OnTrac Data Provides Insight into What Drives On-Premise Consumer Behavior
Most customers haven’t decided what to drink when they enter an establishment. So what steers them toward a brand choice? The Beverage Information & Insight Group’s OnTrac data gathers on-premise sales, visibility and promotion data, providing answers to that question and a roadmap for creating an effective on-premise adult beverage program.
For relatively new brands building consumer awareness and volume sales, being in the well may be the most strategic move to reach the largest number of customers. But for established brands, visibility and branded promotion are the elements that drive brand strength. Prominent back bar positioning, menu placements, branded signature drinks and merchandising all influence purchasing behavior. BIIG data shows that menu placement and branded signature drinks provide the most powerful suggestive selling outside of server recommendations.
“Back bar stocking used to be a sign of brand strength. Today with the development of integrated drink programs, garnering consumer impressions through menu placement, specialty drink listings and on-table merchandising can catapult a brand to success,” says Andrew Esham, VP & Managing Director of BIIG. “Repetitive customer visibility has a powerful influence on brand awareness and perception.”
The data gathered through the OnTrac on-premise study shows the growing importance of branded drink programs, and the danger of relying too much on back bar placement as a driver of customer awareness.
“A brand like Bacardi Superior has strong back bar placement and is equally dominant on menu placement and branded signature drinks,” Esham says. “Cruzan, with less than half Bacardi’s back bar placement, executes its drink program quite effectively – giving it nearly the same overall visibility as Bacardi.”
The OnTrac study is conducted annually in August, comprising 2,500 on-premise outlets across multiple venue types (both chain and independent). OnTrac data reveals stocking location, menu placement, signature drink inclusion and pricing information at the brand level. The program also includes a bartender interview designed to identify drink trends and emerging brands.
For more information about OnTrac or to participate in the upcoming August 2014 study, contact Andrew Esham at 206-709-4112 or aesham@specialtyim.com.
