Webinar Recap: Drive Impulse Purchases with Dippin' Dots & IGA

As the original beaded ice cream, Dippin' Dots has been a fan favorite for 35 years. In fact, they have 97% brand recognition and 91% purchase intent.*

Now, Dippin' Dots has partnered with the Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) to offer members a unique opportunity to drive impulse purchases at check-out for $0 equipment and labor cost, acting as the perfect summer addition to drive foot traffic to your store.

IGA recently hosted a webinar with IGA VP of Brand Development Michael La Kier and Dippin' Dots National Account Manager Matthew Stark to provide retailers with all the information they need to get started.

"This partnership is a new, easy lift opportunity for our members to increase store traffic, improve profit margins, and up the shopper engagement with a fun product that really becomes a win-win-win for shoppers and for retailers," La Kier said.

Watch the webinar below to learn more, or keep reading for the key takeaways.

How the Program Works

Dippin' Dots are a uniquely nostalgic product. "The great thing about Dippin' Dots is the memories and the emotions that are tied to it," Stark said.

While people aren't going to an amusement park or a baseball game every day, they are going to the grocery store. The IGA and Dippin' Dots partnership pairs the nostalgic appeal of Dippin' Dots with conventional grocery stores, creating a "stellar program to drive profitable impulse purchases," said La Kier.

Due to the unique cryogenic production of the product, Dippin' Dots need to be kept colder than conventional freezers. Dippin' Dots provides the -40°F impulse freezer without costs to retailers. They also provide the set up and installation, retaining ownership and maintaining all freezers used in retail.

The ice cream is delivered via DSD through an authorized Dippin' Dots franchisee network, with DSD controlling all orders and deliveries.

"We handle everything, from setup to deliveries and make it real easy on the retailer, so there's no labor involved, there's no equipment cost involved," explained Stark.

Small Footprint, Big Awareness

The Dippin' Dots freezer

The -40°F freezer is Dippin' Dots-branded, delivering high impact in-store visuals. It holds eight flavors, with a 240 unit capacity in the baskets and 150 unit capacity for overstock, for 390 total unit capacity.

Freezer specs are:

Depth 26"
Height 36.375"
Length 28.75"
120 Volts, 3.36 Amps

Stark recommends that retailers place the freezers in the front of stores, by check lanes, self-checkout registers, or even at the front of freezer aisles.

Distributors typically restock the freezers every two weeks, but arrangements can be made if product moves faster. Additionally, Dippin' Dots have a shelf life of two years, so there's minimal risk of products expiring.

Distributors are well-practiced in handling subzero product temperatures and "take pride in our service level," according to Stark, which helps make the product integration seamless.

Suggested Pricing

The products are single serve, grab-and-go units. Eight flavors of Dippin' Dots' most popular offerings are sent to retailers. With 24 units per case, and an initial order usually between 10-12 cases, the starting cost falls around $600 to $650.

The ice cream offers a high margin dollar per unit profit for grocers, with the average suggested retail price (SRP) between $3.69 and $3.99. Dippin' Dots says a common multi-unit offering is two packages for $7.00. This negotiated pricing can create a profit margin between 30-40%.

With no equipment costs and opportunity for sales growth, especially in summer, the Dippin' Dots program is an excellent option for independent grocers looking to offer a fun, delicious, and top-brand novelty at check-out.

Marketing Capabilities

Dippin' Dots has a strong social media presence, with thousands of followers on Facebook and Instagram. Additionally, they have influencer partnerships and an in-house marketing team.

Stores can use Dippin' Dots' branded signage, window clings, and more to make sure that customers are aware of this offering. Stores can also work with Dippin' Dots to create memorable activation campaigns that drive community engagement.

Lead Time

The typical lead time is two to four weeks for freezer delivery and setup. Thus, "taking advantage of the summer with a new impulse-driving opportunity is still within reach," emphasized La Kier.

How to Join

Contact Matthew Stark (matsta@dippindots.com) or call the Dippin' Dots office (270-575-6990). Retailers will need to fill out forms to be entered into the Dippin' Dots system. From there, they will give your information to the DSD distributors, and schedule the store for setup.

IGA is Dippin' Dots' first major grocery partner, which again presents a unique opportunity for IGA members.

"IGA is true to our hearts here, because we see the value, and we do really enjoy and key in on these strategic partnerships," said Stark.