Retailers could be doing more to grow the soft drinks category according to key speakers at GSK LIVE today. Research from the leading soft drinks supplier revealed that only 34% retailers follow a planogram and just 33% buy NPD – despite wholesalers such as Dhamecha attributing £500K of soft drinks sales in 2012 to new product flavours and variants.
Another key finding was that less than 33% of retailers are passing on promotions. A critical opportunity identified for the independent channel was to capitalise on the lunch time ‘Meal Deals’ – which can boost soft drink sales by up to 30%.
Other key findings included: the value of good ranging, with pack size and store location cited by shoppers as more important than price. The impulse opportunity also continues to be important with 49% of soft drink purchases in the independent channel unplanned. Finally, shoppers are actively seeking something new – 34% look for new flavours or varieties.
When asked whether GSK engages the independent channel before launching new price-marked packs and NPD, Jo Cooper, Impulse channel director told Better Wholesaling, “We number crunch analytics to find out what will work with consumers. We also do trails with retailers’ stores.”
GSK’s latest product launches will be revealed in Better Wholesaling’s April issue, out next week.
