Why boosting your core soft drinks range is the key to unlocking sales this summer

Soft drinks are the second most bought product in convenience [Lumina] and are worth £3.3bn in the channel alone [Circana]. So, how can retailers capitalise on this valuable opportunity?

Stocking a core range of popular and classic soft drink flavours is often taken for granted but is vital for driving sales as well as meeting customer expectations.

While offering unique and limited-edition flavours will attract attention, having a reliable selection of mainstream favourites ensures that consumers can find the refreshing tastes they know and love.

Actively promoting and creating theatre around these core products in-store is also key to generating excitement and keeping them front-of-mind for shoppers.

For example, in-store activations that surprise and delight consumers can drive impulse purchases of shopper favourites. From bold displays to creative sampling tactics, retailers should look to re-energize and draw attention to essential core ranges and make the most of the opportunity available.

Shoppers’ preferred choice

Orange is the number one flavour in the soft drinks category [NielsenIQ] and clearly a preferred choice for shoppers that shouldn’t be overlooked.  As the third biggest fruit flavoured carbonates brand, Tango has seen its sales triple over the last five years [NielsenIQ], solidifying the brand as a firm favourite. 

That’s why Tango is raising awareness around its core orange flavour with the launch of its ‘Outrageously Orange’ campaign.

The ’Outrageously Orange’ TV advert is set in a prison and playfully showcases the bold side of Tango Orange, shining a light on a soft drinks staple known to many as ‘the most powerful flavour on the streets’. Watch for yourself here.

Campaigns such as these will help ensure that Tango Orange is front of mind for consumers over the summer months, a key sales period for soft drinks.

Creating in-store excitement

The key to maximising the success of any category is standing out from the crowd. Activating in-store and creating theatre around soft drinks are great ways to help retailers do just that.

So, to celebrate the Tango Orange campaign, the brand supported retailers by making a big splash in store with theatre, point of sale (POS) and sampling to keep the product front of mind and drive footfall and sales.

Aman Uppal from One Stop, one of the participating retailers, said: “I was delighted to be involved with the latest activation for Tango Orange, my customers loved seeing staff dress up in prisoner outfits.

”The free samples went down well and was the perfect opportunity to remind shoppers that the core flavours are still around and tastier than ever.”

Mike Sohal of Dallam Stores also particpated and agreed that the stunt created excitement in store: “We had lots of customers come in and engage with the activation in store. It was nice to be involved with something a bit different to support the core range instead of the usual NPD.”

Mike also noted that sales of Tango went up by about 50% following the activation [Internal], showing the vital role of activations in disrupting shopper journeys and reigniting excitement around familiar products.

As soft drink sales spike over summer and the “Outrageously Orange” campaign keeps the iconic flavour front of mind, now is the time to stock up on core brands like Tango Orange, as well as POS to keep excitement levels high.

Visit Britvic’s At Your Convenience platform now to get Tango POS and make your stores pop this summer.