Seasonal Opportunities For Drinks Distributors Could See Sales Margins Soar

 The UK and Ireland have been basking in record high temperatures–and drinks businesses have rightly recognised this as an opportunity to sell more beverages. After all, what could be more refreshing than a bottle of ice-cold beer on a sunny day?

The effect of weather on consumer spending

As a drinks distributor, you hold the knowledge and information on your beverage distribution software that will help pubs, bars, hotels and other retailers make sales decisions about which drinks will fly off the shelves in warmer weather. Suppliers will also be keen to get you on board with incentives or promotions and capitalise on opportunities to quench thirst on the hottest of days. (For example, the Budweiser Ice Cold Index meant that on days reaching 20°C and over, consumers could enjoy a free pint. There was €2 off when it was 18°C or 19°C outside, and for 16°C or 17°C weather, there was €1 off at participating Index bars.)

Participating in these promotions could help you increase your own takings – both directly, through encouraging orders of recommended products; and indirectly, through adding value to the distributor-retailer relationship.

Give retailers access to your trade secrets 

The most direct way to assist retailers is to let them in on a few trade secrets–for example,  which of your products have been popular with other retailers and the returns that they have experienced. Draw attention to a range of bestsellers (ciders, lagers and refreshing soft drinks, for example) and highlight any trade promotions on relevant products.

Remember when Magners revolutionised the perception of cider by convincing consumers the drink was a sophisticated tipple when served in a glass of ice? Similarly, well-supported suggestions can convince drinks sellers that a product from your portfolio is the key to a surge in sales when the temperature spikes.

Better still would be to organise your sales insights on your distribution management software so you can rapidly answer queries with client-specific information. Understanding consumer behavior is key to unlocking opportunities to boost sales and revenue.

Additionally, by making sales data segmentable by location or client type–and keeping yourself up to date with seasonal changes–you can create more appealing sales pitches

Warm up distributor-retailer relationships

A sure way for distributors to enhance their client relationships is by offering useful, sales-boosting advice, and the warm weather represents a golden opportunity to do just that. When retailers sell more to their customers, you’ll sell more to them.

However, a spike in sales as a result of the weather could paint an inaccurate picture of a product\’s success. That\’s why access to data and reports is necessary for drinks distributors as part of strategic planning. Being able to pull reports from your system to identify trends, and reasons for a surge in sales over certain period, are key to strengthening your seasonal sales strategy.

What’s more, historical weather records are freely available from sources such as the Met Office and Met Eireann. Cross-referencing your system data with this information can also help identify precedents and be proactive in seasonal planning at other times of the year. Keeping tabs on such data is important,-particularly if we experience a return to the stereotypical Irish and British summer next year.

Through analysing and correlating data, distributors can learn how weather conditions affect sales of certain products and product types, and thereby improve their sales forecasting, stock management and targeted marketing campaigns.

Showing clients the way to summer success only makes sense if your supply can cater for the demand generated.

Once again, effective use of data will be key. How has warm weather affected retailer demand for certain products in past years? Would your suppliers be ready to supply enough product, if you were to experience a similar spike in demand tomorrow?

Tapping into your sales data and leveraging supplier relationships to answer these questions will maximise the chances that retailers will heed your advice on bestsellers. Drinks distributors will be ready to supply on increased demand, and ready to suggest viable alternative products where necessary.

Did you miss out on last week\’s blog? We looked at how drinks distributors can better manage their promotions by using their data more effectively. Click HERE to find out more!