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One of the interesting dilemmas for selling tasty products on the internet is to make your product so enticing visually and verbally that people will order it without tasting it. Of course those companies with a point of sale (pos) opportunity such as a bakery with a store front have an advantage over companies who use an internet site exclusively. From a marketing perspective it seems a seller who has both an internet site and a pos product may have the best of both worlds except they are two distinct business models and may or may not work well together.
For companies that offer treats such as cakes, cheesecakes, and desserts it is most important to have both a stunning visual presentation and mouthwatering descriptions of your product. To get stunning photos it is worth the money and effort to use professional quality lighting and techniques that offer visually appetizing images. These images must be clean and crisp and show not only the outside of the product but also the inside. Many of the products are layered and without the inside shots, the customer won't be able to see how many layers of cream or filling are used. It is also worth the extra effort to use the nicest utensils and platters since you are selling a premium product at a premium price. Shortcuts don't work in showing off your product just like they don't work in making your products.
Another area that is often overlooked is being able to get these products out in a timely manner. When it's possible to buy point of sale on the internet, it is most important to be able to get your product to the customer exactly when they need it. Especially since your first-time customer will be impressed or not by the timeliness of your delivery. By running your company professionally and utilizing bar code scanners and other pos systems you will have complete control of your inventory and shipping departments. Next to getting the customer enticed with your visually stimulating images and your verbally enticing descriptions and getting them to place their order, you must get your product shipped and into their hands when you told them they would get it. Can you imagine getting a birthday cake delivered the day after the birthday party? The internet based company relies heavily on timeliness and good feedback.
Of course, even if you get the customer to buy your product with the highest quality images and the mouth watering descriptions, you must have a product that tastes good. There are many products on the market that you're competing with. These are the products that people can drive their car to the shop, talk to the baker of sales person, get a taste test, smell and see the prior to buying it. They can even change their mind at the last minute. With the internet you have to make it so compelling that they are willing to give you a try. You only get one shot. At the pos bakery, the customer can taste products until they find one they like. From the internet your customers get to taste the one they picked from the images and descriptions and they don't get to change their minds. However, they don't need to drive or take public transportation, they don't need to take the time out of their busy day and they get the tasty dessert when they need it and where they need it. If the product is as good or better than any the customer can try at a bakery, using the internet in these busy times seems like a winner.
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