5 reasons why home businesses should use Hawkr's Multiple Shops Feature
Think only restaurants can expand by opening up multiple branches? Think again! With Hawkr’s multiple shops feature, home businesses can now expand quickly and most importantly, without breaking the bank or wasting time (time is money!). You can now open up as many Hawkr shops as you like and manage them all from one account.
You might be thinking, “I’m not at that stage yet”, I need to build my brand first”.
You may think that you’re not ready to open up multiple shops but trust me, it’s never too early. By opening up multiple shops now, you’re giving yourself the opportunity to test out different locations, products, and marketing strategies and we’re going to show you the many different ways you can take advantage of this feature, regardless of the stage you’re at in your journey as a food-o-preneur.
When we build features for merchants, we make sure it benefits the largest amount of merchants.
Here are 5 ways you can take advantage of Hawkr’s multiple shops feature, arranged from easiest to “YOU’RE ON FIRE!”.
1. Test out new menu items with less risk
Always wanted to test new menu items in the market but don’t want to put your main brand at risk? We know you’re an awesome chef or baker but sometimes, what you cook or bake may not always be what customers are looking for. The last thing you want is for customers to visit your main store, try your new menu items which have not been tested in the market yet, and not return to even try your bestselling items because your new menu items left a bad taste in their mouth (pun intended).
The key here is to take bold steps to experiment as much as you can while minimizing risk! With the new multiple shops feature, you can open up another store that has nothing to do with your current brand and upload menu items you want to test in the market. If you want, we will speak to your customers on behalf of you to get feedback. This way, if customers don’t really like it, you haven’t put your brand at risk and you would have saved yourself the time, money, and effort of rolling it out to your main store. If customers like it, congratulations! You can now shift these items to your main store.
2. You want to change direction but don’t know if the market wants it
On a similar note of taking a smaller risk, let’s say you’ve been selling nasi lemak on Hawkr for the past 3 years and you feel it’s time for a change. You go and take cake-decorating lessons and find that you’re getting really good at it. You feel like this is your calling. Do you immediately close down your nasi lemak shop on Hawkr and change all menu items to gorgeous cakes? NO.
Before you do that, you want to test the market and see if there is even a demand for your cakes. Just like how you should open another store on if you wanted to test new menu items, you can also open another store if you want to change your entire concept/brand. If it’s a hit, then you can close down your old store and transition to the new one.
3. Segmentation to capture customers in different markets
For those of you who want to take your business to the next level, this multiple shops feature is also perfect for you ambitious busy bees. Let’s say you don’t feel like switching your concept or brand of what you’re selling but instead, you are ready to tackle multiple concepts and brands at once, here’s how you can do it.
For example, you’re currently selling premium cakes on Hawkr but also want to start selling lunch boxes now. All you have to do is create a new store for your lunch boxes!
“But why couldn’t I just sell lunch boxes and cakes in one shop?”
Here are some reasons why we highly recommend segmenting your brand.
i) You may be targeting a different market. People who are looking for premium cakes may not be the same people who are looking for lunch boxes. By segmenting your brand, you can target each market more effectively. Currently, our data shows that there is only a small segment (<15%) of customers who purchase both desserts and meals regularly. The remaining 85% of our customers tend to purchase either one or the other. Of course, bear in mind that as Hawkr grows, this data may change.
ii) You want to be seen as a specialist, the best of the best in your area. Think about it this way. We know Pizza Hut has desserts but, are their desserts really the first thing that pops into your mind when we say Pizza Hut? Or more controversially, let’s say you go to a Japanese restaurant that also sells nasi lemak. Are you really going to order their nasi lemak? At best, you would just not order their nasi lemak but at worst, you may also be skeptical about how “authentic” their Japanese dishes actually are if they have Malaysian dishes on their menu.
4. Private dining option: Hawkr Open House (NEW)
What? You thought home businesses cannot compete with restaurants?
Hawkr merchants can now open up a second shop to host private dining events where customers can select their menu items and reserve a slot. After too many months of little to no human interaction, this is a great opportunity to get in touch with your community and especially your customers who support you! This is also a great way to be able to sit down and chat with your customers to understand them better (If you don’t understand your customers yet, read this). After all, cooking and eating are one of the most intimate experiences we have as Malaysians.
This is open to all Hawkr merchants, regardless of experience level. If you are interested in this, please let us know and we’ll discuss the details with you!
5. Franchising your brand under one account
You’re sure of your brand. You know your customers inside out. You’re at the stage where you are ready to expand to multiple markets. We’re here to cheer you on as you spread your wings and fly!
With the multiple shops feature, you can franchise your brand(s) to friends, family, and people who are qualified to carry on your legacy. The best part? They do not even have to be in Klang Valley or Penang. They can be anywhere in Malaysia or even Singapore (hint: we’re expanding there next). This is a wonderful way to explore a new market without forking out too much money. This is where home businesses have a massive advantage over bigger restaurants. Why? For a restaurant to expand, they have to set up another physical branch, complete a bunch of paperwork, hire a whole new team of staff, and on top of that, have to go through plenty of discussions, research, and complicated decision-making processes to expand even by one branch. Home business owners like yourself can move a lot quicker and less costly with Hawkr’s multiple shops feature!
We recommend reaching out to us if you even have a small thought of franchising your brand. Franchising works differently for every Hawkr merchant so let us work out the details with you. You don’t have to do it alone!
At Hawkr, we are committed to building tools for home businesses to succeed. We're excited for this feature because it enables home businesses to take advantage of opportunities typically only available to big restaurants. What are you waiting for? Drop an email at merchantsupport@hawkrfood.com saying "I want to open another shop!" and we'll reach out to you faster than your grandma trying to feed you when you pay her a visit. :)
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