Ramp up sales with eye catching displays
THERE are plenty of places in store where retailers can boost basket values, but in terms of impulse there are few categories that can compete with chocolate.
That’s the view of firms behind some of the Scottish convenience sector’s top brands, offering advice on how retailers can make the most of this opportunity.
Quoting figures from Nielsen, Susan Nash, trade communications manager at Mondelez International said the UK confectionery market is worth “more than £5.5bn”, with the chocolate confectionery market making up £4.1bn in value sales.
“Confectionery is the number one snack and the most impulsive category available to convenience stores,” said Nash.
“This scale and impulsivity means that confectionery is a critically important category in your store and if its potential is fully maximised, it can play a huge role in driving incremental sales.”
Confectionery may be of critical importance to convenience stores, but for many customers picking up a chocolate bar is a decision made in the moment.
Nash suggested it’s therefore down to retailers to ensure they’re doing all they can to facilitate impulse purchases.
“While some consumers will visit your store specifically to purchase confectionery, many will decide to purchase a sweet treat while in your store.
Free-standing display units placed near a till point can help drive sales.
“This makes display and category management advice a vitally important tool,” she said.
With a wide range of formats on offer from single serves and sharing bags to gifts and seasonal products, Nash acknowledged confectionery can be “a challenging category for any retailer”, but the Mondelez manager offered advice for retailers that should help in this area (see right).
“Displaying chocolate well is central to confectionery success in store, as this can be key to driving additional purchases in your store,” she said.
Levi Boorer, customer development director at Ferrero, parent firm of Ferrero Rocher and Thorntons brands, agreed that retailers can “inspire shoppers” at the point of purchase with an eye-catching display, adding that its worth considering stocking a variety of products together.
“Free-standing display units placed near a till point can help to encourage impulse purchases,” said Boorer.
“We understand that different size stores need different in-store solutions, which is why we’ve created a smaller more practical free standing display unit for stores with limited floor space.”
He added that retailers can also order free point of sale materials from Ferrero, which can be ordered from the firm’s website.
