Shopt column: Rain or shine, there’s a seasonal opportunity
*shopt Marketing Communications Manager Alexa Hester explains how the retail channel can always adapt
Whether it’s topping up your confectionery selection ahead of Halloween and Easter, stocking up on cereals and snacks for back-to-school or showcasing gift and premium alcohol options ahead of Christmas, tapping into seasonal hooks is a vital sales tool for any retailer.
Maximising key seasonal events has always been crucial for wholesalers and convenience and, as life begins to open up, these will offer bigger rewards for stores. This year’s back-to-school season is looking promising, with sales expected to grow 6.7%. On top of that, a quarter of Brits say they have started thinking about Christmas shopping already, with consumer confidence returning ahead of what’s set to be a big festive season.
A massive 84% of Brits planned to holiday in the UK this year, so the *shopt app introduced a staycation campaign to help retailers make the most of the summer holidays. Running until September, the campaign is ensuring the shelves are full of bestselling summer lines, such as soft drinks, the latest NPD and on-trend products such as hard seltzers.
With the top-up shop still the number-one mission in convenience, stocking those core ranges, exciting NPD and displaying products correctly is key to making the most of seasonal trends, whether that’s catering for passing holidaymakers or locals looking to treat themselves ahead of New Year festivities.
Brands also saw great success during lockdown, with shoppers looking for comforting and familiar items and this looks set to continue. The *shopt app was created to connect retailers with some of the biggest FMCG brands.
As well as offering the chance to hear about and earn rewards for stocking new products and core lines, the app also provides exclusive content on ranging and display, advertising and media support, and customer insights. This can also extend further with support available to help stores improve sustainability or to adapt to upcoming HFSS regulations.
Relevant promotions, as well as PMPs, also continue to play an important role in offering value to shoppers and can be a quick way to increase basket spend.
The future is positive for the convenience sector – market growth is set to increase between 2022 and 2024 to £47.1bn – up £3.9bn from 2021. Amplifying seasonal hooks is an easy way to create in-store theatre, meet consumer needs and up-sell by showcasing new products and promotions. The *shopt app is here to make that even easier for retailers, by putting top brands in your pocket.
category e-commerce retail Shopt
