Now That That's Over...

Whew, the holidays were busy around here and the shopping season was good to us here at The Olive Basket!  Of course, the doldrums of January are in full force now.  :)

I've been too busy to do any blog posts recently, so this one is a little different.  This one is more of a business update and insight into changes we're thinking about.  Thank you for your business in 2021, and we hope we can continue to be helpful in 2022 and beyond!

2021

We tried a few new things in 2021, starting with moving to a new location.  The new store in Epps Bridge Centre in Athens, GA is getting a lot more foot traffic, which is great!  Unfortunately, the rent is a bit higher too!  For 2021, I think it about evens out, but we have seen so many new customers this year that I'm sure it will prove to be a good decision in the future!

We added a Membership Rewards program in 2021 and I'm pleased to report we have over 450 members already!  If you haven't checked out our rewards program, what are you waiting for?

We also added a review system to our website!  As of now we have 184 reviews!  And most of them are 5-star!

2022 Plans

Focus on In-Store Sales 

Don't worry, we're still going to ship orders from the website, we're just going to redirect our marketing budget to try to get more in store traffic.  The truth is that online orders have a lower margin, and by the time we add in the marketing, it's even lower.  It just makes sense to focus on in-store sales.  A lot of our other ideas are driven by this focus as well

Customer Education

I've had a plan now for a while to offer an olive oil education / tasting event a few times per month.  I am hoping we can do that in 2022, but it really depends on how this whole COVID thing goes.  I just don't feel like it is responsible to have a lot of people in the store with masks off tasting olive oils.  

Cooking Demonstrations

This one isn't fully baked, for much the same reason.  Also the new store is so much smaller than the old one so space is an issue.  I'm looking at how we can do some simple demonstrations or sponsor a dinner at a local restaurant.

Gelato!

I haven't taken any steps yet, but I have been researching and crunching numbers on getting a real, Italian Gelato counter for the store, so we can offer a few flavors.  I'll admit, this is driven by my own desire to have real gelato.  Also, it should help attract people into the store.  :)

Thanks to all of our customers, we really appreciate you, and we're looking forward to bringing you the freshest oils, the best balsamics, and the highest quality gourmet food items (and treats!) for years to come!

Eric