Special offers and discounts
Everyone loves a bargain - so if you are going to compete with other outlets you may need to attract people by offering reduced prices on an occasional basis.
This can be quite hard for food co-ops as generally the produce is very cheap anyway but it may be beneficial in the long term if it helps you get more customers. You could have an introductory offer to attract new customers, for example by giving out vouchers offering 20% off the first order.
Special offers can also help you maintain customer loyalty and encourage regular customers to spend a bit more. For example, you could offer a free item if people spend over £5. Such discounting can also be a good way to benefit your customers whilst also getting rid of your excess stock, if you have over-ordered by mistake.
Another way to use special offers is to lure back customers who have stopped ordering. People sometimes stop shopping at a food co-op if they simply get out of the habit, perhaps after they have been away on holiday. If you have their details on record, you send them a ‘welcome back’ offer such as a discount voucher to encourage them to start shopping at your food co-op again.
If you are considering doing a special offer at your food co-op you will need to work out how you will cover the cost of this promotion. Retailers generally offer discounts only on goods that they have to sell quickly or that they acquired for free. Rather than offering discounts on produce you might be able to get freebies, such as recipe books or cooking equipment that you can then give away to attract customers.
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