3 Ways to Juice Up Your Beverage Sales

There are countless beverage sales techniques out there, but not all have what it takes to be successful.

With dozens of brands to choose from - whether it's juice, water, tea, soda, or something else - merchandisers need to present their consumers with an array of creative displays to get their product to stand out. Whether that means creating special promotions, tailoring products to appeal to a certain audience, or updating packing to reflects changing consumer preferences, merchandisers need to constantly innovate new strategies that will reach out to loyal consumers - in addition to introduce new people to their brand.

These are some of the best tools beverage merchandisers can use to quench the thirst of their consumers:

Sugar is out, healthy is in

It's more clear than ever that consumers are trying to make healthier choices about what they drink, which has been a difficult adjustment for some beverage brands to make. Shoppers have increasingly rejected sugary, high-calorie drinks in favor of healthier, more natural, or organic beverage products. This trend can be seen in the steady downward spiral of soda sales in the U.S. Per capita consumption of soda hit a 30-year low in 2015, ABC News reported. At the same time, healthy beverage alternatives are coming into their heyday as sales grow at a steady pace.

The plant-based food and beverage industry has racked up $4.9 billion in U.S. sales so far in 2016, which is a 3.5 percent increase from the previous year, according to Food Business News. This segment of the beverage industry is growing much faster than others, the source explained.

"People now know the benefits of plant-based [products]," Michael Lynch, vice president of marketing at Daiya Foods, told Food Business News. "They either embrace plant-based because they feel it's good for them from a health perspective, or from the planet, climate, environmental perspective."

This means merchandisers should develop packaging that emphasizes the healthy aspects of a product to appeal to these changing consumer tastes. For example, using recyclable materials in packaging instead of something that could be harmful to the environment is an easy way to appeal to a consumer's environmentalism. Another option is to prominently display nutrition facts that highlight low calorie content, low sugar volume, or fat-free foods, products that many consumers gravitate toward.

Some merchandisers have even been using this method for items that might seem impossible to market as healthy. PepsiCo announced that its single-serving drinks would have 100 calories or fewer by 2025, according to CNN Money. This move, in addition to a pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions, is an attempt by the company to earn back customers who have left its products for healthier options.

Build packaging to reflect an evolving consumer base

The U.S. has always been a melting pot, and as more immigrants of different backgrounds come in to the country, merchandisers need to revamp their beverage sales techniques to capture a share of that emerging market. This trend can most easily be seen with the Hispanic community in the U.S.

The Latino food and beverage industry skyrocketed to $18 billion in 2015, marking a four percent increase from the previous year, Meat + Poultry reported.

"Hispanics are experiencing an increase in purchasing power, and as a result an increase in their influence on retail grocery offerings and on foodservice offerings" David Sprinkle, research director for consumer goods research firm Packaged Facts, told Meat + Poultry.

Sprinkle's firm found that at least one-third of consumers consider Hispanic foods part of their mainstream diet. To capitalize on this trend, merchandisers should introduce new flavors and packaging that reflect the growing presence of Hispanic consumers. Of course, authenticity is important, so it's critical to research extensively about the different types of beverages Hispanic consumers enjoy the most before implementing this strategy. This goes for all consumer demographic groups. Merchandisers should evaluate who their base is, and consider experimenting with different flavors and packaging to draw consumers to their beverage.

Don't be afraid to get festive

Winter, summer, spring, or fall, there's always a holiday on the horizon. Brands that tailor their merchandising strategy to the festivities can take advantage of buyers' love of the holidays. One high profile beverage brand engaging in this type of merchandising for winter 2016 is Heineken.

The beer brand will display the message "Happy Holidays" on its usual green and red packaging, in addition to introducing a variety of holiday features meant to engage consumers. For instance, shoppers will be able to use the music app Shazam on each Heineken holiday case to connect to Heineken's website - where consumers will be able to create their own personalized holiday card, Food and Beverage magazine reported. The words "To Your Family From Ours" will also be prominent on the packaging to reinforce the product as something that brings families together, an effective message during the winter holidays.

Interactivity is a creative way to get potential buyers more involved with your product when they're shopping in the store. And, the more time shoppers spend examining products, the more likely they are to drop them in their carts. 

It's clear the beverage industry is going through some major changes right now, so it's up to merchandisers to make sure that their brand stays relevant with as many consumers as possible.