There are approximately 17 million shipping containers in the world, only 6 million of which are in use. While we’ve discussed in past posts that there are countless benefits of incorporating shipping containers into your business’s up and coming experiential marketing campaign, it’s important to recognize that experiential marketing also emphasizes design and creativity, especially for those in the restaurant industry. Here are just a few important experiential marketing tips that all restaurants should try.
Prioritize Customer Feedback
The shipping container store trend is thought to have been pioneered by Starbucks in 2011 when they opened a 450 square foot shipping container store in Washington. The trend has been growing ever since, and in 2015, Taco Bell followed suit and debuted a 1,080 square foot pop-up store made from modified shipping containers and opened a permanent shipping container store in California in the beginning of 2017. But what these shipping crate restaurants and pop up containers cafes have in common is that they requested customer feedback every step of the way. Whether it’s through surveys or other decision making customer input methods, it helps to promote your brand and engage consumers when they’re involved in the decision making process.
Partner With an Event or Cause
There’s no denying the social impact that any brand can have when it partners up with a worthwhile cause or event. This is especially true when it comes to the restaurant industry. The ongoing competition between brands causes consumer to require due diligence and carefully check the social status of the restaurants they endorse. To put it simply, customers are more likely to identify with and eat at your restaurant when it also aligns with their own personal values. Plus, the customers you gain through this experiential marketing technique are likely to be more authentic and in it for the long haul.
Don’t Neglect Resources
Finally, it’s important to consider the major impact you can have on consumers by investing in shipping crate restaurants as part of your experiential marketing campaign. While many marketing campaigns require significant resources to get up and running, shipping container modifications can be made and designed in hardly any time at all. When all is said and done, shipping container cafes and stores stand to take between five and 12 weeks off a store’s potential opening timeline.
Now that you’re aware of these tips, you can make the most of all of the experiential marketing possibilities for your restaurant. For more information about shipping crate restaurants, contact IPME.