We just turned six years old. That’s six years of supporting the frozen yogurt industry by providing advice to current and prospective froyo shop owners, tracking news and trends, and offering tools, resources, and member discounts.
Speaking of members, our members can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars on essentials for their frozen yogurt shops. These exclusive member discounts include frozen yogurt mix, frozen yogurt machines, toppings dispensers, payment processing, insurance, and HR/payroll services.
Our Association Includes 2,400 Members
This July, we have 2,400 members in over 100 countries. While most (68%) of our members are in the US, we clearly have a strong international presence, even in small countries. We are thrilled to have IFYA members in 125 countries. About 66% of our members are current (42%) frozen yogurt shop owners or employee and prospective (24%) frozen yogurt shop owners. We also represent frozen yogurt suppliers and fans.
As we take a look back at our past, we’d like to thank everyone that has supported us over the years, including our members, sponsors, partners, and supporters. We wouldn’t be here without you. A special thanks goes out to FrozenDessertSupplies.com, for their continued sponsorship! Remember that you can help support us by supporting our corporate sponsors, partners, and advertisers when you’re looking for frozen yogurt supplies. And do tell others about the frozen yogurt association.
The State of Froyo Today
When considering the US frozen yogurt market as measured by frozen yogurt stores, the market is in a state of decline. With the maturation of the market, consolidation has continued. According to IBIS World’s 2018 report on US frozen yogurt stores, both revenue and the total number of stores have declined. Between 2013-2018, revenue declined -5.6%. These numbers do not include other establishments that serve frozen yogurt but are not considered frozen yogurt stores, automated kiosks, or frozen yogurt sold in grocery stores.
Newer trends are attracting new business owners, leading to fewer new yogurt franchisees. Leading frozen yogurt franchises are focusing on existing locations, including using new products and promotions to drive traffic to an aging store base and partnering with well-known brands. We saw more yogurt shops than ever celebrating National Smoothie Day and National Ice Cream Day.
Outside the US, healthy frozen yogurt has taken off in Mexico. India is another froyo hot spot, thanks to the growth of Myfroyoland and Menchie’s. We’ve also seen a burst of froyo activity in Ecuador.
The Second National Frozen Yogurt Survey
One of the ways the IFYA provides values is by tracking the state of the frozen yogurt industry. We’ve conducted the National Frozen Yogurt Survey for Consumers and Frozen Yogurt Shop Owners twice.
Here’s a recap of what we found in 2018:
US Shop Owner Survey Findings
Our 2018 findings were very similar to the 2017 findings. Survey respondents were optimistic about the future of their business, though they were concerned about rising costs, finding and keeping good employees, finding new customers, and the seasonality of frozen yogurt demand. They were also fairly satisfied with their suppliers, especially their soft serve mix suppliers. While our findings did not show the decline that we’ve seen in the frozen yogurt industry, our respondents seem to be more successful than average.
The survey included questions such as how many hours a week do you spend managing the shop, what items does your shop sell, 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.
US Consumer Survey Findings
The results were similar to the results of last year’s survey. The top 3 key attributes that consumers seek in frozen yogurt shops remained the same. Even the top 2 items consumers would consider getting from a frozen yogurt shop did not change. Consumers continue to show loyalty to their favorite shops. Taste preferences showed little change.
However, there were some interesting changes. One major chain suffered a noticeable decline on several measures of liking. And more people were going to froyo shops at a different time period compared to last year.
Please look for the new US consumer and shop owner surveys this fall and participate. The more responses we receive, the more useful the results will be for everyone. The results will help shop owners learn how they compared to other frozen yogurt shops, which suppliers are highly rated, and what consumers are looking for from froyo shops.
Anniversary Contest
We continued our tradition of having an anniversary contest with our Summer Froyo Photo Contest. We invited frozen yogurt fans to share summer inspired frozen yogurt pictures on Instagram. Congrats to Marnegrrl of Gallatin, TN, on winning our contest. She will receive four pints of Yoga-urt’s probiotic, organic, plant-based, gluten-free, kosher, soy-free soft serve/yogurt.
Warmest Regards,
Susan Linton
President, International Frozen Yogurt Association
