2010 - A vintage year for 'by the glass' retailing

FACT - ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION IN THE UK IS FALLING

ACTION – IMPLEMENT BACCUS’S TIPS AND IDEAS

RESULT – INCREASE YOUR WINE SALES AND BOOST THE NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS COMING THROUGH YOUR DOOR

Recent industry articles are pretty downbeat – the general opinion seems to be that ‘alcohol consumption in the UK is falling faster than at any time in the past 60 years’. If the doom merchants have got you lying awake at night worrying about what you can do to boost your sales, then relax, put the light on and settle down to read our tips and ideas that will make sure that 2010 is a vintage year for wine in your business…..

Fact - Consumers are moderating their alcohol intake per on-trade visit, a trend that looks likely to continue well into 2010.
Action – Introduce a greater range of mid range and premium wines by the glass (make sure you can guarantee they will be 100% fresh or don’t bother offering them) to boost the average spend per transaction – a surefire way to ensure that a decrease in volume of sales doesn’t necessarily lead to a decrease in value!
Result – happy customers and a healthy bank balance.

Fact - Consumers are going out more often, particularly mid week which is driving on-trade sales growth.
Action – Use wine events, based around the new opportunities to sell ‘taster’ measures, to attract the mid-week consumer into your business (look at it as a 21st century equivalent to traditional pub quizzes, pool or darts) – it’s all about having a unique selling point that’s profitable for you and fun for your customer.
Result – more money in your tills and a fabulous reputation that will draw customers into your business from miles around, time after time, month after month.

Fact - Female consumers are going out more often and represent a significant and growing market for on-trade operators.
Action – Include wines on your list that will appeal to your female customers and offer an ‘at table’ wine service which will make sure they are totally comfortable with their ‘on-trade’ experience.
Result –word of mouth recommendations that will quickly boost sales and ensure repeat business

Fact - Consumers' midweek drinking occasions are increasingly diverse: a quick drink on the way home, socializing with friends/colleagues or an ‘event’ night out.
Action – using clever marketing ideas link wine to each occasion i.e. an after work, pre dinner aperitif, ‘Tasters and Tapas’ perfect for couple and groups or a ‘Flight’ wine tasting for a truly memorable event.
Result – increase the number of customers coming through your door and lots of free word of mouth publicity to boost sales.

Fact – When it comes to wine, consumers may be trading down on volume but they’re trading up on quality
Action – make sure that your customers get value for money and that every glass of wine served is in perfect condition. Make a sensible investment in Le Verre de Vin wine safe technology or date stamp and throw away wine after its been open 24 hours – if you wouldn’t pay for ‘off’ wine then don’t expect your customers to!
Result - get it right and your customers will be happy to pay more for better quality wine, they will keep coming back and they will recommend you to friends and colleagues. Get it wrong and your customers will notice, they just won’t tell you, they won’t be back and nor will their friends and colleagues (remember how fast bad news spreads?!)

Fact - Relaxed social drinking is consumers' preferred on-trade behavior
Action – Provide your customers with a choice of quality wines, that you can guarantee are fresh and in perfect condition and make the whole wine by the glass experience interactive and fun.
Result – happy customers who are happy to spend a bit more in return for a relaxed and fun night out.

Fact - The demographic shift due to aging populations also favors relaxed consumption
Action – wine appeals to a broad demographic group, however consumers aged 30 plus are driving the trend towards premium brands so make sure your list contains some famous names and aspirational wines.
Result – imagine increasing the revenue from every glass of wine you serve by anywhere from 50p to £5.00+ and then imagine banking all that extra cash – get it right and turn imagination into reality.

Fact – your wine list and service must appeal to both male and female consumers
Actions – boost your cross-gender appeal and serve specific ‘Taster’s and Tapas’ and/or ‘flights’ for sharing and socializing
Result –a service that appeals to both genders and transforms a glass of wine and a bite to eat, into a special occasion that will be remembered for a long time.

Fact - midweek on-trade occasions offer marketers diversity in consumers, occasions and demand for products
Action – make sure your wine list and service is in line with today’s consumers desire for a more relaxed, continental café culture occasion, promote the compatibility of your wines with specific menu items and attract attention through point-of-sale activity and innovation.
Result – a wine service that will ensure 2010 is a vintage year for wine in your business.

Fact – to get the most from these tips and ideas you’ll need to make a modest investment and install one of our Le Verre de Vin wine and Champagne preservation systems to protect and preserve the wines you offer.
Action – call or email to place your Le Verre de Vin order before the 31st of December 2009 and we’ll give you a fabulous discount as a Christmas present
Result – a professional and profitable wine service that will address your customers single, proven biggest worry when buying any glass, but especially a premium glass, “will the wine be fresh?”