Beers, wines, and spirits: boost your alcohol sales in supermarkets

The market for beer, wine, and spirits is evolving at a breakneck pace! Consumer preferences are shifting, with strong demand for ethical, organic, and responsible products, driving quality upward.

In-store alcohol sales still have a bright future ahead: not everyone consumes exclusively on outdoor patios. However, selling alcohol in supermarkets has its own specificities and must comply with strict regulations.

Let's examine together what you can and cannot do as an alcoholic beverage brand, and discover in this article our 6 tips to increase your sales.

Regulations: What you can and cannot do

The sale of alcohol in supermarkets in France is strictly regulated by law to protect consumers and limit the risks associated with excessive alcohol consumption.

Mandatory sales license for supermarkets

Just like bars, supermarkets must obtain a license to sell alcoholic beverages. All establishments wishing to sell alcoholic beverages for takeout must have either a "traditional" license or a "small takeout license." Supermarkets are no exception to this rule. A specific permit (PVBAN) is required to offer alcoholic beverages between 10:00 PM and 8:00 AM.

It is important to note that local authorities, often the prefecture, can restrict alcohol sales hours in supermarkets based on local specifics. This also applies to delivery services (drive-thru) which must respect alcohol sales hours and ensure that products are not delivered to minors.

Restrictions on advertising

The Évin law, adopted in 1991, strictly regulates the content of advertisements for alcoholic beverages to protect the public, especially young people, from the risks associated with alcohol consumption. Point-of-sale (POS) advertising is allowed, but it must comply with the rules of the Évin law.

Authorized content

Advertisements for alcoholic beverages must be limited to objective and factual information, such as:

• Origin: Place of production, wine region, or country of origin.

• Composition: Ingredients and manufacturing process.

• Alcohol By Volume: Alcohol content of the product.

• Sales Terms: Locations where the product is available, terms of sale.

• Consumption Methods: Serving suggestions, tasting temperature, types of glasses to use.

Specific Prohibitions

Advertisements, including those at the point of sale, must comply with the following prohibitions:

• No targeting minors: Advertising must not be intended for or attractive to minors. Any depiction of minors is prohibited.

• No encouragement to consume: Advertisements must not encourage excessive or irresponsible consumption.

• No reference to indirect positive elements: It is forbidden to suggest that alcohol consumption contributes to social, sexual, athletic, or professional success. In addition, advertisements must not imply that alcohol consumption is beneficial to health or provides well-being.

• Absence of consumers in driving situations: No depiction of people consuming alcohol in situations where it would be dangerous, such as driving a vehicle, is allowed.

Mandatory warning

All advertisements must include a health warning reminding of the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption: "Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health, consume with moderation." This warning must be clearly visible and legible.

Visual and graphic design

Visuals must remain sober and not evoke conviviality, partying, or intoxication. Images must focus on the product itself, its packaging, and its consumption conditions. This is why a majority of alcohol brands feature the product only.

Regulation of alcohol promotions

Promotions on alcoholic beverages are allowed, but they must be done responsibly and not encourage excessive consumption. For example, it is forbidden to offer "buy 1 bottle, get 1 free" type promotions.

Regulation of in-store events and tastings

In-store alcohol tastings are permitted, but they must comply with certain rules, particularly regarding the quantities served and supervision by trained staff. Typically, wine tastings are limited to about 5 cl per glass, beers to 10 cl, and spirits to 2 cl per portion.

Of course, alcohol tastings are strictly prohibited for minors. Staff must check participants' age to ensure they are at least 18 years old, as their responsibility is on the line.

Now that you know the legislation and what you can and cannot do, let's move on to optimization tips.

Optimize your assortments

Assortment has a huge impact not only on your sales, but also on your investments, inventory management, and production costs.

The first challenge of assortment is linked to the distribution strategy: even if you can sell your products at each of them, you will not offer the same assortment. Note that it is also possible to reserve certain products for e-commerce or for your retail sellers.

To define your brand's offering in supermarkets, I invite you to read this article.

A good assortment strategy allows you to assign specific goals to different products:

• Awareness: Represent your brand image.

• Acquisition: Encourage adoption through trial purchases.

• Additional sales: Offer complementary products that increase the average basket or customer value.

• Loyalty: Retain a customer by meeting diverse needs.

• Proactivity: Challenge your competitors on their home turf and steer the market toward your business goals.

• Profitability: Test different products to identify those with the highest revenue or profitability potential.

Choose goals based on your business strategies and the market. It is crucial that your assortment aligns with consumer and consumption trends. Otherwise, you will struggle to sell. Optimizing your assortments in large-scale retail is therefore essential for your business success and that of the store.

However, finding the right balance between meeting consumer expectations and maintaining high profitability can be complex. To optimize your product assortments in mass retail, several criteria must be taken into account: understanding your retailers' goals, managing shelf space, optimizing inventory, and regularly adjusting your assortment.

A good assortment evolves throughout the year, even if, when selling spirits, it remains relatively stable. Here are some criteria to consider:

• Product category and references: Vary categories and references to meet a wide range of preferences.

• Depth and breadth of assortment: Ensure you have a sufficient offering in terms of product choices.

• Local specificities and needs: Adapt the assortment to local specifics and the needs of customers in each store.

• Seasonality: Take into account seasonal variations in consumption.

• Market trends and consumption habits: Adapt to market trends and consumer habits, which can vary considerably from one place to another.

This last point is all the more important because consumption habits can vary significantly depending on a supermarket's location, sometimes even just a few streets away. To better identify them, we advise you to refer to store clustering.

Let's take an example. You are a beer brand, listed at Franprix Quai de Jemmapes, in Paris. You are present on several shelves of this supermarket: both in the chilled section (at the store entrance) and in the beverage aisle (at the back of the store).

You have two different assortments: single cans and bottles in the chilled section, and 6-packs and 12-packs in the beverage aisle.

Beer consumption is mainly focused on chilled beverages, as the canal is nearby. The chilled section therefore has more surface area than other sections, including the beverage aisle. The Franprix thus has at least two different clusters: one for the store as a whole and one for the chilled section.

One last tip: choose a varied and attractive range. Consider introducing new references and limited editions to stimulate interest from your end consumers and retailers. Don't forget to offer complementary products like beer glasses, corkscrews, or gift sets, to increase the average basket size.

Merchandising and in-store theater

The layout of the point of sale plays a crucial role in alcohol purchases. Wine cellars, beer cellars... supermarkets and retail brands are investing in the alcohol aisle. Indeed, alcoholic beverages and wines are major sectors, generating over 12 billion euros in revenue. This is why wine, beer, and whisky fairs are multiplying.

These aisles also help attract a new clientele, often passing through and younger.

However, the layout of these aisles is often managed by the supermarkets themselves. Brands must therefore get actively involved to stand out. To do this, invest in small POS (point-of-sale advertising) like shelf-talkers or posters, to grab attention and inform customers.

Facing is also crucial: make sure to well negotiate your product visibility in supermarkets. An optimal product arrangement maximizes their visibility and accessibility.

Also focus on point-of-sale theatricalization. Create thematic and seasonal displays to energize the sales space, using visual elements that evoke the product's world (for example, barrels for wines, mini-distilleries for spirits).

Think about peak times, especially sporting events or end-of-year holidays, to further enhance the appeal of your store theater.

Discover the 7 retail theater techniques to sell more in mass-retail.

In-store events and tastings

As mentioned earlier, in-store events and tasting sessions are possible, provided they respect certain rules, especially in terms of quantities served and target audience.

In-store alcohol tastings are an excellent way to promote products and educate consumers, but they must be organized in a responsible manner and in compliance with current regulations. Tastings are ideal for introducing your new products and engaging your current or potential customers.

During tastings, beyond the booth or location (endcap), success depends on the brand ambassador. Hiring brand ambassadors, sommeliers, or spirits experts offers a direct experience of the product to customers and provides quality customer service to advise and guide buyers.

Here are some keys to succeeding in your in-store event: engage your prospects' senses, put the human element at the center of your event, and ensure your staff is well-trained.

Influencers can also give a real boost to your events if you manage to get them into stores. They help attract a population outside the usual clientele, which will also delight the store.

In-store promotions

As long as they do not encourage excessive alcohol consumption, promotions on beers, wines, or spirits are entirely possible.

Promotions on alcoholic beverages allowed in supermarkets and hypermarkets are:

• Price Reductions: Offering direct price discounts on alcohol products. Discounts must be reasonable and not encourage excessive consumption.

• Bundled Offers: Offering multi-bottle packs at a reduced price, but without encouraging excessive stock for an individual consumer.

• Loyalty Cards: Using loyalty cards to offer discounts or benefits after a certain number of purchases.

• Discount Coupons: Distributing discount coupons usable on future purchases.

To make your promotion strategy a success, we advise you to highlight products with a strong identity, interesting production stories, and recognized quality rather than basing the promotion solely on price, but also to take advantage of festive periods or special events to offer tailored promotions, such as end-of-year holidays, Father's Day, etc.

It can also be interesting to collaborate with other brands. Work with brands to offer joint promotions that may include gifts or accessories related to alcohol consumption (glasses, corkscrews, etc.).

In-store, use clear and informative signage for promotions. Posters must include all legal and health warnings.

Sales rep routes and store visits

A good sales route strategy is essential for maximizing your impact in stores and optimizing your sales. Here are some tips for organizing effective and profitable visits.

Choosing the right stores to visit

Not all stores are created equal in terms of sales potential. To maximize your efficiency, focus your visits on:

• Strategic points of sale: prioritize stores that already generate a good sales volume in your product category.

• Retail banners that offer growth opportunities: target stores where your brand is present but still under-exploited, thus offering strong potential for expansion. Supermarkets and hypermarkets that invest in new concepts and cellar formats are particularly interesting, as they put more emphasis on (your) products. These investments also meet consumer demand, as people are looking for more diversity (retail chains won't invest heavily without reason 😉).

• Stores struggling in your segment: a visit can help boost sales thanks to better merchandising or personalized advice to the department manager. Compare the performance of visited stores with non-visited ones to measure the impact of your actions and adjust your strategy.

• Stores in the launch phase of your products: if you've succeeded in placing an innovation, ensure careful follow-up at these points of sale. A recent listing deserves special tracking to guarantee product visibility and rapid sell-through.

💡 Rely on sales data and field feedback to refine your route plan.

Planning your sales route

Once stores are targeted, it is crucial to plan your visits strategically. Don't leave it to chance! Select the points of sale, enter your start and end times, your address and vehicle, and then let your CRM take over.

💡 Plan your routes for the week at the same time: select all points of sale matching your objectives and Sidely will optimize their distribution across the days you spend on the road.

Preparing each visit for efficiency

Before entering a store, preparation is essential. Sidely can support you with this, through visit preparation. When you open your supermarket visit report, you have access to your point of sale's history: actions taken during the last visit, notes for yourself, actions to be taken during the upcoming visit... this information allows you to better organize yourself and anticipate your discussions with the department manager. Be ready to back up your approach with concrete figures and solutions tailored to his issues.

Once your goals are defined, select them in your CRM to automatically generate a report tailored to your visit: presence check, selling references, negotiating endcaps, setting up a fridge, promotion, etc. Your report will generate automatically.

💡 Note the particularities of each store and the preferences of department managers to personalize your approach.

Maximizing the impact of your store visit

Once on site, several actions can make a difference, such as:

• Optimizing facing and visibility;

• Spotting opportunities for secondary displays;

• Negotiating local activations (promotions, events, tastings...);

• Training and engaging staff: a department manager convinced by your product will showcase it more;

• Developing your customer relationship: follow up with department managers to ensure the actions taken are running smoothly and schedule new visits if necessary;

💡 Take before/after photos of your interventions to track your actions and share your work internally.

The work doesn't stop once the visit is over. With many stores to manage, it's hard to remember everything. Take the time to log your findings, actions taken, and the commitments made by each store in your CRM. This will help you better prepare for your next visits and ensure continuity in your sales efforts.

Equip your sales reps with a CRM

Equipping your sales reps with an industry-specific CRM will meet the specific needs of your business sector and thus increase efficiency and productivity.

In addition, having a CRM will help you, on the management side, analyze performance, identify at-risk customers, and adjust strategies accordingly. Because, depending on your customer portfolios, you won't necessarily develop the same strategy. To know how to approach each opportunity, one method is to seek help.

To do this, instead of constantly questioning the whole world, leverage the power of consolidated data! Every time you are on a field visit, record the information gathered at the point of sale. Keeping regular figures will allow you to understand sales trends for both you and your competitors.

Do you work in a team? Your collective efforts will be even more valuable if you can all view them in one place. You will manage your risks better, and conversely, your opportunities will stand out more clearly than ever!

When choosing your future CRM solution, equip yourself with a mobile CRM. They offer an array of product features at your service. Taking photos of products in store, uploading useful documents, worst-performing stores last visited, visit frequencies based on active contact status... Leave nothing to chance in these industries that don't offer general, stable trends... Depending on geographical areas, you will organize your routes much more efficiently.

Dashboards will then update and give you a comprehensive vision of your sector and your short- and medium-term opportunities. What was in your blind spot yesterday will jump out at you today, tomorrow, and the day after...

Your competitors are already on it, it would be a shame not to take advantage of it! We offer a mobile CRM tailored to your needs: it was designed starting from ground reality and by talking to many seasoned professionals!