March 19, 2014

3 Ideas to Promote Profitable Deli Sales

3 Ways To Use Digital Media To Promote Deli Department Sales
This week we’re showcasing three retailers who have found cost effective ways to drive new business to their Deli departments using low cost digital media.  Unless you take the initiative to pull in new customers to your Deli department you won’t see sales spikes that these retailers are seeing. 
 
It doesn’t take much effort, just a commitment to consistently promote your Deli every day- not just in your weekly ad. With Digital Media you can accomplish this. 
 
This week’s Idea of the Week shows you how to use Text Messaging, Digital MenuBoards and FaceBook for Business posts to help you draw traffic to your Deli Department. 
 
                                                                                                                                                          
 
Idea 1:  The “Daily $5 Lunch Deal” – Weber’s IGA 
Media:   Text Messaging Program
Cost:       $10 per text message offer send out
 
Summary:  At 10 am each morning, Weber’s IGA sends out a text message offer to those who have subscribed to their “Weber’s $5 Daily Deal.” 
Perfect timing at 10 am as people at work or at home see the text message arrive and begin thinking about lunch plans. 
With the $5 Daily Deal it only takes 5 customers to amortize the cost of the program.  It’s been well documented that text message promotions receive over 90% open rates. 
 
Other benefits:  Bringing in a lunch crowd each day is a great benefit but it also provides an opportunity for the lunch crowd to pick up the items on their shopping list that they can grab on their way to the Deli department.  
 
Examples:  Below are 4 of the $5 Daily Deals from Weber’s IGA. 
 
 
                
Idea 2:  White’s Digital Menuboard System
Media:  In store LED screen digital signage
Cost:  1 time cost to design a series of digital menu boards.  The one time design fee for menu boards depends on the number of items needed on the menu board but plan on $75 to as much as $200 to design a menu board.  Once you have the design – it’s your’s to use in all your stores in the future.
There is a weekly $10 per store fee for access to our digital signage library, $5 per screen per week bandwidth/hosting/software fee to allow stores to deploy their own playlists on in-store monitors (LED TV’s in most cases). Stores can set up “time of the day” playlists that automatically launch at pre-set times of day.
Your digital signage program is controlled through a password protected, online system we provide.
Summary:  Pat White, owner of White’s Foods, has digital menu boards in his stores which play a breakfast menu in the morning; followed by a lunch menu, dinner menu, “Meal of the Day” and other digital animations.
Other benefits:  In Pat’s case, he can promote his store’s chicken program (rotisserie chicken, Chester’s Fried Chicken and Chicken Meals) as well as promote his smoked meats program, weekly “Meal of the Day” and even Party Trays.  When the deli is closed, the LED screen can promote products not directly tied to his delis.
Examples:  As you look at the 6 menu boards below, keep in mind that the left side of Pat’s menus do not move.  They are easy to read from 10 feet away.  The right side of each Deli menu board does have movement to attract customers to the menu board.
Excellent ways to economize on digital menu boards by allowing us to repurpose your menu boards to feature different menu choices on the right side of your screens.
         

White’s Chicken Menu Board – Rotisserie Chicken and Chicken Meals

         
Note: Same menuboard as above but right side of screen changes to White’s 3 Piece Chicken Meal

White’s Smoked Meats Menu featuring 1/2 Slab Ribs 

Note: Same menu board as above but right side of screen changes to White’s BBQ Beef or BBQ Pork Sandwich

 

White’s Meal of the Day:  On Tuesday the Special is Meat Loaf
White’s Meal of the Day: Same menu board as above but their Friday Special is Catfish Fillet
                                                                                                                                                                                                          
Idea 3:  Promote your deli menus on FaceBook 
Media:  FaceBook 
Cost:   Your costs to have someone take a snapshot of your daily menu and post it to our FaceBook page.  Probably less than $5. 
 
Summary:  Some stores just aren’t great at planning daily Deli menus.  You can set up your deli menu this morning, take a snapshot of your hot case or even your static menu board and post it on FaceBook.
No advanced planning needed.  If you have “leftovers” from the previous days business, you can put it on your menu today and promote it on FaceBook for “almost free”.  It just costs you the time it takes your deli manager to take the photo and post on your FaceBook pages.
Examples: Check out Raye’s Grocery who posts their weekly menu on Facebook and Real Food Market and Deli in Helena, Montana who posts photos of their soups.  Great ideas from smart retailers.
Also see Real Food Market and Deli’s FaceBook for business post for their Hot Soup Bar.  Including a photo on your FaceBook posts will draw interest to your posts.