Veganism is a ‘trend’ that isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. The number of vegans in the UK has increased by over 40% in the last 12 months alone. This is to be expected as signs of climate change become more prevalent. Veganism is known for being one of the best ways consumers can have a positive impact on climate change, on an individual level. By eating vegan just one day a week, one person can save nearly 143 kgs of CO2 per year!
But another cause for the increase could be the rise of Veganuary in recent years. It started back in 2014 and now over 2 million people participate. So what is Veganuary? It’s a mashup of January and vegan, started with the aim that people give up all animal products for the first month of the year (similar to the dry Jan concept). Many do it with the motive of being healthy after a heavy month of drinking and eating and of course for the benefit of the planet.
So what does this mean for hospitality businesses? Well this year you should skip the January blues and dive straight into Veganuary. We know it can be a difficult month with the post Christmas lull but Veganuary presents an opportunity to drive sales in a normally quiet month.
Optimise your menu
Freshen it up
Just as you would with your in store menu, make sure your online store is updated with new products. Consumer tastes will literally change overnight and they will go from wanting decadent and hearty dishes to wanting lighter, healthier options. So make sure you have some specials or new items that fit the bill. Aside from this, mixing up your menu is always a sure way to create a bit of buzz and tempt customers into trying your new food.
Utilise categories
The way in which you categorise your products will naturally differ from business to business depending on what sector you’re in. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use categories to highlight new products or seasonal specials. Even now, dietary options are not always as obvious as they could be for customers, and is there anything more off putting than not even knowing if you can eat something? Creating a ‘Veganuary’ or ‘vegan’ category would make it very clear and easy for customers to order.
Feature toggle
If you wanna go a step further, you could use the ‘feature’ toggle. In short this is a way of pinning a category at the front so it’s highlighted and the first thing a customer sees when they enter your store. This is perfect for seasonal promotions like Veganuary. We don’t like to brag (too much) but our product is pretty versatile. There are so many features you can utilise.
Calories
Whilst it should be said that calories do not mean everything, many consumers will likely be looking for lower calorie options. It might be an idea to display calories on your online menu. Or you might prefer to just give some lower calorie options and pop a note in the product description.
January is naturally a slightly tighter month for some after the buzz of the festive period. So any good deals are going to be appealing to customers. Something as simple as free delivery can be enough to entice someone into ordering from you. Offering a discount doesn’t have to be the only way though. Running a limited edition product can create urgency and encourage a customer to buy from you too.
The most important thing is that you tell people! Why not use the promotional banner in your controls to display your message nice and clearly.
We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again! Whatever you do, make sure you’re shouting about it. Social media is the perfect platform for this. It’s cheap and what’s more vegan food is pretty ‘trendy’ at the moment so topics like Veganuary will be sure to be being discussed. Maybe even consider working with an influencer to get them to try and promote your dishes?
If comms aren’t your expertise we can help you out. We’ve got a team or experts who you can work with to produce email and SMS campaigns that can really boost your sales and help you grow. Seasonal offers like Veganuary are a perfect time to run these, if this sounds up your street then get in touch!