8 keys to a successful beverage store display promotion

Beverage store displays continue to be one of the most important ways to get potential customers’ attention and take market share from the competition. Using the available space in local stores can help you to increase your business and gain new customers. Below you will find eight recommendations we have witnessed to drive engagement and make sure your promotions exceed your expectations.

1. Have your target customer in mind from the start

When creating your strategy for setting up displays, it is essential to keep your target customers at the front of your plan. Make sure to consider which locations and where those locations you are placing your displays.  If your key demographics are 24-45-year-old males, creating a display focused on the latest boy band and placing them in Ulta stores is most likely not going to yield the results you are looking to capture from this promotion.

Take the time to consider each location and who shops there. If you don’t have a proper profile on your stores or distribution points, you can quickly create store profiling assignments to have your team gather the information needed to ensure success. Some data points that prove to be valuable in collecting are demographic information as well as competitive information. Being able to know which stores have a competitor’s display can give you insight into which locations may prove to be the most beneficial to place your promotions.

2. Remember that People Have Five Senses. Sight is only one.

Sight, Smell, Hearing, Feel, Taste. These are the five senses of the world we live. When people think of beverage store displays many will only think of the visual sense. Giving customers a way to engage in their other senses increase your perceived value to the potential customer. Many brands are beginning to incorporate more items such as video displays and ways for customers to engage using their mobile devices by texting, using an app, or scanning a QR code to provide additional experiences for customers. Interactive displays have been shown to help build a better relationship with the customer as well as increase sales to the end customer.

Companies are beginning to benefit significantly from the data that comes from these displays as well. Using fundamental analytical tracking information, retailers and brands can see how effective each display is at a specific location. Having this information can help you to realize when a display is not effective, has run out of effective life in the field, or when something may have happened to a display.

3. Keeping Displays Clean & Concise

Your goal is the gain your customer’s attention, not to confuse them about what they are looking at in the store. You want to focus on only a limited number of products and if possible limit it to one. You may have 50 brands in your business, but your in-store display is not the time to introduce them to every one of them. Despite what you may have thought in college, cramming is not a good idea. Space out your items so customers can see them but don’t make it too sparse either. Have one or two of the items makes the display look weak or tired. You want to command presence without looking sloppy.

When you include any signage make sure you follow the same principles you would on a billboard. According to Paul Suggett, Creative Director at Starz Entertainment, you should try to keep your message to six words or less. Why do you ask? Because your customers are on the move and are constantly bombarded with advertising and marketing speak, they will only give you a very short snippet of time. On average, 6 seconds, which should be enough time for them to read no more than six words. So keep it short and be concise to get the maximum response from potential clients.

4. Don’t forget to change it up from time to time.

Keeping your displays and promotions fresh is extremely important when trying to catch the attention of new customers. We as humans have been trained to notice when things change. This innate ability to see changes part of our primal instinct to be on the lookout for things that threatened us such as saber-tooth tigers. Use this to your advantage. Consider making displays that have a background image or banner which you can change out every week to two weeks. Also, remember that changing the shape and design can help to drive interaction with the customer.

One mistake we have found with this idea of changing it up is many only consider changing up the actual layout and design of their displays. It is important to consider changing up the location within the store as well. Many will ask where they should put the display. It is essential to refer back to the idea of keeping your target client in mind. When you take the time to build out a proper store profile and know the traffic patterns of your target clients you can easily see exactly where they will walk and how to increase your opportunities. If your target client is females between 24 and 55, consider asking to put a display close to the cosmetics area of the store. If your target is young fathers, you may consider a display close to diapers. Don't forget the power of cross-merchandising with these opportunities as well. The possibilities are endless.

5. Think visually and logically

Humans are creatures of habit, and we have been trained to do many different things. When we go to the store we know to walk around things in our way and that the stores are laid out logically to bring complementary products together and increase purchasing decisions. You as a marketer can use this to your advantage. Humans are also very visual creatures. They take inspiration from photos and can be turned on and off by different colors. There is an entire world about the psychology of color and visual stimulation. You can read more about it here.

When you begin thinking and designing your ideas for your display make sure to consider these ideas from the start. Are you trying to fit into a small space at a convenience store or fill an entire checkout area at a grocery store? Ensure that you have thought through the whole experience before making the final decision.

6. Keep your branding continuous and protect your brand standards

Branding is one of the best ways to help keep thoughts at the top of mind for your potential consumer. Keeping your branding continuous across all touchpoints and interactions helps to increase your perceived value to the customer. The two times this tends to be a significant issue is during a branding change or when distributors or customers try to customize for their usage. Enforcing brand standards helps you to build your business and value over the long term. Many forget that branding is a marathon, not a sprint and those who choose not to be customers today can be influenced by strong branding and increasing perceived value.

7. Don’t forget to consider lighting

One of the hardest aspects of a great display can be the lighting. Many of these displays end up being set up in locations where you are not in control. When creating your store profiles, consider having your field team evaluate possible lighting conditions and how the lighting may change throughout the day. Are their windows that allow harsh direct light late in the day or how does the space look in the evening? If the space has inadequate lighting consider bringing in your own lighting sources or making changes to the graphic designs using lighter colors which will help to stand out in a darker space and reflect more lighting. Small changes can make a huge difference in your potential ROI.

8. Flawless Store-level Execution

When it comes to in-store beverage displays, Hunter S. Thompson said it best - “Anything worth doing, is worth doing right.” Execution is the name of the game. When displays and promotions aren’t set up or set up incorrectly, it costs you business. According to RetailWire overstocks and out of stocks cost retailers $1.1 Trillion in 2014. You should ensure your team is prepared and flawlessly executes the planned vision for your company. The best way to ensure things are correct is to provide an easy-to-use system for gaining access to instructions and having your team collect proof of placement in the field. Conduct retail audits by having your field team take a photo showing the display set up correctly gives you the brand, distributor, or home office the confidence your vision has been executed flawlessly at the store level.

Empowering your field teams to provide feedback from the field, generate store profiles, and verify their effectiveness has proven critical to having a successful campaign. Taking small steps and planning effectively can help you to move your in-store displays from working to being a driving force for your sales team. Use the army you have in your sales and field teams to help you dominate the competition!

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