It isn’t uncommon for a smoothie bar to open quickly, then close within a month. How come smoothie bars are so prone to failure? Well, there are many ways for a smoothie bar to fail, but it takes the right combination of mistakes or lack of knowledge for one to be unsuccessful. Considering how many people have tried to do this business model and failed, you should question whether you really have what it takes.
Smoothie bars aren’t something new. They’ve been around for quite a while now, and many have met with success — both in popularity and financial stability. However, as with most things, there will always be exceptions.
Let’s look at several reasons why smoothie juice bars fail.
Fierce Competition in the Smoothie Juice Bar Industry
The smoothie juice bar industry is highly competitive, and several players have already entered this space and are doing well because they were able to differentiate their offerings from others. If your business does not offer anything different from other competitors, it will be difficult to survive long term as customers will always go where they can get better service at lower prices than what you offer them.
Failure to Offer Unique Flavors or Combinations
To be successful in this industry, you need to offer something that no one else does. This could be through offering different types of fruits or vegetables than are commonly found at other smoothie bars or by creating new combinations that no one else has thought about before.
Failure to Create a Unique Brand Identity
Smoothies are prevalent drinks that people can buy from any grocery store or coffee shop. Consumers expect their smoothies to taste exactly the same every time they order one. They also expect their smoothie bar to look exactly like all the other ones in town. When you try to replicate another business’s brand image without adding anything new or unique, it will be hard for customers to differentiate between your business and theirs. Your customers may not know who you are and why they should choose your business over others in town.
Poor Location Selection
The first step in opening any juice bar business is choosing the right location for it. It is important to know that the location plays an important role in determining its success or failure. You should choose a place that has enough foot traffic so that customers can easily find you. Also, make sure that the place is accessible by public transportation so that people can get there easily without needing to drive themselves all the way there. Avoid choosing a busy street if you don’t have enough parking space because it will be difficult for customers to find parking spots when they arrive at your store.
Incorrect Target Audience
You may be targeting the wrong customers, which will result in a failure of your business! If you’re targeting people who don’t like healthy food or who won’t spend money on such food, then your business will probably not last long because those customers won’t come back again and again.
Inadequate Market Research
Market research is crucial for any new business venture and even more so when opening a smoothie bar because so much of the success of your business depends on knowing who your customers are and what they want from their experience at your shop. It also helps if you have some idea as to how much they will spend per visit or order so that you can keep track of how much money has come through the door without having to rely on estimates based on assumptions and guesses, which could leave you out of pocket if things don’t work out as expected!
Limited Menu Variety
The second step is to create a menu that will appeal to customers who want more than just fruit smoothies or vegetable juices. For example, you could offer different types of healthy salads or wraps with your drinks so people can get their vegetables without having to eat them raw or cook them at home on their own time. This will attract more customers and make your business more successful because you’ll be able to serve a broader range of customers with different tastes and preferences.
Inconsistent Quality and Taste
Consumers expect consistent quality and taste from their favorite restaurants and fast-food chains. If they don’t get it, they’ll go elsewhere. A smoothie bar is no different. You need to ensure every customer has an enjoyable experience with your business. You can offer delicious blends to please even the pickiest palate.
Poor Customer Experience
Customers expect a certain level of service from any business, especially when they’re spending money there. If you don’t have enough employees behind the counter or are not friendly, customers will get frustrated and leave without buying anything at all — even if they had intended to spend money before arriving at your location. When this happens, it’s bad for business because you’re losing out on potential sales dollars due to poor customer service.
Pricing
Smoothies aren’t cheap. You can easily spend $6 or more on a drink at most smoothie bars, especially if you add protein powder and other supplements to your drink. If you charge premium prices for your products, make sure you have high-quality ingredients and offer customers plenty of customization options so that each drink can be tailored to their specific needs.
Ineffective Marketing and Promotion
The first thing that you need to do is to market your product correctly. You will be unable to find customers if they do not know your product exists. This means that you should advertise and promote your products so that people know about them. You can use different methods, such as advertising on social media, newspaper ads, television commercials, etc. so that more people get to know about your products and visit your store or order online.
Bottom Line
It’s safe to say that most smoothie juice bars are not failing and that there is still plenty of room for expansion in this industry. Still, the information gathered in this article can be helpful when these situations arise. Most readers will agree that keeping a business going is no easy task, but it certainly helps to weigh the possibilities up front. Continue reading for some of the things that you’ll have to pay attention to if you plan on setting up a home-based smoothie business or any other type of smoothie business, for that matter.