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I am always looking for ways to track my business and to find times of greater success in order to find a way to replicate that year round. I know you probably do as well just due ot the fact that you are taking the time to read PMQ and this article. It never fails that we have been able to find one constant in the growth or peak times of our business cycle: When there are sporting events and when our local teams are performing at a high level, our revenue increases. Sports and our business are inherently joined at the hip. Some reasons are more obvious than others, but when it comes down to it, it is a reality.
The fourth quarter of the year rolling into the Super Bowl is the most obvious trend that we are able to track. In Buffalo, we only have two major sports franchises, the Bills for football and the Sabres of the NHL. Both of the seasons run side by side during the fourth quarter and it is difficult to detail which might have a greater influence here. The region is unlike most of the balance of the country, people love hockey here. We are a stone’s throw from the border. But when we talk to our national and super regional pizza partners, they reflect the same growth during that quarter so we contribute it overall in our industry to the NFL.
Analyze your sales based on the schedule that your pro teams have home games and staff accordingly. In some of our major metropolitan areas nationally, there are up to four professional sports teams. In other areas the college sport scene dominates the landscape. Either way, on game day your business should be firing hot and heavy. There are two customer bases you can attack. One being the in home delivery and take out customer who either watches with their family or entertains a group of friends. The other group is the die hard tailgaters that go to the game hours beforehand and party prior to the start of the game. For both of these categories of customers, one particular focus works: The Combination Package.
Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. They have a group of different people to feed and they want to be economically smart while getting good range and value. And you and I both know what the best value in the market is for the dollar: Pizza! Set up a combination on your menu, not as a discount or coupon. Call it the Game Day special...or tailor it to your local team, like the Buffalo Sabres Super Pack.
In that combination, use two large pies or sheets if you do them like La Nova, and a variety pack of wings/boneless wings, breadsticks, and a soda deal. In one package you create an easy solution for the customer. They are already thinking about the team and the buzz of the combo will entice them to order those items that they might not have selected individually. It allows you to raise your ticket average and eases your preparation as you see that the combo specifically drives your sales for those days that you run it.
Take the items you want to drive and have good value and combine them with the core item, your pizza. Selfishly, we at La Nova would always suggest wings/boneless wings as an addition, but it’s not selfish when you think of how the customer benefits. You offer another protein option for them that they can serve to those who might not want all pizza, and the flavor options and varieties allow the customer to satisfy every member of their party or family.
In conclusion, here are a few other ways to take advantage of this phenomenon. Use your local area’s team schedule as a template to run promotions that are tailored to them. Find out well in advance when and where the games are and instead of door hanging, go to the game and hand out menus and flyers. Set up an arrangement with the stadium to have a kiosk or to have your brand of pizza served at the game. Run ads that run during sporting events so your visibility is greater. There are many ways to take advantage of America’s obsession with sports. The only thing to focus on is this: WINNING!!!