To meet expectations and needs, exchange goods and services better than the competition, and create value. These are the main purposes of marketing, an essential element in any business today, including the profession of baker-pastry chef.
With 32,400 independent outlets and 2,200 industrial bakeries, the bakery sector holds the top position in France's food retail businesses. The Bakery Observatory estimates that 12 million consumers enter a bakery each day, mostly to buy daily bread but increasingly to find something to eat at any time of day. This creates a vast world to nourish, satisfy, and retain.
Gone are the days of 'mass' marketing, where bakery networks developed uniform products that served as landmarks for consumers. Today’s bakery marketing strategy relies on proximity to the customer, traceability and naturalness of raw materials, product variety, and the digitalization of services and communication. Modern baker-pastry chefs are more likely to run 'bakery-coffees' with multiple consumption moments, spaces for living and meeting around baking expertise, rather than traditional bakeries.
The oldest single-product shop in the history of food has now become a multi-product establishment. This transformation has given rise to many hybrid concepts, from trendy coffee shops to unique formulas like L’Épicerie-comptoir de la Mère Brazier, a Lyonnais food institution that combines a bakery with its Brazier baguette and special sourdough breads, a charcuterie, a dairy, a pastry shop, and a wine cellar.
Today’s bakery is also hyperconnected, thanks to social media and digital solutions that enable various services such as centralized production management and sales data for the baker; the ability to pay via smartphone, a Click & Collect system, a loyalty program, and a subscription to a waste-reduction distribution service for the customer...
Changes
In the early 2000s, pastry sales had become the main source of growth for bakeries. Today, it's snacking that's leading the way, closely followed by a resurgence in viennoiseries and pastries. With the growth of out-of-home dining, accelerated by the pandemic, bakeries have expanded their ranges to include sandwiches, as well as salads, quiches, pizzas, and seasonal soups. To compete with other consumption channels, bakers are now transforming into restaurateur-entrepreneurs. Traditional bakeries are giving way to businesses that increasingly adopt the codes of the restaurant industry, expanding and enriching their offerings, seeking new consumption moments, and riding the wave of new urban consumer expectations. What drives people today: circular economy, organic farming, short supply chains, high-quality or even specialty coffee... Both professionals and consumers want to return to a more sustainable, earth- and health-conscious model. A model that makes sense.
Snacking, once associated with fast food, is gradually evolving into 'fast good,' synonymous with eating well, with a genuine effort towards nutritional balance in the offerings. It is becoming healthier with the success of plant-based options and accessible to all audiences.
Upmarket
Even though they must stay attentive to market and customer changes, independent bakeries are resisting against the juggernauts of new bakery networks and large retail stores. The former have managed to capitalize on the appeal of shopping centers and suburban areas to expand and animate their large outlets, which are hybrid and modern spaces combining traditional bakeries with dining areas named Paul, Louise, Ange, or Marie. These brands are typically found in large food retail spaces that respond with an upmarket approach and highlight their bakery and pastry offerings to better meet consumer expectations, particularly regarding the quality and origin of ingredients.
Enhance the locations
Since a visit to the bakery now resembles a customer experience journey, it is important to attend to every detail, from the exterior to the interior, appealing to all the senses to attract and delight. The first sense that marketing targets is sight. This includes the store’s appearance, its visual identity, the promises displayed in the window, its lighting, and its interior decor. The trend is towards large glass windows with views of the bakery and/or the stocked products. For example, Atelier P1 in Paris offers this dual view. Next is smell, with the scent of freshly baked bread or the buttery aroma of pastries. As for touch, taste, and hearing, these come into play after the purchase, either in carefully prepared packaging or consumed on-site.
The layout of the store and merchandising help increase additional sales (confectionery, small pastry groceries, chocolates), boost sales of high-margin products, and optimize profitability. The goal is for the customer to discover the full range of products offered before reaching the checkout, where they are also met with some enticing indulgent options. It is important to present the products in their best light. The first rule is to adhere to the immutable '5B' rule: the right product, at the right time, in the right place, in the right quantity, at the right price, with the right information. And to make it known.
Digitalization
Having a presence on social media is now essential for bakers and pastry chefs. Whether it's for sharing practical information, showcasing eco-friendly labels and practices, revealing news, sharing recipes or techniques, and presenting new products, social media has become a connection with customers, a sort of mirror showcase. In this arena, pastry chefs are particularly prominent. For example, there are 2 million posts on Instagram under the hashtag #boulangerie compared to 13 million for #pâtisserie. Another indicator is the 13 million followers of Amaury Guichon, the new chocolate prodigy, and the nearly 13 million fans combined of Cédric Grolet, Cyril Lignac, and Christophe Michalak. Benoît Castel, one of the most well-known bakers online, has nearly 60,000 followers.
Agile and resilient despite all the challenges, bakery professionals can rely on other experts, particularly in marketing, through a multitude of agencies offering their expertise to adapt and comply with today’s business rules, from design to communication, to make their businesses profitable. Following this logic, the next 'customer experiences' expected to become widespread include online ordering, delivery, click & collect, and even drive-in services for bakeries.
By Audrey Vacher
Illustration Amélie Fontaine
