RETAILING TEA
As a consumable product, selling gourmet tea encourages repeat business and long-term customers. How can you capitalize on the growing market for gourmet tea? The tips below may help you get started:
OFFER A VARIETY
It is a good idea to offer a variety of tea to meet your customers’ individual taste preferences. While businesses that focus heavily on tea may offer an even more extensive selection, most wholesale customer that retail tea carry between 10-20 different types. This makes the statement that your business focuses on gourmet tea, without overwhelming customers with too many choices.
This quantity also allows you to cover the basic categories and flavors customers look for when buying tea. For example, you may wish to offer both a flavored and traditional tea in each category: white, green, oolong, black and herbal. When selecting flavored teas, be sure to cover each basic flavor profile: floral, fruity, tropical, minty and spiced.
CAFFEINE-FREE OPTIONS
Also, it is also a good idea to offer a selection of caffeine-free herbal teas, as many customers will look for these exclusively.
It is a good idea to offer a variety of tea to meet your customers' individual taste preferences. Most wholesale customers that retail tea carry between 10-20 types. Make sure to cover the the basic tea categories (white, green, oolong, black and herbal) as well as the basic flavor profiles (traditional, floral, fruity, tropical, minty and spiced).
BEST-SELLING STARTER SETS
Need help deciding? Our "Starter Sets" include an assortment of our best-selling products and are an easy way to introduce a variety of popular teas. You can view our Starter Sets by clicking here (note: you must be logged into your official wholesale account to view this page.
HOW LONG DOES TEA LAST?
When stored correctly (in a well-sealed container protected from heat, light, moisture and strong odors), tea has a shelf life of approximately 2 years. Although tea rarely goes bad, its flavor and antioxidant levels will weaken over time. Ideally, businesses should turn their tea over every 3-6 months. This allows plenty of time for customers to enjoy their tea at home. At Octavia Tea, we blend tea in small batches and maintain a temperature-controlled warehouse to ensure you always receive the freshest tea possible.
Sipping a Cup of Tea
Offer a variety of teapots and brewing accessories at different price points. Place these items conveniently near your tea display. After all, customers are not going to buy tea unless they have a way to make it! Teaware is also a great add-on when customers shop for gifts.
INCREASE PROFITS
TEAPOTS AND BREWING ACCESSORIES
Offer a variety of teapots and brewing accessories at different price points. Place these items next to your loose tea display, making it easy for customers to find what they need. After all, they are not going to buy tea unless they have a way to make it! Teapots, infusers and fill-your-own tea bags are also a wonderful add-on when customers are shopping for gifts.
REWARD PROGRAM
Create a tea reward program offering customer incentives, such as buy 10 get 1 free. This encourages tea lovers to return to your store on a regular basis and can give you a lead over your competition.
SELL WITH SCENT
Displaying tester jars (small snifter jars) allows your customers to see, smell and experience the beautiful appearances and aromas of each tea. Not only does this create a fun, interactive environment, it also increases sales dramatically. In fact, stores that use tester jars have reported a 300% increase in tea sales. Tester Jars are available for all of the teas in our collection. WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND USING TESTER JARS!
In a retail shop, we suggest displaying tester jars adjacent to your tea display or in front of each tin of tea. Cafés may benefit from placing an extra set of tester jars on the counter, so customers have something to play with while standing in line.
Because tea loses its fragrance and flavor over time, we recommend refreshing tester jars every 6-12 months, or as needed.
You can view our Tester Jars by clicking here (note: you must be logged into your official wholesale account to view this page.
EDUCATE YOUR STAFF
Educate your staff on the basics of tea. This will help them answer customers’ questions and feel confident representing the products in your store or café. The “Guide to Tea” section of this website is a great reference tool. We also have a shortened version of the Tea Guide you can download, print and distribute to your staff.
POINT-OF-SALE/SHELF SIGNS
Gourmet tea shares many parallels with fine wine. As with wine, tea offers an extensive range of varieties and flavors. Because of these intricate and unique differences, shopping for both wine and tea can be intimidating! Wine retailers battle this (and even use it to their advantage) by posting small point-of-sale signs on the shelves, highlighting facts about wine in general and describing flavors and food pairing tips associated with specific bottles. Following this successful trend, Octavia Tea offers a selection of POS signs for free; simply download and print.
Tester jars allow your customers to see, smell and experience the beautiful appearances and aromas of each tea. Not only do they create a fun, interactive shopping environment, they also increase sales dramatically.
Click on "Next Page" to learn how to increase sales through sampling and demos....
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