DISCUSSION
Will Instagrammers all scream for Baskin-Robbins' new ice cream concept?
Written by RetailWire Staff
Source: instagram.com/baskinrobbins
Touting a selection of 31 flavors alone can't get people to all scream for ice cream like it once could. So Baskin-Robbins is rolling out a new store concept to meet the demands of 21st century customers (and no, that doesn't mean freeze-dried astronaut ice cream).
Last month, Baskin-Robbins revealed its new store design, which it plans to roll out nationwide in 2019, according to CNBC. In addition to the ice cream the company is known for, the store will feature chocolate-covered bananas, hand-dipped waffle cones, a smoothie bar and other premium offerings. The products are staged creatively and under glass cases. Stores are decorated with artwork from local artists, meant to encourage picture taking and social media sharing.
Baskin-Robbins' new social-friendly store concept comes at a time when younger customers want premium Instagrammability with their ice cream. New York City-based restaurant Black Tap, for instance, has been the recipient of a huge boom in viral publicity thanks to its selection of massive, indulgent and candy-coated "CrazyShake" milkshakes.
And The Museum of Ice Cream, a pop-up "Instagram museum" put together to encourage visitors to take selfies with its wild, ice-cream themed installations, has become one of the most talked-about destinations in experiential marketing. Target has partnered with the museum to try and leverage the pop-up sensation's cachet. The chain is selling the ice cream brand in-store and launching a line of thematically-connected children's apparel.
This isn’t the first time that Baskin-Robbins has mixed things up to try to court contemporary customers. In 2008, the chain launched its BRight Choices line of better-for-you ice cream products to try to meet the rising tide of health-conscious customers, Media Post reports. The chain has continued to offer similar products since then.
In 2014, Baskin-Robbins began selling its products in grocery stores for the first time.
- Here is a look at the new store design Baskin-Robbins is testing – RetailWire
- More Than Milkshakes: Black Tap Restaurants Set The Scene With 90s Hip-Hop Vibes & NYC Street Art – Forbes
- Target's new Instagrammable collaboration is a sweet deal – RetailWire
- Baskin-Robbins BRings Out BRight Choices – Media Post
- Baskin-Robbins packaged ice cream and ice cream bars now available in grocers’ freezers across the country – Baskin-Robbins