Suntory Beverage & Food reveals soft drinks opportunities

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Retailers could unlock £8,992 in soft drink sales over five years by taking advantage of key trends and catering for key purchasing occasions, new research reveals.

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Suntory Beverage & Food’s category vision for 2021 breaks down the soft drink category into four simple consumer need states:

  1. Enjoyable refreshment – Retailers can inspire shoppers to consider a drink with or without food at key moments throughout the day by activating ‘meal for tonight’ options and flagging cross-category links. Disrupting and exciting shoppers with PoS materials and reminding shoppers to visit the chiller is key to unlocking an extra £2,529 over the next five years.
  2. Uplift and energise – Retailers can bring in new shoppers by increasing the visibility and presence of ‘better for you’ energy options, and championing sugar-free, natural and emerging segments through merchandising and in-store activation. A destination aisle to cater for those with sporting and active lifestyles in one was of helping to unlock an £1,815 for every store.
  3. Special moments – the biggest potential category win for retailers comes from encouraging shoppers to choose a favourite soft drink when they are taking a moment in their day to enjoy a little treat, or by enhancing mealtime occasions. Retailers can help deliver growth of £2,551 per store – by better catering for drinks to accompany ‘meals for tonight’ and delivering drink options to lift the mood of consumers.
  4. Positive choice – By supporting consumers’ wellbeing by helping them to find more balanced and natural drink choices, with a positive force on society, retailers can help unlock an extra £1,748 per convenience store, per year.

Alpesh Mistry, sales director at SBF GB&I, said: “The trends we’ve seen develop during the Covid-19 crisis, such as increased in-home consumption, are set to continue. We also know that in recessionary times, people buy smaller packs more frequently. It is crucial that retailers understand these trends and make room for products that cater for these changing habits to continue to see category growth.

“The soft drink category needs to cater for these changes. We know one-in-four shoppers are consuming more soft drinks, and that £143m has been added to the category through increased multipack sales during lockdown.”