We calculate that on-the-go soft drink occasions present a sales boost of £8,400 per year for each c-store operating in the UK today.
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Soft drinks have always been important for the convenience channel, but last year in particular, sales surged, with soft drinks featuring in nearly one in four (22.9%) c-store shopping baskets.[1] In 2022, soft drinks put an extra £347.4m through the tills of c-store operators[2] - more than the combined growth of beer, wine, spirits, confectionery, crisps, snacks, and nuts[3].
We recently released our Soft Drinks Review 2023, in which we uncovered growing demand for soft drinks consumed on-the-go, highlighting the opportunity to make more money from soft drinks.
We calculate that on-the-go soft drink occasions present a sales boost of £8,400 per year[4] for each c-store[5] operating in the UK today[6]. Within our Soft Drinks Review 2023, we’ve identified five key drivers[7] to help you tap into the opportunity on-the-go formats present.
When the right range is on offer, the opportunity soft drinks is creating is hard to ignore. Energy drinks and cola are flying high, and we’ve also seen that adding interesting, limited-edition flavours into the mix can pay off in driving impulse sales when it comes to on-the-go formats. There is plenty of opportunity for the taking, and we’ve identified five key drivers to help maximise your soft drinks sales when it comes to on-the-go formats:
Anyone born between 1997 and 2010 belongs to Generation Z [8]. This group makes up 15% of the population, with 10 million UK members [9], and is the most conscientious when deciding which products to put in their basket – building a genuine emotional connection and exciting them with new flavours, promotions and propositions is key. SOFT DRINK TO SUCCESS: Tango Paradise Punch
In the past year, Brits have drunk soft drinks alongside food on 65 billion occasions [10]. Soft drink consumption with afternoon snacks is growing, up 11.8% [11]. Identifying shopper missions and offering compelling deals will play an important role in this. SOFT DRINK TO SUCCESS: Pepsi MAX®
Increasingly, consumers are looking for the presence of specific ingredients and functional additions in their drinks such as minerals, vitamins or raw fruits. Creating functional drink and snack promotions and rotating offers at different times of the day, balancing ranges between indulgent and health-orientated drinks and providing education at fixture are all tactics that could pay off. SOFT DRINK TO SUCCESS: Purdey’s Natural Energy
Fixture layout is key - a minimum of two facings helps to ensure availability; allocating space depending on a category’s size and growth potential ensures optimal fixture performance. Trials revealed that adding an additional chiller into stores can drive significantly higher sales of on-the-go soft drinks
The £96.9m growth in energy drinks last year [12] was achieved despite only 8% of shoppers buying them in convenience [13]. Retailers should prioritise energy drinks in their fixtures – it is the largest and fastest growing soft drinks category in cash terms – and use beacon brands to signpost to shoppers. SOFT DRINK TO SUCCESS: Rockstar Refresh Strawberry & Lime and Watermelon & Kiwi
[1] Lumina Intelligence Convenience Tracking Programme, 52WE 09/01/2022 and 52WE 08/01/2023
[2] IRI | Convenience Channel | Total Soft Drinks Britvic Defined | Absolute value growth || 52WE 01/01/2023 vs YA
[3] NielsenIQ RMS, Bigger Picture Report, Total Impulse, Value Growth YoY, 52we31/12/2022 vs YA
[4]Britvic IC Category Vision January 2023. Impulse size of prize based on Nielsen MAT 2022 Impulse share of soft drinks (40%) multiplied by Britvic market opportunity. Impulse size of prize per store calculated by dividing by Lumina 2022 estimated number of impulse outlets 47,861
[5] Britvic defines convenience stores as all independent, symbol group, CNT, petrol forecourt, travel retail and multiple grocer-owned c-stores in the UK
[6] ACS - The 2022 Local Shop Report, September 2022, https://www.acs.org.uk/research/local-shop-report
[7] Britvic IC Category Vision January 2023. Impulse size of prize based on NielsenIQ RMS, MAT 2022, Impulse share of soft drinks (40%) multiplied by market opportunity. Impulse size of prize per store calculated by dividing by Lumina 2022 estimated number of impulse outlets 47,861
[8] Pew Research Centre, Defining generations: Where Millennials end and Generation Z begins, 17/01/2019 https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/17/wheremillennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/
[9] Mintel, UK Lifestyles of Generation Z Market Report 2023, https://store.mintel.com/report/uk-lifestyles-of-generation-z-market-report#:~:text=How%20many%20Gen%20
[10] Kantar Worldpanel, Usage, Total Soft Drinks Occasions, 52w 07/08/2022
[11] Kantar Worldpanel Online, Usage IH/CO Occasions, 52 w/e 07/08/2022 vs. 2019
[12] IRI, Convenience, Soft Drinks Value, 52wks To 01/01/2023 vs. YA
[13] Kantar, OOH Panel, Stimulants, Penetration 52w/e 19/03/2023
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