Marketing is a term we hear everywhere. But what does marketing actually look like at bakeries, pastry shops, or coffeehouses?
One thing we know for sure: No small business can survive without regular customers. It’s essential to build long-term loyalty and reward them accordingly. Marketing, advertising, and customer retention are indispensable factors for success in the baking industry.
Why Marketing Is Essential for Bakeries Today
Let's take a look at the market: What are consumers' needs? What are their shopping habits? Who are the key competitors? For centuries, bakeries and pastry shops were the undisputed primary sources of bread and sweet cakes. Today, things are different.
The supply in the market is constantly increasing. That is why the right marketing measures are becoming increasingly important for defending and expanding market share.
Increasing Competition: Changes in Consumer Behavior
Grocery stores, discount retailers, gas stations, and even fast-food chains are already selling baked goods, pastries, and cakes. In doing so, they are encroaching on the core business of bakeries, pastry shops, and coffeehouses. McDonald’s, too, has long since established its own coffeehouse chain, „McCafé,“ on the market.
This situation is further exacerbated by changes in consumer behavior driven by the : Consumers often shop for bargains at discount stores and prefer one-stop shopping and takeout options.
In contrast, bakeries and pastry shops delight customers with top-quality goods and unique creations. Trends such as vegan or gluten-free products are often embraced as a way to stand out from the competition.
Customers expect a clear distinction from the low-cost offerings in retail. They expect product concepts that are precisely tailored to their preferences and want to be surprised. Their baker or pastry chef should offer them a true experience.
Important: Delight customers, don't just sell
So how can you inspire your customers? Above all, through direct communication. Every marketing activity depends on this: If you’ve created a new type of bread, your customers need to hear about it first so they can buy it.
Large retail chains often draw from a larger pool of advertising resources. They regularly send out flyers and brochures and have a large marketing budget for TV commercials and billboards to stay in touch with their customers.
What marketing opportunities are available in your industry? Many rely on traditional advertising, such as counter displays or posters outside the door. Some also use social media platforms like Instagram or TikTok to communicate with customers.
However, this type of communication is very one-sided. It would be better to engage in interaction with customers: Find out what they really want and what they like to buy most, understand their purchasing behavior, and send them personalized offers based on that. This way, your revenue will grow on its own. In addition to studies on psychological buying behavior, having your own customer loyalty program—similar to what Starbucks does, for example—will be especially helpful.
The Next Level: Understanding Purchasing Behavior
How can you influence purchasing behavior? It’s a good thing that behavioral scientists have been studying this for years—you can apply their key findings directly to your marketing. Here’s an overview of two fascinating theories:
1. Our brains like to complete unfinished tasks
When people are brought closer to their goal through artificially created progress, it increases their motivation to actually achieve what they set out to do. This phenomenon is known as the Zeigarnik effect.
2. The closer the goal, the greater the effort required
This illustrates the impact of the goal gradient effect when it comes to rewards: Consumers who participate in a „Buy 10 coffees, get the 11th free“ promotion tend to consume more frequently the closer they get to the free coffee. The right communication at the right time reinforces this effect.
Bakery Marketing: Paper Stamp Card vs. Loyalty Club App
With traditional stamp cards, businesses can’t reach their customers at any time. The digital form of customer loyalty offers major advantages here: Once you’ve identified your customers , you can contact them at any time and benefit from direct, real-time communication. You can find a detailed comparison of both approaches in our article Digital Loyalty Card vs. Plastic Card.
Digital solutions also offer your customers more: They can check their point balance at any time and stay up to date on current rewards.
How do other bakeries, pastry shops, or coffeehouses use digital customer loyalty programs? Primarily through frequent but well-paced communication. These businesses tailor their content closely to the interests and preferred channels (push notifications, text messages, email) of individual customers. Thanks to effective segmentation, customers receive only content that is relevant to them—and acceptance of this targeted communication increases accordingly.
Clear Advantages of Digital Customer Loyalty Measures
Bakeries & Confectioneries
- Through push notifications or email newsletters, customers are informed about new hours of operation, promotions, delivery services, and more—such as last-minute changes or seasonal promotions.
- Products and recipes for home baking are posted online. The bakeries„ “fan base” is continually engaged. This creates an emotional connection.
- Some businesses were able to significantly increase their customer traffic through this relevant communication.
The number of regular customers is also growing steadily. As existing customers become enthusiastic advocates, they recommend the company to others.
Restaurants & Cafés
- Restaurants keep their guests informed about current opening hours and the daily lunch menu via push notifications or newsletters.
- Customers receive the weekly lunch menu based on their preferences—vegetarian dishes for vegetarians, etc.
- This can lead to a noticeable increase in customer traffic within a short period of time.
As you can see, by understanding your customers' buying behavior, you can offer them a much better experience and influence their purchasing decisions in your favor.
Use incentives to increase customer traffic
Incentives not only increase customer traffic and sales for the baker in question, but also strengthen the overall customer relationship and improve customer satisfaction. Happy customers attract more customers and thus become brand ambassadors.
Not least for this reason, numerous bakeries and pastry shops such as Resch&Frisch, brotsüchtig, Hamma Bakery, Stadtbäckerei Kühl and many more offer their customers a custom loyalty app .
| Characteristic | Paper Passport | Digital Loyalty Club App |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | Only when visiting in person | Anytime via push notifications, text message, or email |
| Score | Often unclear or easily lost | Available to view in the app at any time |
| Personalization | Not possible | Personalized offers based on your preferences |
| Data Collection | None | Valuable Insights into Purchasing Behavior |
Your very own loyalty club from hello again
The solution from hello again helps companies increase customer value. Despite the high propensity to switch providers and the simultaneously high customer turnover in the bakery industry, setting up your own loyalty club opens up many new opportunities. You can read more about costs, integration, and features in our article hello again Loyalty App: The 6 Most Frequently Asked Questions.
Through personalized communication and special incentive programs, such as offering bonuses and rewards, customers become regular customers. For example, customers who have their baker’s loyalty club app can earn points with every purchase and redeem them for a reward—such as a free coffee.
Conclusion: Marketing as a key to success for bakeries
Whether it’s a discount store, a fast-food chain, or the local bakery: competition for customers isn’t getting any easier. Those who set themselves apart with quality, authentic experiences, and well-thought-out communication will secure a clear advantage.
A dedicated loyalty program turns occasional shoppers into true regulars—and, over time, turns regulars into enthusiastic brand ambassadors. For bakeries, pastry shops, and coffeehouses, marketing is therefore not a luxury, but the foundation for long-term success.
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About Bakery Marketing
Why is marketing important for bakeries and pastry shops?
Because discount stores, gas stations, and chains like McCafé are increasingly offering baked goods, thereby encroaching on the core business of traditional bakeries. Only through targeted marketing and genuine customer loyalty can they defend and expand their market share.
What is the Zeigarnik effect, and how does it help with punch cards?
The Zeigarnik effect describes how our brains tend to want to complete unfinished tasks. Stamp cards that already have stamps on them take advantage of this effect: Customers fill them out faster because they can already see the goal more clearly.
What is the goal gradient effect?
The Goal Gradient Effect states that the closer people get to a goal, the harder they work. In loyalty programs, this is evident, for example, in the fact that customers make purchases more frequently just before receiving a reward than they did at the beginning of the program.
What are the advantages of a digital loyalty club app over a stamp card?
An app is always accessible, enables direct and personalized communication, and provides valuable data on purchasing behavior. A paper stamp booklet offers none of these benefits and is also easy to lose.
How do bakeries personalize their customer communications?
Through push notifications, text messages, or email, content is tailored to the specific interests of individual customers—such as vegetarian options for vegetarians or recommendations for popular products. This ensures that communication remains relevant rather than intrusive.
Which bakeries are already using their own loyalty app?
These include Resch&Frisch, Fürst Brot, Brotsüchtig, Oliver’s Teigwerkstatt, Simhofer Bakery, Steinparzer Bakery, Gradwohl Organic Whole-Grain Bakery, Rass Bakery, Waltner Bakery, and Dümig Spelt Bakery are already using their own loyalty app from hello again.
