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Merchandise your way to a merry Christmas

With Christmas fast approaching, what should you be doing to ensure you make the most of the busiest time of the year for both the convenience retail sector and soft drinks?

Getting soft drinks ranging right (both in terms of products and formats) is key for attracting people into stores so making sure merchandising is on point will allow you to capitalise on the coming festivities and unlock further growth in soft drinks. So, here are Britvic’s top tips for how you can merchandise your way to a very Merry Christmas in 2024…

Maximise visibility

  • When shoppers are on a mission for specific products, out of sight can mean out of mind in terms of extra items that aren’t on the shopping list.

  • Making sure festive bestsellers are easy to find in the build-up to Christmas can help drive impulse sales and increase basket size.

  • Ensure adult socialising drinks such as Britvic Mixers and J2O are in prominent positions in your store.

  • Ensure carbonated favourites such as Pepsi MAX®, 7UP Zero and Tango are in formats suited for get-togethers, such as two-litre bottles and multipacks.

Champion Festive Specials

  • With more opportunities to entertain and indulge, many shoppers feel more adventurous at Christmas.

  • Bolster your ranges with premium lines such as London Essence Company Sodas to capitalise on this.

  • Or stock limited edition festive specials which people will be on the hunt for specifically at this time of year such as J20 Glitterberry.

Make the most of aisle ends

  • 27% of soft drinks bought to be taken home (as opposed to those purchased to enjoy on-the-go) from c-stores are picked up on impulse.

  • That’s where prime, high-footfall spots in store come into play and few places have higher footfall than aisle ends.

  • Consider stocking multi-serve formats and multipacks of staples such as Pepsi MAX® and 7UP Zero to inspire impulse sales.

  • Displaying a wider range of flavours – such as Pepsi MAX® Lime, Mango and Cherry – on aisle ends can also pay big by piquing consumer interest and encouraging trial purchases for something different at Christmas.

Think beyond Christmas

  • The end of the year isn’t just about Christmas, of course. There’s also New Year’s Eve, which is a key opportunity to drive soft drinks and mixer sales.

  • Depending on your local neighbourhood, the Jewish festival of Hanukkah (25th Dec 2024 - 2nd Jan 2025) can also be a lucrative opportunity.

  • Consider additional displays with specific promotions and point of sale material to drive festive sales.

  • Think carefully about the formats you stock in these displays: we suggest focusing on multipacks in the run up to key festivals before shifting to multi-serve formats to cater for top-up shops.

Offer great value for money

  • Shopper perceptions of value for money are always important. Promotions can help improve shopper perceptions of the value you offer in your store.

  • Communicating promotions effectively throughout store and offering compelling cross category deals can deliver big rewards.

  • Where possible, display soft drinks alongside complementary categories – for example, Pepsi MAX® with bagged snacks, London Essence Company mixers with spirits and J2O with savoury sharers – to help them celebrate in style.

All statistics cited in this article are from the 2024 Britvic Soft Drinks Review, unless otherwise stated. 

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