Last September, we invited frozen yogurt shop owners in the United States to take an anonymous online survey about operational practices, shop and owner characteristics, supplier satisfaction, concerns, and shop performance.
This research project was inspired by the desire to learn more about the frozen yogurt industry by asking consumers and shop owners. We wanted to give shop owners a chance to learn how they compared to other frozen yogurt shops and to hear what consumers were looking for. And, we wanted to give suppliers information about frozen yogurt shops and how the shops felt about their suppliers. The surveys also gave us a chance to learn how our association can better serve its members.
Shop Owner Survey Findings
Our overall impression was that our respondents were optimistic about the future of their business, though they were concerned about rising costs, finding and keeping good employees and the seasonality of frozen yogurt demand.
The survey included questions such as how many hours a week do you spend managing the shop, what items does your shop sell (besides frozen yogurt), how well is your shop doing in terms of sales compared to this time last year, how satisfied are you with your decision to open your business, etc.
We looked at differences based on age of the shop, how much time the owner spends managing the shop, whether the owner had experience managing a foodservice business, and several other variables.
We also asked how the IFYA could better serve our members. The most common suggestions involved providing marketing advice and ideas, providing information on current trends, vendor reviews, and offering networking opportunities (e.g., an annual conference, owner forums). We greatly appreciate this feedback and will mull over the suggestions as we plan for the future.
About the Respondents
We received 59 responses from frozen yogurt shop owners. Thank you to everyone who responded to the survey, provided feedback on early versions of the survey, and helped by sharing the survey link.
Responses were received from shops located in 24 states, with the most responses from California (17.9%), Michigan (8.9%) and Florida (8.9%). Most shop owners owned one shop and were not part of a franchise.
Accessing the Survey Results
We shared our findings with those who took the survey, shared our survey posts, and the members of IFYA’s advisory board.
The full results are also available for $150. To order the report or for more information, please contact us at info@internationalfrozenyogurt.com
A limited set of results is available for IFYA members in the members only Resources section of our website.
