Franchises introduce new product lines to meet consumer demand

Whether it’s burgers and fries or carburetors and coolant, brands are defined by their products. Value, branding and marketing all play their roles, but at the end of the day, purchasing decisions are based on what you get in return for your money. Finding the right balance of products to offer customers can be a challenge, especially for brands in the food and drink industry. Companies have to find the middle ground between giving their fans what they want and providing a replicable, affordable business model to their franchisees. Expanding services Even companies with a very specific line of products are expanding their services to attract new customers and provide better service to their existing clients. Watermill Express, a self-serve purified water concept, is preparing to introduce Waterocks Ice to its franchised locations. Watermill, which kicked off in Colorado in the mid-80’s, specializes in ultra-high-quality water sold in drive-up kiosk locations throughout the Midwest. Its proprietary 12-step “Water Perfection Program,” which includes steps like reverse osmosis, UV disinfection and ozonation, reduces Total Dissolved Solids (anything in water other than H20)from a tap water average of 500 parts to million to under 50ppm. Co-Founder Lani Dolifka said the initial idea to use their water to create Waterocks Ice came to her while visiting locations. “My managers and I do a fair amount of travel through our markets,” Dolifka says. “From our observations, we saw customers purchasing ice from other stores then coming to our locations to purchase their water.” Dolifka and her team decided to dig deeper to see if there was a demand for ice from their kiosks. “In researching that a little further, it became clear to us that providing both ice and water in one stop would be very convenient to our customers,” she says. Waterocks Ice is currently available only at select corporate locations but, due to its success, will be rolled out across franchise locations in 2013. Standing out from the competition Unlike Watermill Express, which operates in a relatively unique segment, frozen yogurt concept 32 Degrees is surrounded on all sides by competitors. “From the very beginning we knew that we had to set ourselves apart from the competitions,” said Jenny Buha, 32 Degrees’ Director of Development and Marketing. “The frozen yogurt market is saturated in some areas. We knew that creating our own footprint on this industry by creating a unique product would create a reason for customers to drive past the competition to come to 32 Degrees.” To come up with those unique products, 32 Degrees has taken a slightly different approach than the traditional R&D department. “We come up with a lot of ideas in house but our two best sources of ideas are our customers and staff in the stores,” said Buha. “Our customers communicate their wants and ideas to our store staff who then communicate to us, but 32 Degrees customers are also big Facebook fans. We pose questions to find out what our customers want and we listen to the feedback.” Buha credits the staff of their Cullman, Alabama location with creating the “yogurt taco,” four different flavors of yogurt made available in a taco-shaped waffle cone. “Our staff is incredibly creative and they communicate so well with customers. We’ve implemented several ideas [our staff] have come up with.” [caption id="attachment_3702" align="alignright" width="300" caption="32 Degrees' Twister blends customers' creations without pureeing the ingredients."][/caption] At the corporate level, 32 Degrees’ two newest products lines are Bottomz and the Twister. Bottomz are high-quality baked treats that are served warm in the bottom of a traditional yogurt cup while the Twister is a machine that stirs up a frozen creation without pureeing the ingredients. As pricing is done by weight, there is no additional charge for either addition other than the weight of the Bottomz itself. Buha, who had just finished a Twister for lunch, explained 32 Degrees is constantly searching for new products. “Another coworker came to me with an idea this morning and we’re avidly researching it today. We hope to something else to announce soon.” In today’s franchising community with dozens of brands competing in the same spaces, products really are what set you apart. Let us know your favorite new product or product line in the comments below!