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Get your free copy24 August 2022, 07:44 AM
- In our latest Cheese Report, we explore why customer service is king when selling cheese in fine food retail
For businesses who are having to pass on price increases to the customers, the path ahead is paved with customer service. At Slate Cheese they are looking at ways to make browsing and shopping for cheese more of an experience.
In our post-pandemic times people want that human touch and a more personal service could be the key to navigating these choppy waters we are in. “With suppliers increasing prices and overheads and packaging going up, we are having to put prices up,” says director Clare Jackson.
“We can’t discount right now, so we’re doubling down on customer service instead. We’re perfectly placed to tell stories of local produce in Suffolk, and we can give out tasters while we talk about the journey of the cheese. People always get to taste before they buy in our shop.”
Clare makes a point of looking for the positives and notes that people will be more likely to entertain at home during this crisis, rather than spending money on eating out. This means cheese businesses can diversify their range and offer more accompaniments to cheese.
Sunit Mehta, managing director at Rowcliffe agrees. “Consumers will adapt their consumption in a variety of ways in order to save money including trading down, eating out less and buying more value range items.”
At Rowcliffe, they see a range of possibilities for combatting the price hikes in the supply and production of cheese. “The introduction of smaller pack sizes is expected,” he says. “Businesses are exploring alternative sectors and customers to help widen the market. Everyone will be trying to reduce and cut costs in other areas in a bid to avoid passing costs onto customers.”
