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Distribution & Channels

A collection of 13 issues

Wanna know what drives drinks sales?

Wanna know what drives drinks sales? No, it's not brand love It's margins. There's a reason why they are called "links" in a value chain. They are connected to one another and they don't survive alone. If one link gets too fat, it breaks the next one. A healthy chain

1 case in 1 bar > than 1 bottle in 6 bars

"Distribution Sells": worst quote ever read in a boardroom. That's the recipe for another dusty bottle on the shelf. Pushing brands is not sustainable. My 4 reflections:👇🏻 I've often got stuck in meeting rooms discussing if we should drive distribution or ROS (Rate of Sale or Velocity). The two aspects

Importance of distribution

99% of new drinks brands don’t put enough attention to distribution. They assume: * a strong brand is enough to sell. * their award-winning liquid will stand out. * they have connections to get listings in bars. Too much time spent in the echo chamber. Not enough time cracking what moves bottles.

How important is the last mile in drinks brands’ distribution?

How important is the last mile in drinks brands’ distribution? Drinks sales velocity is like your internet connection speed. What matters is the speed at the end, not at the start: You know when your connection is slow but you thought you had broadband? Broadband might have reached your neighborhood.

Why do brands / distributors relationships often fail?

Why do brands / distributors relationships often fail? Because they are approached like dating. Intros are made by friends or SoMe, based on look and attitude. What about starting from aligned objectives? Where do you want to be with your brand in 5 years? Do you want to be a premium

Look at your brand with the customers' eyes.

Don't look for an importer that can get you in a bar. Understand which bars you want to be in and work it backwards. We tend to think top down Think bottom up: Look at your brand with the customers' eyes. If you don't know it well enough, you cannot

Are you sure you want to push your drinks brand in off-trade?

Be careful what you wish for. The channel-mix is the litmus test of profitability. Here is what I've learned and my advice: Very often, a brand in a new market struggles with sales. Usually a wrong target-setting has made your budget unreachable. Chased by stakeholders one goes for the "easy

"That bar is not cool for my craft brand"... but they want to buy it. What should I do?

Should I sell it to them? Will it ruin my brand's image? Ask yourself these 2 questions👇🏻 : You are about to enter the outlet, you know they want it but: * will they want a discount? * will they manage to sell-out? If you don't discount it to sell it in, and

Wrong objectives lead to wrong decisions.

I remember a trade visit in a supermarket in a new market, time ago. The sales rep told me that the key SKU in there were bottles. Really? I asked, while picking a can and a bottle from the shelf: The bottle was full of dust. The can was clean.