A customer walks into a shop to enjoy a delicious scoop of ice cream, a delightful cup of gelato, or a frozen yogurt cone for the experience and feeling of decadence and escape. Many have no idea what flavor, or flavor combinations, they want at first. They arrive craving the extravagant feeling of receiving a treat. The way that experience unfolds for each customer has a great deal to do with the humble spoon.
Just a Taste
Walking into an ice cream shop creates sensory overload for many people. Chocolate fanatics might be torn between getting the iconic chocolate, the mint chocolate, the triple fudge, or the chocolate chip cookie dough, and that?s just one flavor profile! With more than 1.5 billion gallons of frozen desserts produced in the United States each year, there is an abundance of choice. Customers may be curious about the newest flavor but worry it won?t be as good as their old favorite. While there will be some who know exactly what they want, there will be far more who want to explore. A single spoon gives them the opportunity to learn more about the flavors in the store, and about their own personal preferences.
A conscientious shop owner will be fully prepared for this and have mini tasting spoons available. This allows indecisive customers to explore in a safe way and perhaps find a new favorite. It?s remarkable the joy a tiny spoon can inspire by allowing for the exploration of flavors.
Date Night
Have you ever noticed how popular ice cream shops are for dates? It allows couples the time to talk, or to have their attention consumed by their treat if talking becomes difficult. A single spoon of shared ice cream can lead to a feeling of closeness that later inspires romance. That same spoon can also serve as a distraction if the date isn?t going quite as planned. Isn?t it amazing how a simple spoon can serve so many potential functions in how a date plays out?
In any given two-week period studies show that about 40 percent of Americans will eat ice cream. It can be tempting to brush off the importance of a simple spoon in the overall experience of enjoying a frozen treat. However, if shop owners encourage their customers to really enjoy the experience it will become more emotionally meaningful and something they will seek out repeatedly.
Recommend patrons close their eyes and be fully mindful of the smell, taste, and texture of the treat when they try the sample spoonful. Offer extra tasting spoons to couples so they can nibble at their partner?s choice. Encourage visitors to savor each spoonful as a brief vacation from reality.