What is a Retail Marketing Strategy?
On the most basic level, a retail transaction occurs when a business sells goods or services to a customer. A retail marketing strategy works to promote certain brands in a way that increases brand awareness and sales. For businesses in the alcohol beverage industry, retail marketing can include different approaches executed in ecommerce stores and retail locations that help brands market their beer, wine, or spirits. Retail marketing for beverage alcohol products is an essential part of building a successful brand.
The Importance of Retail Marketing
Retailers play a pivotal role in helping alcohol brands gain exposure and customers. Without a visible presence on store shelves, there are few other opportunities for customers to view products. Retailers can also host tasting events where people can sample alcoholic beverages, which is an effective retail marketing strategy.
In addition, retail stores are an important source of data. Brands can gather customer feedback, understand what products are performing well, and work to create products that speak to customers. Adding a tool like Overproof’s free app, Tastings, can further enhance access to retail data with competitor surveys, customer insights, and performance tracking. This is key to building an alcohol brand.
Types of Retail Marketing
Retail marketing for alcohol brands can be broken down into three different categories:
- Store retailing. This refers to drug stores, supermarkets, liquor stores, and convenience stores.
- Non-store retailing. Examples include direct selling, direct marketing buying services, and automatic vending machines.
- Corporate retailing. This type of marketing targets franchises, consumer cooperatives, chain stores, and merchandising conglomerates.
Examples of Retail Marketing
Retail marketing can come in many forms.
- Neon signs
- Banners
- Displays in the aisles or at the point of purchase
- Shelf stickers or floor graphics that help the brand pop
Anything that can help draw attention to the alcohol brand and can help with retail marketing efforts.
Tips for Selling Alcohol at Retail Locations
The best way to begin retail marketing for alcohol brands is to get to know the consumer. You want to be able to understand their decision-making process and strategically use displays and other marketing materials to influence them and get them to choose your product. Here are a few tips for creating effective displays.
- Create spacious and organized displays
If the display is jumbled and/or appears to be crammed into a space that is too small, customers won’t pay attention. Some customers come in with a plan while others are open to browsing and exploring new products. These are the customers you want to target with an attractive display. Spaciousness tends to suggest luxury while logical organization reflects well on the brand and lets consumers know that a certain amount of planning has gone into the display.
- Incorporate touch screens to create interactive displays
Getting people to interact with a display through a simple game or informational app will create a connection that makes them remember your brand. Enhancing their shopping experience will create a sense of goodwill that can result in an immediate sale and build long-term brand loyalty.
- Take advantage of supplemental lighting
Customers are visiting retailers at all times of the day. A display that looks great around noon may be too dark to make an impression during the evening. Supplemental lighting may be necessary to fully optimize the display. Make sure that field reps are visiting displays at different times to check on lighting.
- Use data to improve retail marketing and focus consumer attention
You want your display to be located in a high-traffic area for maximum visibility. Fortunately, most retailers collect data on consumer behavior and exactly where shoppers walk and what they look at. This data can be broken down into smaller demographic groups so that you can understand the habits of your target customer. All this information can be used to improve display placement.
Remember that beer, wine, and spirits enthusiasts tend to put a little more thought into their purchases. While they might not care which brand of milk they buy, they will spend some time exploring different IPAs or tequilas. The right retail marketing strategy and in-store displays can help capture these customers, increase sales and turn browsers into lifelong customers. That is why displays should be a priority and not an afterthought. For more inspiration on how to revamp your displays, visit our blog.
FAQs
What is a retail marketing strategy?
A retail marketing strategy works to promote a brand and sales to consumers.
Why is retail marketing important?
Building a successful brand relies heavily on marketing. It is a good way to better understand customer behavior and create products that are designed to meet the needs and wants of target demographics.
What are the types of retail marketing?
There are three main types of retail marketing: store retailing, non-store retailing, and corporate retailing.
What is a retail marketing example for alcohol brands?
In-store displays are a central part of retail marketing. These displays can come in the form of neon signs, banners, point of purchase displays, stickers, and flood graphics.
How do you sell alcohol at retail?
Create well-organized and spacious displays, make sure they are well lit, add interactive features, and use consumer data from retailers to hone strategies and target your ideal customer.
