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A Guide to Cold Vault Merchandising and Coolers

April 14, 2023

Warm weather seems to be here to stay in the Midwest for the spring. There aren’t many things people enjoy more on a hot day than a cold, refreshing beverage. Convenience stores and grocers can set themselves apart by having functional and attractive for your cold vaults, beer caves, and store coolers. With a strong visual merchandising strategy, drinks will move quickly from the shelves to the register. 

As a retailer, you want to maximize your profits and satisfy your customers. One way to achieve this is through effective cold vault merchandising and coolers. These are crucial elements in grocery stores, convenience stores, and other retail environments that sell cold beverages.

Cold Vault Merchandising in Grocery Stores and Convenience Stores

Cold vault merchandising is the art of organizing drinks within a refrigerated space to attract shoppers and increase sales. A well-organized cold vault can make the shopping experience more convenient and enjoyable for customers, making them more likely to return to your store.

When it comes to cold vault merchandising, the first thing to consider is the size and layout of the space. You need to ensure that your inventory is arranged to make it easy for customers to find what they want. Group similar products , such as carbonated beverages, sports, and energy drinks. Labeling and signage are also critical to help customers quickly find what they want.

One common technique is to place best-selling items at eye level, making it easy for customers to see them. Less popular items can be set lower or higher on the shelves.

Stand Alone Coolers on the Floor of the Store

In addition to cold vaults, stand-alone coolers on the store floor are also essential for cold beverages. These coolers are usually located near the front of the store and are used for impulse purchases. Again, proper merchandising is critical to ensure that these coolers are effective.

The placement of coolers is essential. They should be in high-traffic areas, such as near the checkout counter or the entrance to the store. You can also use signage and labels to highlight promotions and deals.

Beer Caves and Alcohol Sales

Beer caves are walk-in coolers that are commonly used for beer storage. They are typically located at the back of the store, and their design creates a unique shopping experience for customers.

Alcohol sales are a significant source of revenue for many retailers, and beer caves can play a vital role in generating sales. When setting up a beer cave, consider the size and layout of the space. You want to ensure you can stock various beers and other alcoholic beverages.

The Importance of Rotating Stock

One critical aspect of cold vault merchandising and coolers is rotating stock. Rotating stock involves moving older products to the front of the cooler or display and putting new products at the back. This helps ensure customers purchase the freshest products possible, reducing waste and increasing customer satisfaction.

When rotating stock, check the expiration dates on all products. Discard any items past their expiration date, and remember to restock any products running low.

Working with Beverage Vendors

Finally, working with beverage vendors can be a great way to enhance your cold vault merchandising and cooler displays. Beverage vendors can provide product recommendations, pricing information, and promotional materials.

When working with beverage vendors, clearly communicate your goals and expectations. Ask for their advice on merchandising and pricing strategies. Consider developing a partnership with your vendors to help increase sales and customer satisfaction.

Effective cold vault merchandising and cooler displays can significantly increase sales and customer satisfaction in retail environments. By considering the size and layout of your space, grouping similar products, using signage and labels, and working with beverage vendors, you can create an effective merchandising strategy that will help your business thrive. Remember to rotate your stock regularly to ensure your customers always get the freshest products possible.

Work With PFI

Our team at Presence From Innovation (PFI) is ready to help with all of your cold vault merchandising needs. We have decades of experience helping retailers and business owners achieve their goals with our displays, shelving units, and other retail solutions. Contact us today, and let’s talk about your retail needs!

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Successful POS Design Pushes Traditional Marketing Strategies To Another Level. Point of Sale marketing in 2018 took traditional marketing methods – unique design, eye-catching presentation, effective branding with clear messaging, a clear tieback to existing consumer advertising, targeting emotional triggers, and an awareness of the shopper's journey – and pushed them to the limits of creativity. Studies in point-of-sale effectiveness showed that in 2016, properly leveraged marketing initiatives resulted in an average of 9.2% sales lift and that 40% of shoppers recalled the merchandising displays. As marketing has become more complex, these numbers have improved, and it’s been found that the most successful campaigns didn’t prioritize one method over any other but rather ensured each factor was leveraged to the fullest to maximize the impact of the overall strategy. Marketing is More than Matching Form to Function Across every industry and market segment, setting your brand apart from the competition is a fierce and driving force that informs every business decision. The process of marketing is no exception – companies everywhere have come to understand that customers can get whatever service you offer from a myriad of sources, so a successful marketing plan can usher consumers beyond any concerns of quality and focus their behavior on the one thing you can control: the journey they take in buying your product. Don’t Think Outside the Box, Leave the Box at Home Successful creative marketing approaches break down the boundaries around how consumers expect to consume and interact with your brand. Bold, compelling designs, larger-than-life displays, interactive or dynamic displays, and point-of-sale media that not only showcase the product but draw the user into the unique experience your brand has to offer. And don’t stick to only static floor installations. Explore shelf edging, ceiling-hung displays, or signage and displays for register counters. Approach your marketing without limitations on space and location, and open the door to all of the possible ways to engage consumers. Show and Tell with Clear Branding and Messaging While creativity is necessary, clarity is just as important. The last thing you want consumers to do is look at your POS branding and either not be able to tie your product to it, or worse, not understand the message you’re trying to get across. Your brand should be front and center, and the supporting messaging or call to action should cleverly play into your brand without straying too far afield. An energy drink display modeled after a refueling jet or a gas station is not only clever and engaging, but on-brand and appropriate. A display focused on your brand’s new chocolate bars combining imagery of clowns having a party on a yacht inviting consumers to dive in? Memorable, sure, but in none of the right ways. POS Displays are Breadcrumbs on the Trail Back to Your Brand A cohesive marketing campaign requires your point of sale materials to tie back to your overall brand image and message. As with the example above, great POS displays tell a story and paint a picture consistent with your brand presence across all mediums. Think about it from the perspective of the Apple aesthetic, where you can instantly recognize the sleek minimalistic design of an Apple product. Consumers should be able to see your branding anywhere – the store, online, on a billboard – and instantly recognize consistency in your messaging and presentation. Disrupt Routine with Emotion Let’s go back to the crucial element in marketing that successful campaigns take into account: the market is oversaturated, no matter the market niche to which you cater. All of the guidance discussed to this point is meaningless if you’re marketing department cannot embrace this one guiding principle: you’re not selling a product or service. You’re selling what it feels like to engage with your product or service. You’re honing in on the emotions and the place your product should hold in a consumer’s life. Your material must embody that aesthetic, that a lifestyle where your brand plays a role is the lifestyle they would prefer to anything else. Don’t Be Passive, Take Control of the Consumer Journey Building effective eye-catching, emotion-inducing POS displays for your product isn’t enough in the modern marketplace. Buying and shopping habits have shifted and more decision-making occurs before customers step foot into a brick-and-mortar retail space, requiring a marketing approach that places you squarely into the consumer journey. Engage digital throughout your marketing efforts – from targeted online advertisements that draw consumers to your brand to engaging and digital-savvy store installations that incorporate video and digital POS displays when consumers follow your advertising into the store and complete their journey to where your product is displayed. A Firm with a Successful Track Record in POS Design You want your product to stand out and make an emotional impact on consumers. You’ve created a solid branding and marketing plan, and need to find a solutions provider with a track record of success and the ability to bring your visions to life in ways that will draw consumers to your brand and maximize the return on your marketing initiative. Or maybe you’re a small business just starting and you could use some help in designing your marketing strategy to support your product. Whatever your needs might be, contact the award-winning team at Butler Merchandising Systems, LLC. today to collaborate on your next project.
By Butler MSI Team October 21, 2024
With online shopping growing rapidly, physical stores are under increasing pressure to stand out to the average consumer. Out of all the possible ways to differentiate yourself from your e-commerce competitors, visual merchandising is crucial in attracting foot traffic and driving sales.
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