Over the weekend I cited Izzy’s as an example of the lagniappe economy in a blog comment:
“The best example is the case study of Izzy’s Ice Cream (an iconic ice cream store in St. Paul, Minnesota). The owner Jeff Sommers was told to do two things when he opened his shop: 1. SMILE and 2. Give away samples. He disliked the idea of just giving away free samples, so he created his own wrinkle. What he does is allow customers to add an IZZY scoop to each order. It’s a small scoop of any flavor. Great for customers who can take a ‘worry free’ chance to try a new flavor. It’s a little extra that goes a long way. Izzy’s was voted the best ice cream shop in America by Reader’s Digest.”
Here is a tremendous video from @AlbertMaruggi on Izzy’s highlighting both concepts:
Lagniappe defined: A marketing lagniappe, i.e. purple goldfish, is any time a business goes above and beyond to provide a ‘little something extra’. It’s that unexpected surprise that’s thrown in for good measure.
How do you stand out in the sea of sameness? How do you win repeat customers and influence word of mouth? Are you Giving Little Unexpected Extras?
What’s Your GLUE?
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