4 Top Tips for Retailing Unusual or Novelty Wholesale Sweets

If you're in the business of retailing wholesale sweets, finding a line of sweets or chocolates that nobody else in your area sells is a great way to increase your profits and get people to talk about your brand. There are, however, a few points to remember to help make it easier to sell novelty or the more unusual lines of sweets. Here are some of the more important things to keep in mind.

Do Your Research

First things first: do your research. If you plan to start retailing something a little different from the normal wholesale sweets, you need to know what you have at your disposal. Research a cross-section of catalogues to take note of the kinds of sweets and chocolates each supplier sells. Don’t limit yourself to one supplier either – variety definitely pays dividends in the confectionery industry. Also, don’t be afraid to explore the sweets being offered by other cultures. You may be surprised how well Chinese, Jewish and Indian sweets (just for example) can sell – even to customers who have no idea about those cultures. The more options you have, the easier it will be to identify potential novelty confectionery to sell.

Find Out More About Your Customer Base

This is common advice for any business involving repeat customers, but it is especially important when you plan to retail novelty or unusual wholesale sweets. Age, income and tastes are three very important factors to note when analysing what potential buyers want. If you notice a lot of health-conscious customers walking through your doors, sugar-free (aka guilt-free) sweets could catch their interest. Finer sweets like truffles and liqueurs could work for upmarket customers, while the younger, tech-savvy demographic might be tempted to snap up chocolates shaped like a computer mouse or other gadgets, for example.It's impossible to list what could appeal to the various demographics, but the point is, the more you know about your customer base, the easier it will be to find novelty products that will appeal to them.

Set a Balance

Selling a new line can spark demand that did not exist before, or it can turn people off because of how strange and weird it seems. There is actually no magic formula for determining whether you’re looking at a success or failure. One tip, though, is to look at the sweets that already sell well and study their characteristics. Shape, texture, flavour, packaging, ingredients – you can take what already works and deviate just a little bit to get people curious enough to try a new product without being put off by its strangeness. Buying a small batch and giving away a few samples is a good way to gauge demand for a new product. It’s loss leading, true, but it is excellent for obtaining feedback before committing to a larger order of wholesale sweets.

Sell the Experience Last but definitely not the least, make sure to emphasise that you’re not just selling sweets but an experience as well. People try out unusual confectionery because they want something different - they want to taste something that transports them to a place they've never been before. Be enthusiastic and create a marketing buzz (no matter how minor) about any new unusual or novelty product – don’t just plonk it on a shelf and expect it to walk out the door.

Diversity makes the retail world go around, and nowhere is this truer than in the confectionery industry.

Angelina Moufftard works for HF Chocolates, suppliers of high quality wholesale sweets to the retail trade and others who wish to purchase wholesale quantities of chocolate and confectionery. Renowned since 1957, we've sourced the best suppliers from France, Spain, Germany, Holland, Belgium, the USA and UK. Our great tasting and beautifully packaged products also represent excellent value for money.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.