Now, here’s the bigger picture for Chocolate Retail.
The biggest challenge for chocolate boutiques is purchase frequency.
Even regular customers typically don’t walk into a chocolate store more than once a month.
To win, chocolate boutiques need reasons to bring people back in.
👉 Venchi is a great example — Italian Gelato made their stores a destination and a habit.
Others try it with coffee (a very crowded space).
But what about chocolate drinks?
Done right, chocolate drinks could be the bridge between indulgence and frequency — bringing customers in for comfort, and reminding them to take a little chocolate home.
The category is growing fast, and unlike coffee or gelato, it doesn’t dilute a chocolate brand’s identity. Back to Venchi, which I genuinely admire: It’s a question worth asking — is it a gelato brand, or a chocolate brand after all?