WHAT ENERGISES YOUR SHOPPERS?

DESPITE (or perhaps because of) the many fluctuations in the market, most retailers Retail Express speaks to for this feature keep organised energy drink ranges.

“We’re focusing the range a lot more,” says Sudesh Patel. “Monster, Red Bull and Euro Shopper are all doing well. We’ve stopped some lines like Relentless because of space factor and not giving enough space to products like Monster which are selling a lot more. We’ve given a few of those lines a couple of facings each.”

Patel is mindful that any of the myriad new launches in the space could become the next big thing, so tries to give them a fighting chance: “If I haven’t sold a case in a month, it gets delisted and I bring in something else.”

Knowing what your customers’ missions are will go a long way in ensuring you’re offering what they want. Jeet Bansi’s Londis Meon Vale store in Stratford-upon-Avon in the West Midlands has a nearby gym, meaning he’s selling lots of Lucozade Sport four-packs for £2.50. Regular gymgoers are stocking up for repeat gym visits, but quickly return to replenish their supplies thanks to their regular regimens.

“Understand the difference between different shopper missions that customers are coming to your shop for and choose the ranging options that are going to hit those,” says Epicurium’s Mckechnie. “It may not necessarily be the big brands/sellers that you usually hear about, it may well be some of the smaller challenger brands that are going to suit the needs better.

“It is about matching the range towards the wants of the shoppers rather than just the big brands, and getting a real understanding of what shoppers want. This will also create customer loyalty.”

This strategy has also worked for Bansi, who has a dedicated fridge for growing BCAA drink Nocco which caters towards his customers looking for low-sugar soft drinks with stated health benefits.

Supplier View

Adrian Hipkiss, marketing director, Boost Drinks

“WHEN taking a closer look into the energy subcategories, it’s energy stimulation drinks which play a significant role in contributing to the value growth of the soft drinks category, growing by 15% year on year, and accounting for 26% of all soft drink value sales.

As the nation has become accustomed to flexiworking following the pandemic, take-home purchases have become more prominent, resulting in a growing consumer demand for 1l and multipack formats. These products continue to be a huge growth opportunity for retailers, with sales witnessing an increase of 10% year on year.

“To boost this growth even further, flavours in energy now account for 38% of stimulation sales and have shown a huge 48% growth annually, showing that there’s a significant thirst for a range of flavour variants to suit all tastes. Considering that 39% of stimulation shoppers actually make their purchase based on flavour alone, it’s important to stock a wide variety of flavours to cater to this.

“Despite the challenges of the past three years, with various lockdowns and restrictions impacting the sports drinks sector, there has not only been a return to pre-pandemic normality, but a rapid rate of sales in the category. Over the last 52 weeks, sports drinks have become the second-fastest growing category within soft drinks, with a 28% value growth year on year.”