The past few weeks have changed our view of the world and reshaped our value hierarchy. Still, meeting the basic needs of consumers remains the mission of our industry. What dominates within it should be clearly reflected in the communication of bakery and confectionery businesses. Which online communication trends are worth using in the coming months? Read on!
What’s top of mind in our industry this year?
Sustainable Development
Sustainable development – understood as balancing business growth with social and environmental responsibility – is a trend that emerged long ago. In recent years, it’s become clear that planning a company’s growth with social and ecological impact in mind is more than just a passing fad. Consumers are increasingly aware that caring for their health and taste experience also means caring for the planet. They pay attention to the origin of ingredients, biodegradable packaging, and eco-friendly transportation methods. More and more bakery and confectionery companies are implementing real sustainability strategies – not just creating an “eco image.” These strategies reduce plastic use, food waste, and the volume of discarded bread.
Recommendations:
- Are you one of the conscious producers? Communicate it clearly and consistently.
- Use the power of social media to show potential customers that your company actively works to reduce its carbon footprint and replaces plastic packaging with paper alternatives.
- Share photos, videos, and stories that show how you tackle emissions, waste sorting, and recycling in your daily operations.
- Do refugees from war-affected regions work in your bakery? Introduce them to your customers – let them know that even buying bread can be a way to help those in need.
Growth of E-commerce and Direct Delivery
For a long time, both bread and sweet pastries resisted the e-commerce revolution. The need to maintain product freshness at the moment of delivery effectively slowed the development of this distribution channel. The pandemic forced a shift in approach and drastically shortened the time required for direct deliveries. In today’s conditions, customers can place orders via an app, specifying the delivery time and location — even before the first batch goes into the oven. As a result, the direct-to-consumer market is growing at an unprecedented pace, along with the popularity of online ordering solutions.
Recommendations:
- Does your company already offer direct delivery? Promote it before your competitors do. Share short stories and videos showing how simple, fast, and reliable your delivery system is.
- Encourage customers to tag your brand in posts, share their experiences, and leave reviews on social media.
- Emphasize that customer convenience is just as important to you as the quality of your baked goods.
- Reward loyal customers — their example can help convince those still on the fence.
Visual Appeal of Content
Lockdowns and the need to stay at home made consumers more aware of the visual side of nearly every aspect of life — including food. This sparked a wave of interest in novelty, unique flavors, unexpected textures, and — simply — visually appealing products. Once again, it’s been confirmed: “we eat with our eyes first.” Audience reactions to professionally photographed or filmed breads and cakes are consistently positive. That’s because, beyond pleasing the eye, such visuals stimulate appetite and evoke only good associations.
Recommendations:
- Ensure professional photography and elegant branding (your logo really doesn’t need to dominate the image).
- A consistent visual style is essential. You can achieve it by adding a signature graphic element — such as a white border. This is especially important if you’re active on Instagram or Pinterest.
- Take every opportunity to publish beautifully presented bakery and confectionery products. Let them catch the eye, evoke only positive emotions, and reinforce the association of your brand with sensory delight.
- Emotion is the essence of communication — evoke it by showing not only the baked goods themselves but also behind-the-scenes moments: dough preparation, placing items in the oven, packaging for customers, and their satisfied smiles.
New Trends and Innovations
Upcoming changes in regulations concerning fat, salt, and sugar content in food products will require greater attention to ingredient balance and nutritional value. This will serve as a catalyst for product innovation. Functional breads and health-supporting baked goods are expected to gain a larger share of the market, alongside hybrid pastries. These inventive creations are winning fans and inspiring even more novelties — such as cronuts, crookies, cruffins, cretzles, and baissants. The industry is seeing a surge in previously unseen combinations of dough types, textures, and baking techniques. It’s a tremendous opportunity for brands to stand out and lead the way.
Recommendations:
- Is your company creating new flavors? Talk about it across all your online communication channels — your website, social media profiles, YouTube, and company blog.
- Launch contests where your new products are the prize. Encourage customers to share reviews and tag your brand.
- Besides product innovation, are you introducing customer-friendly solutions at your service points? Does your pastry shop offer a coffee machine or a self-checkout station? Be sure to mention it — or better yet, show it in action. Every way to win over a customer is worth it, especially if it saves them time and effort.
- It’s also worth reminding customers about upcoming occasions to enjoy your baked goods. After all, there’s always something to celebrate 🙂
