TCBY Readying Itself To Empower a Culture of Do-It-Yourselfers
Fro-Yo Category Leader and Innovator Introduces Self-Serve Option with New Brand Identity and Store Prototype Design
Fro-Yo Category Leader and Innovator Introduces Self-Serve Option with New Brand Identity and Store Prototype Design
In Response to Demand, It Expands Store Development Offerings to Existing Franchisees
Almost 30 years ago, TCBY, The Country's Best Yogurt, introduced frozen yogurt to the nation with its innovative and delicious products that defined a category and along the way, created the iconic swirl that consumers associate with the fro-yo today. Demonstrating its confidence in the category and its new self-serve model, it's opening its first corporate store in five years in Salt Lake City, its headquarters. To sweeten the self-serve swirl, it's topping it off with a clean, fresh new brand identity and a modern, minimalist store design that speaks healthy, vibrant and youthful.
Consumer Mindset Starting to Shift
Thirty years ago, frozen yogurt was perceived as a treat… a "healthier" alternative to ice cream, launched at a time when sugar free, fat free and anything with live cultures was almost completely off the radar. Today, consumers are more discerning, ever so mindful of what is legitimately healthy. They read labels, track ingredients and are no longer intimidated by words like prebiotics, probiotics, live cultures, antioxidants and superfoods. For TCBY, it's an opportunity to turn up the volume on what it calls healthy truths, all while wrapping the brand makeover and self-serve model around it, readying itself for a promising future and raising the industry bar for those industry players capable of making the leap.
"The fro-yo category is in the midst of a revolution and we are certain there will be causalities. For TCBY, we are rewriting our future – lost leader turned energized stalwart ready to leverage its infrastructure, innovation and commitment to setting the tone for the category's healthy standards," explains Tim Casey, CEO of TCBY. "Going forward, we are packaging up those differentiators around a new customer experience inside our four walls, an experience that synchs up nicely with a shift in the consumer mindset, particularly among Gen X and Gen Y, where they feel a sense of ownership when they have the opportunity to drive the experience, and the theatre. Adds Casey, "In our business, that theatre translates to the consumer's interpretative version of our iconic fro-yo swirl with their choice of flavors and toppings that can change ever so slightly or dramatically, every time they visit a TCBY. Of Course, we have more than 400 stores today that will continue to cater to the consumer who enjoys the 'make it for you' version too. Our strategy will follow a parallel path, but we anticipate tremendous growth from the self-serve model.
Store Design and Self-Serve Prototype
To accompany the new store design, TCBY is enhancing the overall store experience through store-front and indoor signage, packaging, employee uniforms and marketing collateral. With a distinct color palette and welcoming social lounge, the new store design boasts a clean modern design with smart functionality for both consumers and employees. Upon entering the store, customers are greeted by 10 to 15 soft-serve machines boasting 98 percent fat free sugar free frozen yogurt options, as well as sorbet. After choosing their favorite flavors, customers can approach an extensive toppings bar with hot, cold and dry stations to finalize their creation. Pricing is done by weight at $.39 per ounce.
"With our partners at StruckAxiom and Foster Research & Consulting, we took an exhaustive look at frozen yogurt category and conducted research to determine what our customers wanted from their frozen yogurt experience," explains Casey. "The extensive focus group data reinforced our leadership position with taste, but that we needed to elevate the innovative nature of our brand by refreshing the identity itself. Too often self serve can be daunting to the consumer and we have gone to great lengths to ensure it's refreshing, user friendly experience."
Franchise Development
TCBY believes its size and legacy give it a competitive advantage to scale the new prototype aggressively as demand grows. With this new prototype, not only will TCBY appeal to a broader consumer base, but it has already created a strong interest with prospective franchisees. Additionally, the self-serve model offers an attractive alternative to TCBY's traditional model and has generated much interest with current and prospective franchisees looking to develop multiple units.
"This new design has not only surged interest for new franchisees, but existing ones as well," explains Rob Street, Senior VP of Development at TCBY. "Current franchisees understand that the self-serve model is forward-thinking and will serve their customers well in their local markets. We have had several franchisees express interest in not only expanding their portfolios, but also in converting some of their existing units to self-serve. We currently have six self-serve locations in development and are projecting to open an additional 100 by the end of 2011."
Expanding Salt Lake City
TCBY will open it's first corporate store with the new look and self-serve model on July 23 in the Sugarhouse area of Salt Lake City, where the company is headquartered. This will be the first corporate store in five years and the first corporate store for the city. Due to strong interest of the new prototype in the Salt Lake market, TCBY will open its second corporate store in Salt Lake City in September and has created several additional opportunities for those interested in owning their own self-serve TCBY location in the greater Salt Lake area. Two high-traffic locations that are available are the Highland Place in Salt Lake City and at the Red Cliffs Mall in Saint George.