Make sense of it

Are you attracting your target audience? By Peter Segal of srcg, a consultancy specialising in retail strategy, category development and training.

To understand what is understood by ambience in pubs and bars I asked my colleagues in the office and the responses came flooding back including environment, surroundings, size of the room, the amount of tables, the amount of people in it and music or TV.

Ambience clearly encompasses all the factors that affect how people feel when they are in a pub. These range from those that may seem obvious, such as dècor, lighting and music, to the fundamentals of successful trading as discussed in this column previously, that is merchandising, promotions and ranging.

For me, the key to creating the right ambience has much to do with how pubs stimulate the senses in accordance with the key occasions they serve. For instance:

Sight...​

...for a big night out considerations will include standing areas, plasma screens, the latest vodka mixes and bottled beers merchandised at eye-level, branded point-of-sale material for the very latest vodka mixer...

...for a quiet drink pubs might consider stools at the bar, point of sale material promoting real ales, traditional wooden tables and chairs for dining, natural light complimented.

Sound...​

...for a big night out the music is likely to be louder and more up tempo...

...for a food-led occasion music should be played at a level so as not to inhibit conversation.

Smell...​

...for Sunday lunch customers might be influenced by the smell of the Sunday roast and put off by cigarette smoke...

None of this is complicated but how often are we presented with mixed messages surrounding ambience. Pubs need to shout "come in and have a quiet drink", "come in and have some food" or "come in and have a party". Ambience is therefore extremely significant in attracting new customers to the outlet. The decision may be taken in seconds so ambience needs to be delivered in a clear and impactful way.

More and more pubs are attempting to fulfil multiple occasions across a typical week or even a typical day. Clearly much of the appearance will not change but the emphasis within the pub can. Such pubs are termed "chameleon" and they are a growing breed, particularly on the high street.

There are many examples of chameleon pubs, for instance, the Litten Tree. Within this chain of high street bars different groups of customers are targeted in the following ways:

• morning customers are offered coffee and pastries and in some bars they are offered sandwiches to use on their way to work.
• lunchtime customers are offered a broad menu and both business people and shoppers are catered for.
• evening customers come in for entertainment (karaoke, live bands, Sky Sports, etc) and they can also eat and drink.
• later the tempo rises and it becomes more of a party venue.

Of course many pubs will not have the same breadth of customer or occasions available to them but all pubs should challenge themselves to think of traffic building opportunities across the week. My advice would be to get the ambience right for the key occasion and then think of ways to adapt it to try and attract customers at other times during the week.

There are also events to consider. Last weekend, I was unsure where to watch the rugby world cup final. I based my decision on the ambience or atmosphere in the pub and their ability to sell the event to me. One pub made the decision easy for me and I can assure you it reaped the rewards!

Ambience is a good way to complete the maximising profits series as it pulls together much of what has gone before. If the on trade is to get people out of their homes across the various eating and drinking occasions it must do so through providing clear messages to customers. The ambience of the pub is perhaps the most impactful way of achieving this.

Top tips for ambience​

Ambience is a crucial factor in attracting customers to a pub because it affects how people feel, therefore affecting their overall experience.

Decide upon what type of customers you want to attract.

Find out what is important to these customers. Ask a sample of your target market about all the criteria that effect ambience:

• Dècor and furnishings
• Staff
• Service standards
• Range (food and frinks)
• Music
• Entertainment
• Lighting

Make sure that all of the above factors that determine the ambience of your pub are consistently applied.

Be prepared to review your ambience and change it when necessary.

srcg​ is a consultancy specialising in retail strategy, catgory development and training. srcg​ facilitates collaborative working between retailers and manufacturers in the On-trade, Multiple Grocery and Convenience. Tel: 020 8948 4048 or visit www.srcg.com