Coors trial measures profit potential
Merchandising project at Bells
August 5 2002
A trial run by Coors Brewers and north-east c-store chain Bells has uncovered valuable insight into the retail messages which can influence shoppers in their choice of beer.
The project used bold, colourful merchandising and large display chiller units to attract the beer-buying public. The eight-week survey at a Bell’s store in Guisborough, Cleveland, showed that most shoppers viewed beer purchasing as a mundane and unexciting pastime.
It showed that point-of-sale with a clear retail message linking beer to specific social occasions attracted more shoppers and led to extra visitors to the beer aisle. The use of bigger, easy access chiller cabinets, which boosted sales by almost 10 per cent.
Coors category marketing controller, Linda O’Brien said the project had yielded invaluable marketing information. “The survey has given us some very useful information and provided excellent feedback which will help us enormously with future beer category developments.
“But the big revelation was the way larger chiller cabinets with better access and display attracted extra business which is a definite pointer to the increased role refrigeration is set to play in the retail market.”
Other feedback confirmed the way crisps and other snacks displayed alongside beer can increase incremental sales, especially when marketed alongside the “social occasion” message.
The project also revealed that women spent far more time browsing in the beer aisles and appeared more prepared to read labels and other product information.
“The message we got back from shoppers was that the new displays were more appealing and sent out a far more attractive retail message. Shoppers said that while in the past the range of beers and promotional deals were good, the display appeared jumbled and poorly designed. They clearly considered the new look attracted them to the beer aisles with the resultant increase in actual sales.”
Bell’s, which runs 90 stores across the north east, is using the results of the survey to redesign other categories in a similar manner.
