Freshen up your sales for Freshers Week

As the new university term gets underway, students are in many ways the ideal customers for convenience retailers as they are likely to visit often, buy on impulse and are keen to try new things.

To fit in with their busy lifestyles, they will also be looking for on-the-go food and drink options at a good value price point, that also doesn’t compromise on taste. This is where the real opportunity lies for retailers.

Price-marked packs continue to play a strong role within soft drinks, offering the reassurance of value to shoppers, which in turn creates confidence in local retailers and how they price their products.

Top tips for merchandising during Freshers Week:

• Leverage brand activation, based on key passion points for students e.g. gaming, or music, and use POS to drive awareness in your store

• Consider digital pre-shop communication through social media

• Where appropriate, link with other categories such as crisps, snacks and nuts and offer drink and snack promotions at key times of the day, such as mid-morning or afternoon

• Within large stores, consider the benefit of stocking up on HFSS compliant products for student promotions, such as the Rockstar Energy® core range, as you will have the freedom to merchandise and promote in-store as you wish

^{1 - IRI – Total Convenience – Total Stimulants Immediate Consumption PMP – Britvic Defined – Value Sales of PMP as a % of Total Stimulants IC Value Sales – 52WE 23/10/22 vs 52WE 24/10/21}

^{2 - Rockstar Field Team Results - Impact of VIP Reward Scheme membership vs non-member called upon stores, where ISI units are a perquisite alongside POS usage, data to 04.08.23}