The Most Refreshing Beverage Is Choice
F inding ways to customize and personalize experiences to customers’ tastes can inspire your own beverage trends and create fresh, memorable experiences. So how do you make customers feel catered to? While it’s not realistic to make your business about each individual who walks through the door, it’s not as hard as you might think to make them feel that way. Customization and personalization can occur in even the smallest of details—and it’s those details that often create the biggest impact—creating an experience that truly feels special.
Are Customers Really Expecting a Customized Experience?
With so many operations having had to streamline menus and offerings due to pandemic challenges, this is a fair question. The short answer: yes. According to Technomic’s Future of LSR Consumer 2020 Trend Report, customization is widely expected at limited-service restaurants. In both fast food and fast casual segments, 37% of consumers expect to have the ability to customize their order. Signature items can help brands differentiate their menus, but it’s just as vital that consumers have the ability to customize orders to their liking.
4 Quick Ways to Kick-Up the Customization Factor
Beverages can be both an easy and memorable way to create a unique experience for each customer. According to Technomic’s 2021 Beverage Navigator, customers are still looking for variety and customization, especially when it comes to beverages.
- Shake up your menu with unexpected flavors (MTN DEW® Major Melon or Pepsi® Soda Shop varieties), LTO beverages or options that recognize dietary needs (like Zero Sugar or even vitamin or probiotic enriched).
- Offer add-ins from functional (like immune-boosting vitamin C or energy shots) to flavorful (enhancements like juices, an additional soft drink, and simple syrup, which could even include your own housemade recipe).
- Create a secret menu with a couple of fun craft soda flavor mashups. You can come up with as little as one or have each employee create their own favorite.
- Some Pepsi® fountain equipment offers up soft drink favorites with the option to add “flavor shots” or create featured recipes customers can take care of all on their own.
Top off a customized experience with a handwritten note of thanks on to-go packaging or the receipt. That personal recognition of the choice they made to dine with you makes them feel even better about their unique experience and the fact that they chose your operation.
