Use Jam Labels To Market Your Jam Effectively

_{Ian Renton  | 16/09/2014 | Jam Labels,Marketing Your Food Products}

According to an American survey in 2013, there is an average of 38,718 items per American supermarket. I have visited America several times and they only have slightly more items than a typical Australian supermarket. Now, many of us will recall television advertising or other advertising in order to make a choice on which items to buy. On other occasions, we buy from recommendations from relatives, friends and other trusted sources. Some products such as toothpaste, breakfast cereals and soft drink have big advertising budgets and we can recognise brands from some television advertisements.

However, with over 30,000 products in a typical large supermarket, there was no way you are going to recall advertisements from all products. Of course, not all companies use television and other similar media to promote their brand. We know that virtually all items on supermarket shelves are all being sold. In today's analysis of products sold and placement position, we know that products that were not being sold would not last on supermarket shelves for very long.

For products that do not benefit from television and other brand awareness campaigns, then how do they get sold? It is simply in the packaging and for several products this means the actual label appearing on the product. Let's take a simple product like jam. It is not bought in large quantities. It would be very rare for grocery basket or trolley to contain more than $10 worth of jam. Also, jam is not bought at every visit to a supermarket in the same way that a product such as milk might be.

However, once that first purchased is made, the chances of getting repeat sales are very high if the jam was tasty. There is one way for jam manufacturers to sell their different varieties of jam effectively in a supermarket. That is with eye-catching jam labels. These labels are needed to attract the first sale and are also important for getting repeat sales. Recognition of the actual label as well as the shape of the jar is important to make it easy for your customers to make future purchases of your jam.

What if you are a small producer of jam? You may not produce enough to sell in a supermarket. There are other ways of reaching your target audience. Here are a five.

a) Sell your jam on the side of the road.

b) Sell your jam at a fair or at an outdoor market.

c) Sell you jam online

d) Use joint venture partners to sell your jam.

e) Contact users directly such as cafes and restaurants.

As with most food products, the profits are in the repeat sales. This means your jam labels are just as important whether you market your jam in a small way or in large volumes through supermarkets. As with all food labels, there are certain guidelines you should stick to in your design. Here are ten tips for you.

1. Use colour, graphics and even pictures to make your labels stand out.
2. Choose the appropriate size to match your jam jar.
3. Identify the type of jam.
4. Include your business name and address.
5. Include ingredients including food additives, if any.
6. Include date of production and/or use by date.
7. Provide directions for use and storage.
8. Include nutritional information such as average energy content.
9. Include percentages of ingredients and components of food.
10. Include your country of origin.

Also, as a manufacturer of food, you are subject to the Food Standards Code. In summary, there are two things to consider when preparing your jam labels. Have an effective design that will be recognised easily and abide by all relevant laws.