Reinvent or Get Left Behind
What Auntie Anne’s Food Trucks Teach Online Store Owners About Advancing With the Times 🚚🥨✨
If you’ve been running your online store the same way for the last five years, you’re not alone. Most store owners stick with what worked before. But here’s the tough truth: what worked in 2020 might not hit the same in 2025. Customer habits change fast, and the brands that grow are the ones that evolve with them.
Auntie Anne’s is a perfect example. They built their name inside malls, then noticed shopping patterns shifting. So instead of waiting for foot traffic that would inevitably never arrive; they rolled out food trucks to bring pretzels directly to people. Their pretzel trucks helped them show up at events, campuses, festivals, and busy streets where customers already were. 🥨 Same product. New way to sell it. That’s reinvention.
The Big Lesson: Meet Your Customers Where They Are 📍
Auntie Anne’s didn’t ditch pretzels or reinvent their core product at all. They just stopped relying on one place to sell them. Food trucks helped them stay relevant and visible in new locations and moments.
What is the online store version of that idea?
The way your customers are shopping is evolving every day. Long gone are the days of going to shop, people are always online and always shopping. They are scrolling on TikTok, searching on Google, shopping from Instagram, and buying from brands that feel current.
If you only show up the way you used to, you risk becoming invisible.
Why Reinvention Matters for E-Commerce Stores🔥
Reinventing does not mean changing who you are. It means changing how you show up.
For online stores, that can mean:
Refreshing your brand vibe so it matches today’s trends
Posting more short-form video because that is where discovery lives
Running smarter ads to stay in front of the right people
Testing new ways to sell like drops, bundles, or pop-ups
Making your online store feel as exciting as your racks
Your products can be amazing, but if your marketing feels stuck in the past, sales will follow.
A Quick Gut Check for Online Store Owners 🧠
Ask yourself:
Are my sales slower than they used to be, even though my product is good?
Am I relying on the same tactics I used years ago?
Am I showing up where my customers actually shop now?
Am I showing up in a way that is irrelevant AND passive?
If any of those feel like a yes, you do not need a massive rebrand. You just need a new way of showing up.
That is exactly what Auntie Anne’s did.
TLDR: Evolve Like Auntie Anne’s ⚡️
Auntie Anne’s grew by advancing with the times. When malls were not enough, they launched food trucks to stay visible and reach customers in new places.
Online store owners need the same mindset. If you have been running your store the same way for five years and growth has slowed, it is time to reinvent how you show up. Stay current, stay visible, and keep giving customers a reason to buy from you now. 🚀
Want to make sure you’re showing up in a way that is relevant across all platforms? Click to schedule a strategy call with our team.
