Theatre-style experiences, branded merchandise and grand props - promotional activations in convenience stores are increasingly becoming more immersive and spectacular, finds Asian Trader.
At the same time, recognising the importance of building close relationships with communities, brands are increasingly choosing local stores for new product launches.
NPD launches in c-stores are no longer just about allotting shelf space; they have now evolved into multisensory experiences.
With branded POS, window displays, posters, bollard covers, free samples, merchandise and themed props, local stores are being transformed into event spaces for maximum impact.
Interestingly, this is an arrangement where everyone involved benefits. Stores hosting activations see an influx of customers, while brands successfully generate the buzz they need.
According to seasoned retailer Bobby Singh, , immersive activations do more than boost footfall and incremental sales; they also create demand by making new products more familiar to consumers.
“When my customer tries something new and loves it, I make sure to stock that line. I really feel this is the correct method for creating demand,” he says
BB Nevison Superstore in Pontefract is one of the brand-favorite stores for activations, promotions and takeovers.
Back-to-back campaigns, free gifts and ever-changing eye-catching POS keep the store buzzing with a “theatre-like feel”.
Doritos Dinamita in-store activation boost sales
Retailer Bobby Singh
Hosting such activities regularly has made BB Superstore a “destination store”.
“Since we actively market the activation on our social media channels too, we see people coming from faraway places. Some are actually traveling miles to see what's happening in the store,” he adds.
In-store activations in local stores are proving to be more effective.
Singh strongly feels that NPD launch activations are more impactful in local stores than at bigger giants as c-stores engage shoppers more effectively.
“We are in close-knit with the community. We don’t just talk superficially but we know them for years. So when we say something, they tend to listen and engage with us actively.
“We create a ripple effect in the community. That’s something big supermarkets simply can’t replicate,” he says.
One Stop Carlton in Manchester is another store that hosts almost one activation per week.
Retailer Priyesh Vekaria believes immersive in-store activations can “stop consumers in their tracks,” disrupt their mindset, and persuade them to buy things that weren’t on their shopping lists.
Vekaria echoes Singh’s thoughts on how the impact of promotions and activation gets amplified in convenience store set-up.
Retailer Priyesh Vekaria
Retailer Priyesh Vekaria
“Wholesale activations look great and impressive due to their sheer size. However, they only end up encouraging a retailer like me to buy some stock and not the end-users.
"Our engagement however showcases products directly to the customers,” Vekaria tells Asian Trader.
Even if a product is launched and marketed through other channels, such as TV ads, there is no real engagement with end-users, says Vekaria, stressing that true engagement happens in convenience stores.
Inside Dinamita Activation
Retailers’ sentiments are reflecting in the market trends as well.
Most recently, skipping supermarkets, PepsiCo chose to launch its new product, Doritos Dinamita, directly in the convenience channel this February.
Under the massive in-store activation, participating stores were taken over by the brand for a complete makeover.
Bespoke branded vinyl was covered on the windows while shelf-talkers, floor liners, and attractive POS turned the stores into experience zones.
The activation also included spin-to-win wheels and a host of prizes.
This purple-themed immersive branding was seen in stores across the country, including BB Nevison Superstore, One Stop Carlton, Nisa Broadway Oldham, Woosnam and Davies News in Wales, Londis Bexley Park in Dartford, and Go Local Extra Belle Vue in Middlesbrough.
The combination of interactive displays, spin-to-win prizes, and social media promotion, both from retailers and the brand, resulted in record footfall.
In a Northamptonshire’s sleepy village, Doritos Dinamtita activation turned out to be no less than a mini festival.
Since this was the first activation of any sort in Kislingbury Village Store, the community was overjoyed.
Retailer Vidur Pandya shares with Asian Trader, “The wholes set of activities be it spin-the-wheel or free branded merchandise to be won brought in customers even from neighbouring villages who normally don’t shop at our store.
“Since the NPD launch is exclusive to the convenience sector, we also got to boast to customers that you are not going to find this range in the supermarkets.”
Elsewhere in Fenstanton village in Cambridgeshire, retailer Amit Puntambekar reported selling 100 Doritos Dinamita bags in just a week from his store Ash's Shop Nisa Local.
Puntambekar attributed the sales to the success of in-store activation, particularly bespoke POS and the ‘spin to win’ game for shoppers.
Explaining why PepsiCo chose convenience for this launch, Ed Merrett, Wholesaler Controller at PepsiCo, tells Asian Trader, “The savoury snacking category remains full of choice, with new products landing in the market all the time.
“As a result, executing impactful launch campaigns that truly capture the attention of our retailer partners and shoppers alike, making NPD unmissable in-store, has become a fundamental part of how we want to operate in the channel.”
Ed Merrett, Wholesaler Controller at PepsiCoCirkle
The rise in demand for PMP formats in salty snacks category has skyrocketed in recent years, reflecting the role of convenience channel.
“This made the impulse channel a perfect launch platform for Doritos Dinamita, with the channel exclusive giving retailers the chance to go big in-store with the hot new launch to tap into these opportunities,” Merrett adds.
After hosting a successful campaign for Doritos Dinamita launch, Merett from PepsiCo calls activation in c-store as “win-win for everyone”.
“We’re proud to be shining a light on the convenience channel through the launch of Doritos Dinamita, showcasing its power at connecting with local communities and driving excitement among shoppers.
“It’s an agile channel and we have certainly been able to have some great fun with the activations so far, in addition to driving valuable sales for our retail partners,” he says.
Retail focused PR agency Cirkle, who was behind this activation, actively works with leading suppliers such as PepsiCo and Carlsberg Britvic for such promotions,
Vicki Baker, Head of Retail Trade at Cirkle, agrees with Merett, saying c-store activations are “win all round” for everyone involved.
“Supporting NPD in this way creates a buzz with shoppers as well, it drives awareness and talkability and it encourages them to pick up the product next time they see it too, share online and make recommendations to friends and family.
“Savoury snacks and soft drinks are impulsive categories, so we’ve seen stores really benefit from the additional theatre and the chance to engage with shoppers in different ways.
Vicki Baker, Head of Retail Trade at CirkleCirkle
“From sampling and impactful displays, to giveaways and gift with purchase, these are all great ways to help drive trial of new products among shoppers.”
Momentum is building
NPD in-store activation in convenience channel is not only becoming grander but it is also gaining more momentum.
In November, KP Snacks supported select convenience stores with a movie-themed takeover for its Butterkist popcorn which saw themed POS along with life-size cutouts.
Hot on the heels of Dinamita activation, Danone launched Alpro Creamy Oat Milk in convenience retail. New energy drink brand Mas+, a new launch in the UK by acclaimed footballer Lionel Messi, recently chose SPAR stores as their launch pad.
Other notable recent campaigns include the launches of Dr Pepper Cherry Crush and Coca-Cola Lime.
Leveraging the benefits of “peer to peer endorsement”, Cirkle has been working directly with its Retailer Inner Cirkle members to not only activate in their stores but also to collaborate and shape plans together.
While there has been a series of interesting activations in the convenience channel, Extra Flamin’ Hot activation (one of Cirkle’s initiatives) is often deemed as the “real game-changer”.
Walkers Extra Flamin’ Hot activation was a brainchild of Retailer Inner Cirkle, through which both Singh and Vekaria along with fellow leading retailers Atul Sodha and Aman Uppal were heavily involved right from ideating, creating and putting together the whole in-store plans.
Doritos Dinamita activation turns UK convenience stores
Vekaria tells Asian Trader, “With Walkers Extra Flamin' Hot activation, we (Retailer Inner Cirkle) were involved much before the launch right from flavour profiling, case testing to packaging design and deciding what the activation packages should look like depending on the store size.”
As a result, Extra Flamin’ Hot activation turned out to be a first-of-its-kind immersive experience at a different level altogether.
Complete with fire extinguishers in the stores and even Extra Flamin’ Hot-branded fire trucks parked outside several participating stores, the bespoke front-of-store wrap created an immersive experience for the shoppers as they munched on the free samples.
“The way Cirkle supported Extra Flamin' Hot activation, it became a game changer in the industry as it brought a lot of attention from the trade,” says Vekaria.
Winds of Change
Organising activations might involve a little extra effort but for retailers like Singh, Vekaria and Pandya, it is all worth it.
“I have evolved a lot over the years. 10 years back, if someone had suggested having such a massive campaign, I might have hesitated, thinking it is too much work and doubting if all the effort would be worth it.
“However, now, after participating in endless such activations, I respect what value they bring to my store as well as to my community ,” Singh says.
After tasting the success with Doritos Dinamita, retailer Pandya is eager to get involved in more NPD activations, saying this has opened another channel for his store sales.
“We have seen an increase in footfall following the launch, so I can see how such activations can help retailers like me who are in remote village locations,” says Pandya.
Seeing the spur of activities in the past couple of years, it is safe to say that brands are waking up to the power of convenience channel.
As revealed by Baker from Cirkle, leading suppliers such as PepsiCo and Carlsberg Britvic now have a continued focus on activating within convenience.
“It is really positive to see an increasing number of suppliers realising the benefits of investing in the convenience channel when it comes to in-store activations and making an unmissable splash.
“I think the sky is the limit when you think about the opportunities for suppliers across categories to activate in the convenience channel.
“The convenience channel has always been known for its agility and the passion store owners have when it comes to getting behind a new product launch is second to none,” she tells Asian Trader.
At the time this article was sent to press, Monster Rio Punch was immersing selected c-stores in its characteristic sea-blue branding.
With sampling, attention-grabbing POS and Monster-branded gift sets, the excitement in Manchester’s Go Local Extra Duchy Stores and Millbrook Convenience Store was palpable.
Clearly, winds are changing in the favour of convenience retailers.
As rightly out by Vekaria, “once upon a time not so long ago, it was very difficult to even get a brand to recognise us.
“Now even the competitor brands are eager to work with us in a big way. I think this is a huge shift.”
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