Starbucks Refreshers
While being known for coffee beverage and their recent dive into the juicing revolution, Starbucks now wants to explore the world of energy drinks which had a good year in sales– being up by
16% in 2011.
The new energy drink will be sold at national grocers and Starbucks stores
In a partnership between Metro and the Sappington Farmers Market, farmers markets have been set up at four Metro transit locations in St. Louis, Missouri for neighborhoods that don’t have easy access to fresh produce.
They farmers markets will accept, cash, debit/credit cards and EBT cards with competitive pricing
Despite the five year slow growth prediction of 3.7% reported by IBISWorld, a market research reporting firm, cupcake companies in the U.S. are planning a rapid expansion for national and internal growth. Magnolia Bakery is planning overseas expansion, Georgetown Cupcake recently opened a Soho location with eyes on Boston this year and Crumbs is planning for a 200 store expansion by 2014- up from their current 50.
What do you think of these sweet expansion despite the numbers reported? Do you think there is a way that cupcakes can still have the indulgent appeal while being a bit more health conscious?
PayDragon
By the scan of QR code or manually adding/deleting product items, mobile consumers can now place purchases on their phone. The app also bills consumers simultaneously with their saved credit card info.
PayDragon partnered with several food trucks to promote the app at a recent event. Patrons were encourage to sign up for the app and place orders for extra free goods
The Chocolate Shop, which was launched last year by Precept Wine, has had amazing success with an expanding market. Originally, the idea was to the product towards females and young people but the company is finding out that the potential for this “wine” is much greater. The Chocolate Shop, known as the chocolate lover’s wine, is made with red wine, sugar, and natural
dark chocolate.
Last year, 1.2 million bottles were sold to a predominant U.S. market
A boost in productivity and rising food prices gave farmers quite a boost last year– earning a net income of $98 billion. Exports have also been helping to increase their bottom line as countries like China demand more American farm products.
Between the locavore movement and foreign exports, this is a great time for farmers
Square Register allows small business merchants to process credit card payments using the Square dongle to the Square Card Case. To use the software, the app is available for free on Apple’s App store. Registered merchants pay a flat processing fee of 2.75% per transaction.
Take a look at the video of the new Square Register. Would you use it in your operation?
The National Ressources Defense Council filed a lawsuit against the FDA to ban BPA, a chemical used in food and beverage packaging. Studies have shown that BPA, also known as Bisphenol-A, has been linked to cancer and reproductive problems.
The French recently decided to ban the same chemical in late February
The fast food market in India is growing annually by 19% to China’s 15% using only one-fifth of China’s budget– $13 billion.
NRN also shows that India purchasing power lies heavily on the younger crowd which is appealing to Western marketers
QSR Magazine answers a great question from an operator on how to get repeat business. First, you need to understand why you aren’t getting the repeat business and then analyze the areas of opportuntity where you can increase it. This can be done by offering variety in products and
pricing, opening the landscape of what your operation is not really known for and
occasion-based promotions.
Overall, a punch card won’t give you the traction you need if your product falls flat to the prospective audience. What are some things that you do to increase customer loyalty?
paigepapers.com 