Plenty room for growth, firms say
ENERGY has been a stand out soft drink success in recent years and summer provides retailers with an opportunity to ramp up sales further, according to the firms behind two of the category’s biggest brands.
Rich Fisher, category development manager at Red Bull UK said the sports and energy drink sector has continued to drive soft drinks growth in recent years, thanks to an increased spend from “functional energy drinkers”.
And in Fisher’s opinion, customers will continue top-up on energy for the foreseeable future with Red Bull predicting the category will grow 10% by 2019.
To make the most of this opportunity and maximise sales, Fisher suggested that the first step for retailers should be to ensure they have the right range for their store.
“Within energy, sizes are driving category growth, with core continuing to contribute significantly to share,” said Fisher.
“Red Bull recommends retailers rationalise their range to focus on the key SKUs, providing them with the right amount of space on shelf to drive growth and maximise sales.”
Customers visiting convenience stores will be on the look out for brands and sizes, but Fisher added price mark packs are also “vital” for retailers aiming to improve energy drinks sales.
Within energy, sizes are driving growth with core continuing to contribute significantly.
“[Price marked packs] provide customer confidence in brands and help to increase basket spend, with 44% of shoppers more likely to buy a product if PMP is visible,” said Fisher.
Getting the right mix of products in the chiller was also highlighted by a spokesperson from energy drinks brand Boost as key to improving sales.
The spokesperson suggested retailers build a range that’s tailored to the local market, comprising the “right mix of products in order to give consumers an appropriate choice.”
For the warmer summer months in particular, this should mean a re-sealable offer according to the Boost spokesperson, who said these packs enjoy “huge demand” during the warmer months, as they can be stored in the car “for when an extra boost of energy might be needed.”
• Boost intends to further expand its energy drinks range this summer with the launch of a limited edition line that’s said to have been created “with summer in mind”.
The new SKU is scheduled for release in early April .
