The European beer and cider market is one of the largest in the world and in recent years we’ve seen seismic shifts in consumer behaviour. From the thirst for craft beers to a taste for zero alcohol and flavoured variants. And from the premiumisation of alcohol to the sure and steady growth in online sales.
Now, research complied in our new FREE White Paper has revealed that recent world events and alterations in shopping habits have accelerated change - and potentially shifted the way we buy beer and cider forever.
From our supermarkets to our corner stores, we want to find our favourite drinks quickly and easily in one place, so we don’t have to hang around in-store, or shop around.
We’re looking for greater value and convenience, as we switch from buying convenience drinks, for just tonight, to planning ahead and limiting the number of shopping trips we have to make. And, of course, we want all this from breweries that we trust to take better care of our planet (71% of beer drinkers in the UK think it’s important for their brew to be more environmentally friendly).
That’s why there’s never been a more important time to think innovatively about how you package your brew. And we can help.
It’s vital that you’re visible
Impact on-shelf has always played a major role in driving sales. According to Nielsen, over 70% of purchase decisions are made after your customers enter the store. Yet despite this, shoppers only look at a fraction of the products that on display. Attention spans are short – as little as a few seconds – and over a third of customers will buy an alternative brand if they can’t easily see the brand they’re looking for on the shelf.
Now the beer and cider market is facing fresh challenges…
The craft beer revolution has seen the number of UK breweries surpass 2,000 – the highest number since the 1930s. According to accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young, the number of breweries in the UK increased by 64% in a five year period. Across Europe as a whole there was a staggering 85% increase in brewers between 2013 and 2018.
Hot on the heels of increased competition has come Covid-19, with record declines in retail sales and pubs, bars and restaurant door closed for months.
Our latest consumer insight, shows that as a result of Covid-19, a ‘new normal’ arrived. In the beer and cider sector, like all sectors, there’ll be winners and losers and changes in your packaging design could determine which side you’re on.
Adapting to a ‘new normal’
Research shared in our Free White Paper shows that right now big shopping trips are replacing more frequent, smaller trips and over half of UK shoppers are visiting supermarkets less. (A habit that 1 in 4 shoppers say they expect to continue long-term.) And with over a fifth of us expecting the Covid-19 crisis to last for 12 months or more, there’ll be significant disruption to the way we shop for our beer and cider for some time yet. (Nielsen, 2020).
Which means, now, at a time when it’s even more crucial for your beer to stand out, there are fewer opportunities for you to achieve it.
At DS Smith’s PackRight Centres our strategists and designers are hard at work. Creating customised, sustainable packaging solutions to get you stocked and seen and meet the major challenges facing brewers like you today.
Our revolutionary R Flute® technology for example, provides a better print surface, accepting high quality printing inks that properly reflect your brand positioning and price point. (With shopping missions becoming focussed on stocking up and planning ahead, your four packs and multipacks are going to need to really stand out.)
Our digital printing capabilities are making disruptive promotional, seasonal and exclusive versions of your packaging a commercial reality, even on small runs. And we’re creating packaging and POS solutions that will really differentiate your brand at fixture.
Not just impact on shelf, but intelligence too
When you partner with us you get much more than packaging design. You also get access to our knowledge, insight and experience as well. Our partnership with leading European packaging research group, ‘eyetracker’, for example enables us to test our solutions and prove they can help shoppers find your beer on shelf as much as 10% faster.
Our relationships with, and understanding of the retailers, also enables us to work with you to work with retail guidelines where appropriate, rather than seeing them as a challenge. One thing we know all retailers favour is packaging that’s easy to handle and display on-shelf and our R-Flute® technology also allows faster, tidier opening of perforated packs to help keep you stocked. Trials show that when a product is continually presented at the front of the shelf, sales can increase by up to 20%, with an average increase of 6-8%.
Discover the future of beer and cider packaging now
Our latest FREE White Paper ‘Make the right kind of impact’ will tell you more about making your beer stand out on-shelf. It also explains how we are helping brewers meet challenges in ecommerce and sustainability, including eliminating single-use plastic and reducing CO2.
Download it today. It could give you a competitive advantage and help you succeed in a changing world.
