Why did you take part in Wake Up To Organic 2018?
We really try to promote organic living in our shop, so we were delighted when we heard of the campaign! It gave us the perfect chance to show how easy it is for people to make the switch to organic. We also knew that it was something that all our regular customers would really enjoy too. It’s a great nationwide campaign.
What did you get out of it?
We were sent a box of samples which had a really great selection of organic brands. It introduced us to lots of amazing brands we hadn’t previously worked with and gave us the chance to really interact with our customers. It got them asking us lots of questions about our ingredients and the recipes we’d used.
What did you do on the day?
We set up a couples of tables outside our shop and offered a free mini breakfast to all our customers on the day. We used the left-over samples and a few of our own products to make a hamper which we gave away on the day. We also gave out 10% off vouchers to all the customers that came in to see us on the day.
Plus, we did a collaboration with a great local pulse and grain company called Hodmedod's. They made up some tasty granola bars to offer alongside our breakfasts. They were really keen to get involved with the event and our customers loved it, especially with it being a local company. As a result we’ve started to stock a much larger range of their products which always sell really well for us.
Was it a success?
We think so! It made people who would usually walk past the shop stop, helping introduce more people to us and what we’re about. All our regular customers really enjoyed it and all the food we put out. We had great feedback. It was a busy day with a great atmosphere. The event has lead to us trying to hold a ‘Focus Friday’ event in the store every two weeks to help bring different brands and products into the spotlight so people can get to know the individual brands and see why we love them all so much.
What was a highlight of the day?
A highlight was getting to work with Hodmedod's as they’re such a great company and so local to us which is something our customers love to support. All the staff really enjoyed the samples and a chance to look through new brands.
How did you market it?
We mainly used our social media accounts to market the event by posting on both Instagram and Facebook, explaining what we were going to be offering out on the day. We shared posts frequently and invited both customers and staff to share it along with us so that we could reach as many people as possible. We also put up the posters and gave out flyers which were supplied to us by the Wake Up To Organic team.
Do you have any ideas for next year?
We’ve already started to talk about what we’d like to offer, as it was such a great day this year enjoyed by both staff and customers. We’d love to do another collaboration, either with Hodmedod's again or new local producers and suppliers. We’d also like to try and work with our local paper to see if they could cover the event and build up a bit more of a buzz about the campaign.