Back-bar: Good to be back

Licensees should realise the potential of the back-bar, says Phil Mellows.

It's behind you! That's right. Your most important marketing tool could be skulking just over your shoulder.

In spite of your no doubt attractive barstaff the back-bar is the biggest, most imposing thing your customers will see as they uncertainly approach the bar clutching that note you're so eager to whip from their grasp. What you do with your back-bar can have a profound effect on their buying decision.

For Colin Pedrick, Interbrew UK's managing director for on-trade sales, the back-bar area is "potentially the most influential selling space in a pub".

"Research shows there are a number of things you can do in the pub which influence consumer choice, including ensuring optimum product quality and having a balanced range. One of the biggest influencers of drink choice, however, is visibility - people tend to buy what they see," he explains. "Visibility is key in helping licensees build their business. It's not enough to stock profitable brands if your customers don't know they're there."

On 88 per cent of visits to the pub, drinkers will stick with one brand, so it's vital you steer them to the most profitable brands for that first purchase.

"There is a definite opportunity for licensees to use back-bar display to do this," says Colin. "And it's also an effective way to make drinkers aware of new brands and encourage them to give them a try."

Research seems to prove that good results can be achieved for very little effort. "Live tests have shown that back-bar merchandising can produce significant sales uplifts for the featured brand," Colin continues. "A well-merchandised bar can increase sales by between 10 per cent and 35 per cent. Not only that - a well laid-out back-bar can increase speed of service which helps improve the quality perception of a pub and overall consumer satisfaction."

So what you put on your back-bar and how you organise what's there is worth spending some time on - and be ruthless.

"The back-bar should certainly not be used to store items such as glasses, because you don't sell them and it only wastes a prime piece of selling space," argues Colin. In fact, his advice is that less is quite often more when it comes to making an impact.

He adds: "It is important to take a selective approach when planning your back-bar display. Cluttering it with lots of brands will confuse people and lead them to picking the first thing they see or recognise - and that's not necessarily the one you want to push. For maximum impact only one or two brands should be displayed at any time."

You have a number of options when deciding how to make the most of your back-bar. They include promotional displays - branded material, for example, that is available through your supplier, such as Interbrew's own new leather Leffe point-of-sale kits, or a display to raise awareness of a consumer promotion.

Or you can display the products themselves. Interbrew's research shows, for instance, that sales can increase by up to 25 per cent when premium packaged lagers are stocked on the back-bar, and that includes a spin-off rise in draught sales of the brand, which alone can increase by as much as 13 per cent.

"Licensees can rotate products on the back-bar on a monthly basis in order to drive sales across a number of brands, maintain interest and avoid the temptation to clutter the bar with several brands at a time," suggests Colin.

Chill out for hot profits​

Back-bar chillers have become a vitally important marketing tool for licensees and Coors Brewers' director of category development Tim Boyse has produced a set of simple rules to help manage and maximise the impact of the fridge:

• Remove all clutter and group categories together to make it easier for customers to choose
• Allocate products the number of facings they deserve based on rate-of-sale to ensure you have enough cold stock to meet demand
• Calculate which products make the most cash profit and place the highest earners in the hotspot at the top right-hand corner of the fridge. Most people scan from left to right and the hotspot is what they see last and remember best
• No product should have less than two facings as they will not be visible to your customers
• Stock categories vertically and brands horizontally so clear blocks will be seen
• Stock all flavours of one brand together
• Identify products that are not performing and consider delisting them
• Identify brands you don't currently sell but are doing well in the market and consider stocking them.

More...​

• Getting the back-bar display right can easily boost wine sales in your pub. Click here.
• Licensees should be looking at cashing in on smoking trends. Click here.
• Good back-bar displays can improve your cigar sales. Click here.