Merchandising Strategies: Premium Packaging Merchandise

Every liquor lover’s concern is either keeping their drink cold or making sure that it’s fresh. This passion for liquor can be shared to your patrons through practical and innovative merchandise that can definitely depict a much more premium and classy brand.

Packaging has moved beyond its delivery function and even its visual identity purpose. It’s now being used as a platform to demonstrate innovation, engage tech-savvy consumers and deliver personalised drinking experiences.

Effectively producing any merchandise will always boil down to its application in daily living. For any wine and spirit enthusiast, joy starts with the smell of a favorite beverage and the only way to get that smell is by opening that bottle.

Merchandising Strategies: Going with Alcohol's Modern Trends

This is based on the report made by the Kerve Creative.

If there’s one theme that’s influenced the alcohol sector over the past few years, 
it’s craft. The explosion of independent breweries and distilleries over the past
decade laid out the principles of craft - small batch, high quality, provenance and
experimentation.

The big brands have been quick to co-opt the design cues and language of these
independent producers. In some cases they’ve simply bought those who were
challenging them. Encouragingly for consumers though, the major players also
seem to have adopted the independents’ taste for experimentation, in product, 
packaging and marketing

TREND 1
IS THE CRAFT BUBBLE BURSTING?
Despite concerns that craft’s bubble will burst, the Brewer’s Association are bullishly predicting the current 5.5% share of the beer market will increase to 20% by 2020 and Mintel revealed that craft spirits accounted for around 15% of new global spirit launches in 2016.

TREND 2
ADVENTUROUS TASTES
From peanut butter beers to cinnamon whiskies, experiments with flavour are on
the increase. And the boundaries between what were traditionally alcohols and
soft drinks are blurring: the Beverage Marketing Corp predicted a 175% year-on-
year increase for hard-soda in 2016.

TREND 3
DRINK TO GOOD HEALTH
Fresh and local ingredients are being championed due to consumers’ increased
focus on health. Big brands are responding to the demand by changing recipes, 
lowering sugar content and even providing gluten free options.

TREND 4
PACKAGING BECOMES A PRODUCT
Packaging has moved beyond its delivery function and even its visual identity
purpose. It’s now being used as a platform to demonstrate innovation, engage
tech-savvy consumers and deliver personalised drinking experiences

TREND 5
LET’S GET PHYSICAL
Physical retail is still vitally important to alcohol brands, and many are turning
to the $10billion pop-up industry to create bespoke, intimate, brand-focused
experiences.

TREND 6
SENSORY OVERLOAD
Fragrances to wear while drinking and beer brewed to accompany specific songs
may be interesting talking points now, but sensory marketing is predicted to
become best practice in five years time.

TREND 7
A VIRTUAL REALITY
You’re not a major alcohol brand nowadays if you haven’t got a VR experience
in your marketing locker, with brewery and distillery tours the favourite creative
route. AR campaigns are less seen at the moment, but set to account for four
times the spend over the next few years.

TREND 8
WINE BREAKS FROM TRADITION
Wine is booming, with Millennials. Despite a slowdown in overall category
growth, Millennials are consuming more wine and more expensive wine than any
other generation

Young, less stuffy brands, technology-driven explanations of
varieties and styles, and packaging innovations are driving the shift.

TREND 9
THINK SMALL, THINK LOCAL
Craft breweries and distilleries are building hyperlocal businesses, selling directly
to a smaller set of highly loyal customers who live in their immediate area. At
the other end of the scale, big data is enabling retailers to tailor stock within
individual stores to the tastes of the local patrons and, where possible, the
produce of the area.

TREND 10
THIS TIME IT’S PERSONAL
Established brands and startups are both using the internet of things, wearables
and the application of medical/scientific data to design hyper-personalised drinking
experiences. Even if some of the scientific claims being made in the marketing spiel
are questionable

Merchandising Ideas: Taking Advantage of On-Pack Marketing Gifts

White Wine is a staple drink in almost every bar. What’s better for your brand recognition than a Branded glass? Customers who order a drink with your brand can not only enjoy the taste, but also the visual entertainment of the Branded glass. These glasses not only capture the essence of your drink, they also showcase your brand’s depth and specialization in this field. By serving your liquor in a signature, custom made glass makes your brand stand out from other brands that do not have such products.

Why do we like this Branded Vodka Glass?

Point of sale promotion: This Branded glass could be used in bars or at home on display in your drinks cabinet to advertise your brand. When buying a glass of this specific brand of wine, customers tend to like their drink served with a matching glass to accompany the drink. Therefore, this glass will be on show to more customers. The nicer looking the glass, the more likely the customer will buy this product.

Increase Perceived Value: By offering an on-pack gift that is used together with the actual product along with a premium packaging, the perceived value is increased even further. Customers are more likely to pick a specific brand over competitors in the same industry when a free gift is offered.

Customer retention: Printing a logo on the Branded glass, will definitely help with Customer Retention. Customers will be reminded of the brand every time they use the product. This is one reason why an On-Pack gift like this would be a very successful marketing gift.

Innovative Merchandise: LED signs for On Premise Displays

Neon signage has an old and very retro feel to it, but the technology is not very Eco friendly. Despite LED technology being more expensive up front, it is much cheaper in the long run and therefore very much the best and practical option for most clients.

LED signs offer a very effective and affordable way to advertise your company 24/7. 

• LED signs offer flexibility in your message – You want to be able to change your message? An LED sign is the right choice for you. Whether you want to advertise a sale or to let prospective customers know your hours, you will be able to do it with an LED sign quickly and easily. This is a wonderful advantage over neon signs, simply because you cannot change the message with a neon sign.

• LED business signs use less energy than a neon sign. You can understand this simply by the fact that they never heat up wasting heat energy. Even though your sign is on for 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, you will find that your LED sign will remain cool to the touch, which means that it will use up to 75% less energy than the neon sign. This is a great thing for your electricity bill and for the environment; by choosing LED light you remain faithful to your environment.

• You can even customise shape of your sign to match your business needs. LED message signs come in many different varieties, shapes, colors, design and sizes – You will be amazed at the different options that LED signs offer. This can allow you to choose every detail of you LED sign as well as matching it with your budget to ensure that it will completely meet your needs. The right sign is just as important as what you put on the sign; it has a huge impact upon your business. If it is not the right size or style, it will not be seen from the road that you are trying to target, so keep that in mind when you are choosing your custom LED sign.

• Open LED signs can advertise for you all day, every day – You can allow the LED sign to advertise your business every single day, all day, and this may not be the case with neon signs. This will mean that you can reach customers even while you are sleeping, with absolutely no effort from you!

Innovative Designs for a Premium Cocktail Shaker

A party wouldn’t be a party without that cheeky cocktail or mocktail to celebrate and add some class to your time out with your friends and family, so why not use a premium cocktail shaker to get the party started and create your own alcoholic blend of fruit, fun and drink?

Cocktail shakers are premium gift ideas for bars, events, clubs, and drinks venues for any occasion. They make very useful drinks marketing merchandise and help to make the simplest of drinks taste just that little bit nicer.

A cocktail shaker can be printed with a logo on two sides of its metal surface, giving plenty of potential to increase your brand exposure. Such metal shaker looks professional and would add a sense of class to any brand's display.

How will this cocktail shaker increase your brand exposure?

• Brand exposure. Cocktail shakers are often used in bars, especially for that girly night out, or that classy dinner. More often than not they are always out on display in front with the drinks display, and this will provide high exposure to customers coming in and out of the bar as customers always look at the drinks behind the cabinet, restaurant, or even club to decide on what they want.

• When bar staff make cocktails, the customer will most likely wait at the bar and watch the waiter mix the drink. If they use your cocktail shaker, the customer will be immediately exposed to your brand's logo.

• As gifts in on-pack campaigns, these make valuable gifts for those who like to add a tinge of flavour when mixing their drinks! Making these shakers very functional.

Innovative Merchandise Ideas: Rubber Bar Mats

Often, bar runners or mats are overlooked as a strong merchandise idea which can elevate your brand to commercial status, gaining mass attention.

Bar mats are excellent premium products which every alcohol and drinks brand should consider in their marketing campaign. Why is that so?

First of all, bar mats are usually placed at a strategic location of the pub/restaurant – the bar itself, where most customers make their decision on the beverages they would like to order.  Catch that impulse purchase – make yours the first beverage that appears in front of customers and help them with their decision. A bar mat offers not just enhanced exposure to your potential customers, but also great utility to bars using them keeping the counter tops clean and tidy.

 Bar mats are perhaps one of the best products to provoke recognition for your brand to attract customers and get them to notice you. More often than not, they can be your only merchandise to reach out to your customers and establish a connection with them, as they enjoy their beverages over these mats.

Rubber Back PVC Bar Mat   

Fully washable top (water absorbent), with non-slip rubber base; the top is not made of textile, thus washable.  Your brand really stands out with it being in a very prominent part of the mat

You can customize these mats in any colours and sizes as you like and make these mats exclusively yours

Collaborative Merchandising: MCFC and Wolf Blass Products

With the ongoing buzz about the MCFC's road to a football title, Wolf Blass and Manchester City Football Club are coming together to execute a co-branding line of premium merchandise for their consumers and fans all around the world.

Premium Merchandise - MCFC Football Jersey

Wolf Blass and MCFC have printed their logos on the clothing which is an ideal way of increasing their brand awareness. With both the traditional football jersey design and fashionable tees available, these premium products are bound to capture the attention of your consumers as well as fans.

There are many ways of printing logos onto shirts:

• Foil Stamping

• Silk Screen Printing

• Embroidery

• Heat Transfer & Sublimation Printing

• Colour Changing

Practical Merchandising: Functional Aprons for your Campaign

There are always kings of barbecue on sunny days that can cook the meat like no one. They love to surprise their guests and make them happy by preparing delicious grilling. Your clients are certainly part of them! These custom canvas aprons are a high-quality product idea that will contribute to a lovely barbecue experience for your customers.

The apron attaches very easily around the waist and neck. It will not only allow the user to cook without getting dirty, but also permit him more ease in handling cooking tools.

We like the practicality of the apron. It has been designed with several pockets and hooks for hanging cooking utensils for meat and dishcloths. Your customers will enjoy cooking safely thanks to this thick and heat resistant product.

Why do we like these custom barbecue aprons?

High-quality. The first thing that catch our attention when looking at these barbecue aprons is that they are made of a very high-quality material, and can therefore be used for a couple of years.
Brand visibility. Branding this product with your logo is a perfect marketing idea to improve your brand awareness efficiently and in any occasion, while adding value to your company.

Functional Merchandise: Non-Slip Serving Trays for your Brand

Serving trays add additional levels of sophistication to parties or dinner events. They also allow for more food and drinks to be served at once. Trays can come in variety of designs -– can be custom manufactured from simple circular trays to the square rectangular trays with handles. They can also be non slip with usage of materials such as felt, EVA foam base or rubberising surfaces, ensuring that items on the tray would not slip and fall off.

Some suggestions for manufacturing materials:

• Bamboo

• Leather

• Metal

• Plastic

• Wood (with felt)

• Inflatable material

Trays can be viewed as high perceived value depending on material and designs used, making it a versatile marketing tool.

Overall, as a premium item, the serving tray provides utility through better serving of food and drinks as well as long term direct advertising through printing of logo onto the base or sides of the tray. Its ability to be customised in terms of features and design makes it a great premium product for companies to consider.

Premium Merchandising for Less: Cardboard Coasters

Coasters are capable of protecting table surfaces from condensation and potential scratches by providing a place for drinks to rest upon which makes these coasters excellent as gifts and for campaigns during pub events and at clubs.

Why is a coaster good for marketing your brand?

Easy to personalise. Coasters are easy to design with your drink's logo, brand and even slogan. They can feature the colours of your brand to show off your personality. They can also be customised to suit any shape of coaster, and can be made in different materials.

Brand awareness. Cardboard coasters are great for placing on the bar counter and on tables, they will also be continually used for customers to place their drinks and will therefore the brand will always be seen.