Testing New Products as a Small Business: Limited Flavor Drop Strategy
the strategy behind our super limited monthly drops
almost every month during our slower season, alongside our rotating seasonal flavors, we release one completely new flavor that's never existed in our lineup before. a small, fixed batch. this month, it's 240 bags of chocolate hazelnut marshmallows.
we don't do this to create scarcity vibes, i promise. there's strategy behind it!
here's the thing about running a small food business: my own taste is not market research.
i have eaten a truly nutso number of marshmallows developing our flavors. i have opinions. but whether i think something is delicious is not the same question as whether our customers will love it enough to keep buying it, gift it, come back for it next season.
the super limited drop is how we find out! without betting the whole operation on the answer. when a new flavor sells out in hours, that tells us something. when people DM us asking when it's coming back, we write that down. it's a real-life feedback loop based on YOUR real-life behavior instead of gut feelings or hopes 'n' dreams (will forever have a warm place in my heart for our chili mango marshmallow... that no one wanted).
that's like half the strategy. the other half is that it keeps things alive and kickin' for us. it gives us permission to be curious, to try something new without it being a big scary commitment or money pit. yayayay!
this month's super limited drop: chocolate hazelnut marshmallows
240 bags. toasty vanilla marshmallow swirled with dark chocolate and roasted hazelnut from a producer straight out of italy. rich, nutty, nostalgic, and reportedly dangerous to have in the house.
whether we ever see this flavor again is literallyyyy up to you. :)