Nothing says “it’s Christmas” quite like the annual Christmas markets popping up in the local town square. But with this festive tradition no doubt attracting thousands of wide-eyed customers each year, if you’re a food vendor setting up shop, you’ll need to guarantee you’re prepped and ready for a busy month of high footfall and hungry shoppers!
With that in mind, today we’re listing 3 vital considerations you need to keep in mind when opening your Christmas food store this holiday season, ensuring you keep customers happy throughout the festive period.
Are you stocked up on the popular disposables?
Christmas food stalls are all about supplying hearty, warm and seasonal food and drink that can be drunk and eaten on the go. After all, with so much going on, customers are going to want to wander around and soak up the magical atmosphere whilst they eat. So whether you’re serving tasty loaded fries, scrumptious yorkshire pudding wraps or heavenly crêpes, you need to ensure you cater to customer requirements by being stocked-up on the relevant disposables.
Ensure you know what’s popular and stock accordingly. For example, if you’re likely to sell more chips than hot dogs, double-check that you’ve got plenty of wooden cutlery sets for customers to utilise. Additionally, no matter what tasty treats you’re selling, always make sure you’ve got plenty of napkins - after all, what quicker way to get you out of the festive spirit than a pair of messy hands?
Have you embraced the festivities?
It should go without saying, but as a Christmas food stall, you want to embrace the holiday season at every possible opportunity. Not only can this be done through decorating your stall and blasting out the festive tunes (although be warned, you’ll be sick of Michael Bublé by the end of the first week!) - you can also embrace the festivities through your product packaging.
A great way to do this is by theming your hot drink cups. It’s likely that hot beverages like hot chocolate and mulled wine are going to be big sellers as the colder weather sets in, so why not embrace Christmas through some festive cup designs? Not only will this communicate that you’re in the festive spirit, but it’s sure to be a big appeal to customers who are after that cute festive Instagram post - making this a great marketing tactic for your food stall.
Are you set apart from the competition?
The hardest thing about running a Christmas stall is the amount of competition you’re up against. Often, Christmas markets are saturated with a significant quantity of food and drink stalls, meaning standing out against the competition is key to success.
To do this, look to strategically tap into consumer desires by giving yourself a unique edge. This year in particular, more and more people have begun to prioritise environmentalism as a primary factor in their purchasing decisions. As such, why not look to appeal to this desire by ensuring your food packaging is eco-friendly?
By keeping these 3 considerations in mind when setting up your Christmas food stall, you’re sure to experience a busy Christmas season - keeping both you and your customers in the festive spirit as result!