Show it and sell it
By utilising a bar's 'hot spots' a publican can influence the decision-making of his or her customers.
It is common sense and clear to every publican that consumers will order what they can see and that typically they gravitate to the middle of the bar. But, a few might be surprised to learn just how influential issues like font position can be.
The centre of the bar is the most obvious "hot spot" where consumers will look to see what draught brands are on offer. The central position within this hot spot is 60 per cent more visible than an end position that is only feet away.
To put the Blackthorn font in this position or immediately next to it will not only recruit more consumers to select Blackthorn as it is within their repertoire, but can also increase weight of purchase for regular cider drinkers by keeping Blackthorn "at the front of mind".
Another very influential device is to add a second font on the bar.
Even if it is a "dummy" a second font will increase visibility by over 20 per cent and this will inevitably drive additional sales.
Positioning aside, there are devices that will create a real impact for a font on a bar. The most effective of these is to create a distinctive look for the font, but with many draught brands ranked together in a single "T-Bar" dispense, perhaps only the flag handle can be branded.
The right flag handle will create a positive impression and reinforces other brand activities. Blackthorn is to trial mini rugby balls as flag handles in outlets that will recognise and relate to the significant support the brand invests into rugby from the grass-roots to Premiership level.
For packaged ciders the chiller cabinets replace the bar as the key hot spot. In this instance the area of greatest impact is the top right of the chiller. A position on the top shelf offers a 40 per cent increase in visibility to consumers and that translates directly into increased sales.
The other means to increase visibility in chillers is to increase the number of facings of a particular brand.
To illustrate the point - increasing the number of facings of a brand like Diamond White from three to six will increase visibility by over a third and this will drive significant incremental sales.
The additional benefit of this approach is that to balance the right number of facings with the brands that sell means that popular drinks remain in view, when otherwise a uniform number of facings will mean depleted stocks and lost sales.
Away from the bar
Having recognised that branded merchandise and general visibility of a brand will lead to a significant uplift in sales, there is an obvious and practical route to achieve this with branded glasses.
Not only do they communicate the availability of the brand, but also for brands like Blackthorn they reflect their popular and premium status.
To illustrate the point, six in 10 men said they would prefer to be served with a branded glass, and more than a third of these said it was because it was highly visible that they were drinking a particular brand.
Outside of what consumers actually carry away from the bar it is important to recognise that many decisions about drinks purchases are made away from the bar - particularly on social occasions when consumers tend to drink in rounds and they delegate responsibility to one individual to get several drinks.
To inform and influence consumer decisions on these occasions means it is necessary to provide the right visible "cues" for a brand right around an outlet.
The precise nature and type of what is appropriate will vary according to the brand and the type of outlet but it could certainly include permanent point of sale, posters, tent cards on tables, drip mats and so on.
In the right outlets, washroom communication and plasma screens in bars will also be appropriate.
Position and visibility
Increasingly it is evident that consumers are repertoire drinkers, ie they have a range of different drinks categories as well as brands within a single category that they select from.
Research evidence suggests that over a third of sales in a pub are decided upon at the point of purchase. This is more than just interesting, it is vital for publicans who want to influence consumer purchases when in their outlet.
We know that cider is a key repertoire drink for a broad range of consumers and that cider offers significant profit potential. As a result attention given to the position and visibility of cider can really see an improvement in profits.
Matthew Clark Cider is unique in having a portfolio of brands that can accommodate both the range of styles and the regional differences.
It produces five of the top 10 draught cider brands in the on-trade, more than any other cider maker and as it also produces the leading packaged ciders like Diamond White, Diamond Red and K then it is truly the cider company.
Given these credentials, Matthew Clark Cider has the "know how" to maximise your profits by merchandising your cider offer and making it visible.
ContactCustomer service: 01275 890324Nicola Randall: 01275 890778
