Haven,MI
NominatingCommittee
DaveDeadman,ChocolateShoppeIce Cream,Madison,WI
ConventionCommittee
KellyLarson,SweetTemptations,GrandHaven, MI
MembershipCommittee
RickPizzi,PizziFarms,Waltham,MA
IceCreamClinicCommittee
ChristineD’Amico,OvertheTop,PleasantHillIA
ScholarshipCommittee
SueKloter,KloterIceCreamBarn,Ellington,CT
The Association is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in all of its endeavors. To that end, we shall not tolerate any words or acts of discrimination, harassment or any inappropriate behavior in general against any person affiliated with the association, including its members and guests, with regard to race, sex, color, creed, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status or sexual orientation.
This Bulletin is published by: The North American Ice Cream Association PO Box 601 Wildwood, MO 63040
This issue of The Bulletin is now available online at www.icecreamassociation.org. Click on the Members Only button and enter your Username and Password If you cannot find your Username and Password, call the office at 866-3036960 or send an e-mail to info@theicecreamassociationorg requesting the information.