Accessibility in marketing is a massive part of what leads to a sale. As someone who’s a professional when it comes to beer, your instinct can lead you to market things through your lens. That can end up becoming counterintuitive, however. The average person doesn’t know much about the specifics of beer and in order to make sales easier, it’s your job to make beer simple. You can combine what you know about beer with what you know about the average customer’s beer knowledge to devise the perfect merchandising plan. We’ll be going over the benefits of approaching merchandising from a bar or restaurant’s perspective and effective ways to execute your merchandising strategy.
What Does Merchandising Beer Mean For a Bar or Restaurant?
Merchandising isn’t something you immediately think of when it comes to bars or restaurants, but you’re likely doing it without realizing it. Having a beer list that you promote to customers is a common example of merchandising in those settings. You can showcase different beers to draw attention to them to increase sales for that particular beer. Displaying the types of beer you have in a particular way to put specific beers at the forefront also helps with your merchandising. If you have a specific beer you want to sell, you can easily put it out there in a way that encourages purchasing that one over other beers.
Traditional Beer Merchandising Scenarios
We’re already used to merchandising in other settings. Merchandising, by definition, is specific to retail settings, typically in the form of a display, visual advertising, or through branded apparel. Some common places you’ve already seen merchandising are:
Grocery store.
Stacked displays for beer are common in grocery stores. It’s usually 12-packs stacked on top of each other with a large cardboard display, sometimes with an upcoming holiday or event featured on them. It’s also common to see beer-branded merchandise in the refrigerator section on top of the refrigerators in the form of foam coolers, umbrellas, beach balls, and more.
Liquor store.
Liquor stores often have more traditional advertising in the form of poster ads or window stickers. Aside from letting people know they sell that particular product there, it reminds customers that those products exist. This is a great way to entice customers to buy a certain product.
The Real Estate of Vision is Key For Merchandising Certain Beers
Advertising has been broken down into a science. Many have likely heard the idea that putting products within a customer’s immediate view makes them more likely to purchase them. Grocery stores often charge companies extra to have a spot in the middle of shelves at eye level as their product is more likely to sell. The same can be said when creating your beer list. The beers at the very top of your list are likely to sell better because of their placement on your list. You can also make this happen by adding bold text to your list, drawing your customer’s eye to specific products.
Merchandise Beers by Style Rather Than Region
We mentioned in the beginning that making your merchandising accessible will end in greater profits. In this case, most people know at least their favorite styles of beer. Instead of talking about where your beers come from, try to focus on the beer style instead. When customers come in and see you have a new IPA they haven’t tried before, focusing on the fact that it’s an IPA will help them have a better understanding of what they’re about to try. You can cut out a lot of unnecessary legwork for your staff and customers this way.
Effective Beer Merchandising Always Leaves Room For Seasonal Items
There are a ton of ways to organize your beer list. Keeping space dedicated to your seasonal items should absolutely be highlighted and towards the top of your list. Seasonal items are interesting and appealing to customers, especially because of their limited release. You’ll be sure to make bank by keeping your rotating seasonal list at the front and the breweries you work with will be encouraged to continue making fantastic seasonal offerings.
Merchandising Beer: High Volume Means High Profit
While craft beers are excellent sellers, only a fool would ignore the sales they get from big-box brands. There’s a big group of customers who love trying new things, and with that comes a big group who tends to stick to what they know. People have a commitment to their “brands”, they find comfort and safety knowing a Blue Moon will always taste like a Blue Moon. Even those with an adventurous taste are prone to choosing a classic beer, so make sure you still advertise that you have everyone’s favorites. If you don’t, you’ll definitely miss out on profits.
How Provi Can Help You Decide Which Beers to Merchandise
Provi’s catalog has thousands of your favorite brands to choose from. You can easily order and track your inventory, all through one convenient service. Seeing which beers do well and which don’t without having to balance various applications makes merchandising easy, maximizing your profits without hassle. If you’re interested in trying Provi, make a free account today and complete your first order in as little as 5 minutes!
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