Assortment Management and Revenue Growth through Confectionery Store Automation
Learn how to choose and manage your confectionery store’s assortment, how much revenue can increase through automation, and how to set up easy and efficient tracking of goods and finances.
The selection of the assortment directly depends on location and the purchasing power of potential customers. A distinctive feature of a confectionery store’s assortment is the combination of single-item goods (juices, candies) and bulk items (cookies, cakes). Confectionery items are perishable, placing them in the “risk group.”
It’s essential to offer a wide assortment and keep it fresh – avoid letting products become stale for customers, and run promotions and discounts (such as “new arrivals of the week/month”).
A typical confectionery store assortment might include around 80 types of chocolates, 30 types of hard candies, 30 boxed chocolate varieties, 5 types of marshmallows and jellies, 40 varieties of cookies and chocolates, along with traditional sweets, nuts, and dried fruits.
Seasonality plays a significant role in confectionery sales: in summer, sales decrease, while fall and winter (especially around holidays) see an increase in orders. To accommodate this, add items like soft drinks, ice cream, and water in spring-summer and coffee and tea in fall-winter. Bread products could also be included – customers dropping in for bread might pick up chocolates, cakes, or candy.
For holidays, you could offer exclusive items, like candy bouquets.
You might consider opening in-house confectionery production or a “mini-cafe,” though additional investment would be required.
Markup generally follows competitor pricing (around 35%), with perishable cakes and pastries marked up to 50%.
Orders to suppliers are typically placed every four days, either on consignment or prepaid, depending on the agreement.
To manage single-item and bulk goods, optimize assortment, and boost revenue through confectionery store automation, it’s important to use modern inventory tracking methods to minimize errors and keep investment costs low.
