What's Next July 2015 - Increase Summer Sales

Jul. 7, 2015

Don’t let summer slowdown your business. Try these tips to keep your customers engaged and your sales strong.

1. A Fresh Take

Learn from the grocery experts, a well-stacked basket of fresh fruit or herbs positioned appropriately can be a quick up-sell for your customers — think lemon, lime, berries or mint.  As a cross merchandising opportunity, you can align fresh produce to be the perfect garnish or accompaniment for many of your mainstay, fast-moving brands.  For a bar, adding fresh fruit to your drink specials allows you to appropriately increase the price point.

Summer is the season when your customers are visiting local farms and farmers markets to experience the great flavors this season has to offer.  They are looking for ripe, sweet fruits like berries and melons or plump tomatoes, which would be a great addition to a Bloody Mary.  Maximize on this consumer mindset by connecting with your local market for ingredients that are readily available in your area.  Supporting local is so easy to do:

• You or your team can shop it yourself — adding a new business connection to your network
• You can display it in a beautiful basket throughout your establishment, no shelf space needed
• You or your team can sell it with a great, real story that is connected to the local community
  
  

Train your staff on the versatility of fresh garnishes, which can work across all categories — spirit, wine and even beer - to ensure everyone is maximizing this investment and up-selling opportunity.

2. Focus on Convenience

While you know better than anyone how your customers engage with your refrigerated coolers, the summer is a great time to look at this asset and display area with a new lens.  Realize the person standing in front of that cooler, weighing which option to grab-and-go is a "convenience" shopper.  According to CSP-Technomic’s survey, 53% of consumers say they would like convenience stores to offer a wider variety of beverages.   Ensure your product selection is diversified and focused on mid to premium price points; Someone taking a gift to a host will splurge on the higher quality brand to impress and thank their hosts. 

Convenience is also a consideration for a bar, your customers are looking for easy access to chilled beer and a new release from a quality, craft beer brand can be a great up-sell opportunity that will delight your summer-going crowd.  Plus as we have mentioned before, cans are efficient for the bartender because they are easy to chill, easy to open and serve, and hold their chill for longer periods of time. Read here for more convincing!

3. Be Ready for the Premium Purchase

Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America presented the following at the 2013 U.S. Drinks Conference, "Super-Premium and Ultra- Premium segments of the Spirit category both account for a quarter of the volume of the category and are the fastest-growing segments, Super at 6.8% and Ultra at 6.7%, as consumers look to trade-up."

While many Super and Ultra-premium items may be under lock-and-key Off Premise, but evaluate if there is an opportunity to give more real estate at the end of an aisle or on eye-level shelf space to a higher price point item.  Testing out an item that is an easy step-up, just a few dollars more, could prove to be a profitable experiment. At your bar, keep premium items within eyesight of your customers so they can consider the investment when making their ordering decision.  

4. Look for your Billboard

What is your highest traffic area?  Is it in the parking lot? Is it in the waiting area as patrons congregate?  Is it the area where your lines back up with customers? 

Watch where your customers look and consider these areas as a marketing opportunity. For example,  you can add a poster holder there with messaging about an upcoming sale, promotion or event? 

Bar and restaurant industry veteran George Barton said it best, "Your back bar acts as a great point-of-sale billboard."  Keep it clean, well lit and organized to drive more sales for your business.

5. Free Promotions

Weather in retail or restaurants, be sure to publicize your offerings through all channels that are available to you — especially the FREE access of social media.  Post photos of new displays, a handcrafted cocktail or even your awesome staff to draw in customers.  More digital exposure will lead to more in-store visitors.  If you invest in this network,it will do your work for you. Click here for a few tips from the experts or here to download the PDF!

Do you have Summer Selling Tips that you would like to share?  We would love to hear from you!  Follow us @WirtzBeverageGroup (TW) and use #SellThisSummer to join the conversation.