Why Custom Ice Cream Cups Help You Scale Your Business
People eat with their eyes first, and that’s why the ice cream cups you serve your ice cream in are as important as the ice cream. Custom ice cream cups are a very powerful branding tool for ice cream shops, dessert bars, cafes, and other food and beverage businesses. That’s because success in the food and beverage industry often comes down to more than just taste, and while quality products are essential, the way those products are presented can have an equally powerful impact on how customers perceive a brand.
One of the most effective yet underutilized tools for shaping that perception is packaging, and custom ice cream cups have an especially important impact .In this article, we’re going to look at custom ice cream cups, including disposable cups with lids, sample cups, and standard ice cream cups, and how you can use them as a key tool in your marketing toolbox. You’ll learn how to use ice cream cups in a variety of meaningful ways that can help you elevate your business.
Why Packaging Is So Important for Ice Cream Businesses
The role of packaging has evolved significantly over the past decade from something that used to be considered functional first to something that now plays a core part in the product experience. This has happened for several important reasons, including social media, the rise of takeout and delivery services, and the customer’s desire to connect with the brands they spend their dollars with.
Social Media
Social media is the single most important reason that your ice cream packaging is so important. That’s because you can gain massive market exposure without spending a single extra ad dollar. In fact, you can not only get marketing exposure, but you can also have real user-generated content created for you if you create a piece of ice cream packaging that is worthy of that exposure.
There are so many different ways that you can show on social media, and you can choose how you want to show up. For example, if you want to target families in your area, then you might want to create kid-friendly ice cream packaging. That kid-friendly packaging can show up in a family picture, a story created by mom about what she did with her kiddos over the weekend.
Let’s say you want to target the beachgoers who might be visiting the beach where your business is located. If those beachgoers are in their late teens or early twenties, you might want to create packaging that is attractive to that demographic. Perhaps the packaging can include inspirational quotes or just a few words that are highly photographic and align with the thinking of that demographic.
The Rise of Delivery Services
The first impression of your product when it is delivered by a delivery service is very important, as you don’t have the benefit of providing your ice cream shop's experience. That means when someone is ordering an ice cream cup, they are more than likely walking into a well-decorated restaurant, cafe, or ice cream shop that creates an experience of its own.
Or, you might have an ice cream stand on the beach, where the experience is a beautiful day and the beach itself. However, when your ice cream is being delivered, you need to create an experience before your ice cream tastes your ice cream.
Example
Imagine your customer opens up their delivery, and inside are plain round plastic containers like the kind you get grocery store yogurt in. What’s the experience? Essentially, there is no experience there, so your customer opens it up and eats the ice cream without anything particular to get excited about.
Instead of that round plastic container, imagine your customer opens up a bright pink container with ice cones printed on it, along with the name of your shop, logo, and an inspirational quote. The second version is going to create smiles even before they open up your ice cream cup to consume the product.
Custom ice cream cups help bridge the gap between product and the experience, and help ensure every customer interaction is one that reinforces your brand identity and creates an experience your brand is something you want to be sure of.
How Small Ice Cream Businesses Can Compete
Previously, beautiful custom packaging was only accessible to large companies because of huge minimum order quantity requirements. But now, small businesses can also create custom packaging.
Smaller Ice Cream Cup MOQs
Today, small businesses have options with select packaging suppliers catering to small business needs. That means instead of having to order a six-month or even year-supply upfront, small businesses can place orders for smaller amounts. This breakthrough is very important as storefronts can have minimal space for stock, and business owners don’t want to tie up cash on stock they aren’t going to use for another six months.
How Ice Cream Cups Are the Perfect Brand Ambassador
As a marketing ploy, the ice cream cup is genius. A customer does not think twice about picking up with an ice cream cup emblazoned with a logo and walking out your cafe door. As soon as they do that, they become your very own walking advertisement. The more customers you have, the more walking ads you have playing out in public.
On the Street
Think about all of the possible places a person can go after they walk away from your ice cream stand and the number of people they are likely to encounter. Just by simply walking down the boardwalk, they can cross paths with many people. Or they might be walking down the street, and can cross paths with pedestrians, walk past people in cars, or people sitting outside cafes.
In Public Places
That same customer may board a form of public transportation, like a train or a bus, where they will encounter even more people. Or they may head into a shopping center where they can cross hundreds of people. Your ice cream packaging can provide you with significant exposure in the most simplest way.
On Social Media
And of course, social media is where your ice cream cup can really shine, as your customer can bring attention to your brand in ways that you can’t. And a user-generated post goes a long way beyond paid advertisement and can reach real potential customers within your region.
How the Ice Cream Cup Has Evolved
The entry-level cup is typically a simple paper cup with a lining that ensures the ice cream does not make the paper soggy. However, now you can customize your ice cream cup to create it truly your own, and in addition to that, you can get sample-size ice cream cups as well as very large cups. And you also have the option of providing lids.
What to Consider With Ice Cream Cup Design
The most important thing about your design, if you want to use it as a marketing tool, is that your brand name and/or logo should be visible from a distance. While busy graphics look beautiful up close, from a distance, they can look almost like a blur. So when you are conjuring up your disposable ice cream cup design, keep contrast and visibility in mind.
The best branding on ice cream cups is usually composed of a simple one to two color logo and brand name set against a contrasting backdrop. This allows the best chance for your brand to be recognized at a distance and in different lighting conditions.
Additionally, you should also think about the logo and branding placement around your cup for ice cream. Ideally, they should be printed on at least two sides, if not on four sides, so that no matter how your customer holds the cup, the branding is visible.
What Are Custom Ice Cream Cups?
More than likely, you know what an ice cream cup is, but there are many different kinds, so let’s start with the basics and the different options that are available to you. Custom ice cream cups are packaging solutions that are specifically designed and branded for a business. Unlike plain, generic containers, these cups can feature print that can differentiate your brand from others.
With custom cups your can print logos and company name. You can also create an iconic design with brand colors and typography as well as unique patterns and illustrations. For example Ben and Jerry’s ice cream brand is quite recognizable from the typography alone.
In addition to colors and typography, you can use marketing messages, sayings, and slogans. In addition to the logo and company name, you can add social media handles as well as contact information.
Size, Function, Materials
Your ice cream cup can also be customized based on size, material, and functionality to suit different business needs, and this flexibility allows businesses to create packaging that aligns perfectly with your brand as well as your operational requirements.
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Why Custom Ice Cream Cups with Lids Are a Must
You might think that lids aren’t necessary for ice cream, but it depends on the use. For one, you might have customers who want to buy your ice cream and take it to their picnic, beach day, on their boat, or simply be able to walk it from your establishment to where they're going without a fly or bee landing in it. Just for those reasons alone, you might want to introduce lids to your packaging.
However, in addition to those factors, if you provide your product for ice cream takeaway via delivery service, then providing lidded ice cream cups is more important.
Why Do Lidded Cups Matter
Ice cream cup lids make it easier for customers to transport their ice cream without worrying about spills or mess, and this is especially important for families, commuters, and delivery orders. It is also important to ensure the elements don’t affect the quality of your ice cream, and this will help to enforce quality and presentation.
With lidded ice cream cups, you can provide more interesting ice cream desserts with layers and toppings. In addition to all of that, custom lidded ice cream cups provide you with additional space to brand your ice cream cup. You can use that lid for a QR code or new menu items and even taglines, seasonal flavors, and social media connections.
Great Ice Cream Use Cases
- For Ice cream shops offering takeaway
- Local Cafes with dessert menus
- Some Food delivery services
- Special Event catering businesses
Why Sample Ice Cream Cups Is a Beautiful Engagement Tool
If you are involved in a food and beverage business that sells ice cream, you might be quite familiar with sampling. Custom ice cream samples give businesses a chance to create an experience for customers because people love trying ice cream flavors. Now, you have the opportunity to provide sample-sized ice cream cups. Now, you might be thinking that if customers are given sample-size cups, they won’t buy full-size cups, but this is where you are missing out on the real opportunity of sample-size cups.
Sample Size As Buffets
Sample-size cups are not competing directly with your standard cups; they are a new marketing opportunity and a new way to sell your ice cream. Why do people love going to buffets? Because of the variety. If you sell sample-size cups, chances are customers will buy at least three or four samples of the sample-size version instead of a single-size version.
The Smaller Sample Cups are Different Than Mixing Scoops in a Big Cup
If you’ve ever tried to get three different scoops in a single cup, you know that all of the flavors mix, and you don’t get to truly experience even a single one very well. With a sample size, customers can enjoy each individual ice cream flavor in a single cup.
The Benefits of Custom Disposable Ice Cream Cups
Well-designed custom disposable ice cream cups offer the perfect balance of practicality and branding for businesses of all sizes. They provide a wide variety of advantages in terms of operations because they are cost-effective when you order in bulk.
Disposable custom cups are great to use because you can make them truly something wonderful to look at, versus a standard cup in a restaurant. However, they eliminate any need for washing and storage of products made out of ceramics or glass, and all of that simplifies operations.
As your business grows, disposable cups can accommodate an increased brand. And most importantly, even with disposable options, businesses can achieve high-quality customization to create a unique customer experience using vibrant colors and unique designs for a professional appearance.
Wrap Up Ice Cream Cups Packaging
Utilizing custom ice cream cup packaging for your business gives you a great chance to connect with your customers beyond consumption. When you utilize custom packaging, you can provide ice cream customers with an experience that connects them to your brand by utilizing brand colors, logos, quotes, and, as a whole, an experience. If you have questions about how you can customize your ice cream cups, connect with one of our specialists.
FAQS
What are the benefits of ice cream cups?
The benefits of ice cream cups over cones are threefold, and one of the most beneficial reasons to use ice cream cups is that they don’t become stale like ice cream cones do. In addition, cones can break down and create unnecessary waste and mess, but you don’t get that with disposable ice cream cups. You can order disposable ice cream cups and hold onto them for many months, and with that, making it much easier to manage your packaging inventory versus ordering cones that you need to reorder frequently to ensure they stay fresh.
What are custom ice cream cups wholesale?
Custom ice cream cups wholesale are ice creams that you order in bulk, which you can also customize. Rather than using standard plain cups wholesale, many types of disposable ice cream cups can be customized, as minimum order quantities have decreased, allowing more businesses to customize their ice cream packaging. And when you order them wholesale, the costs per cup go down.
What are custom ice cream cups with lids?
Custom ice cream cups with lids are made up of standard paper cups, but they have lids, so you can ensure that the ice cream cups are transportable. In addition to being transportable, you can also ensure the quality of your ice cream remains intact, and no debris falls into your ice cream while it is being transported. In addition to that, if you are a business that provides ice cream via takeout or delivery services, you need lids to ensure the ice cream can be made transportable and arrives in one piece where it is going to be delivered.
What Are Custom Ice Cream Cups for a Wedding?
You can order custom ice cream cups for your wedding by providing a custom design for your cups. And because minimum order quantities have become lower, you can order a custom design even if your order does not go into the thousands. You can connect with a specialized custom packager who will tell you what type of file you need to send for your custom ice cream cup design for your wedding, and the colors and typography that are available to you.
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