In the Resolution Store section, we have collected successful marketing cases for HoReCa industry enterprises. In order not only to stay afloat, but to develop sales and grow consumer loyalty, take interesting solutions that have passed the “test by battle” into your piggy bank.
Bar vulnerability
Bars, pubs, cafes and restaurants seem to us the most vulnerable segment in the catering industry. They instantly fall under the state restrictions on their activities.
At first, the lockdown posed a number of serious problems for businesses. Recovery will be long. The bad news is that the challenges aren’t going to end. The decrease in consumer spending and the energy crisis have already had an unpleasant effect on the activities of HoReCa establishments. Some enterprises seriously began to think about freezing or ceasing activities. Bars and restaurants without guests — this is the real nightmare of the catering industry!
Oddly enough, at this time, you can remember the pandemic with a kind word. Left to the mercy of fate, cafes, bars and restaurants have turned out to be surprisingly creative. Forced to survive, they have become examples of amazing flexibility in the creative approach to customers, have introduced new services and interactions with their guests. And they managed to maintain the loyalty of their customers (and their business).
And it turned out that a fairly large part of these solutions are applicable in moments of other crises affecting the industry. You can wait and believe in a quick economic recovery, but it is much more reliable to use the successful experience of colleagues. In this we see the tasks and goals of our «Resolution Store».
Each issue contains 3 strategies. Industry players will have to master new technologies and work formats, be bold and mega creative. But this attitude is the key to success.
- Bar at home
“Pub In A Box” by Signature Brew
For some time now, consumers prefer not only to work at home, but also to have fun. East London-based Signature Brew has brought a “Pub In A Box” to fans across the UK, featuring multiple beers, glassware, bar snacks and a bespoke, exclusive Spotify playlist that recreates an authentic pub vibe. Thus, the company solved the issue of the aesthetics of alcohol consumption at home.
There are currently two versions of “Pub In A Box” available — Roadie & Studio. Each box contains 8 cans of Roadie All-Night IPA or Studio Lager to treat yourself or a friend to your very own pub. The company promises delivery anywhere in the country in just 1-2 days.
Management reports that the manufacturer has already completed more than 10,000 such orders, so it can be said with confidence that the product is in demand. And the number of orders continues to grow, according to the company.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CC3uFgMJkEK/
If the question arises of what to fill the set with, collaborate with local snack producers. Believe me, they will gladly support any initiative that helps them expand their distribution channels. This way you add value to your set and support local production.
During the pandemic, Signature Brew attracted local musicians to promote the “bar in a box”, who were also out of work during the quarantine. The collaboration allowed the latter to earn a livelihood, receiving their percentage of remuneration for the sold kits.
This is a popular practice — CPA networks are seeing an increase in demand for affiliate programs from bloggers and CPOs.
- Bar subscription
The idea of certificates for visiting bars was spied on the market of beauty salons, but it works great in the HoReCa segment as well.
Offer your customers a «bar pass» with some drinks included. It will work “for the future”, when the restrictions are lifted and all the troubles will end. To make it interesting and profitable for future visitors to purchase it, sell it at a discount.
Vouchers for a future visit are not some new invention. They work great as gift certificates in many industries. You don’t even need to do anything special. The only difference is that a gift certificate is for someone, and a subscription is for a loved one.
In the drinking industry, they were very popular in the bars of Hong Kong during the first wave of lockdown. It is authentically known that such a model has helped to survive the lockdown more than one enterprise in the beauty and hospitality industry.
- O2O gamification: sell playfully
In China during the pandemic, raves were held, gathering hundreds of thousands of electronic music fans. It is intriguing that they were all conducted online.
The events of recent years show that offline-online (O2O) mixing has already become commonplace for HoReCa enterprises. Establishments deliver to the participants of online events not only thematic drinks, but also branded merch. The latter actively talk about the event in social networks, which gives the company additional advertising and decent coverage on the Internet.
Such events can be not only entertaining. For example, intellectual quizzes are held in the Copenhagen bar Kompasset. In times of restrictive measures due to the pandemic, these team competitions have moved online. Questions were asked on Facebook, and the team had three minutes to answer.
Photo: Kompasset Ølbar Facebook page
Online quizzes even beat live games in terms of popularity: in the second week of the event, 24 teams applied for participation, and in the fourth week — already 26, although the maximum number of teams in the bar was no more than 15.
Such events give the bar additional publicity — thanks to quizzes, Kompasset has a growing number of visitors.
The scope for creativity is huge. I wonder who will be able to gather the largest audience for their flash mob and come up with the most killer topic for an online party?
Conclusion
In difficult times, the task of bars and restaurants is to continue to maintain relationships with their customers. When the latter are forced to be deprived of the opportunity to visit their favorite places, they are not completely removed from you. They follow your social media accounts and are endlessly excited about any positive news from their favorite brands.
If you have a mobile application, now is the time to start actively using it. And if you don’t already have one, now is the time to create it. In the times of no-code approach, this does not even require any special programming skills. Such a solution can be both, a direct communication channel with customers and a sales channel.
Pay special attention to the synergy effect. These strategies work well together. For the gamification model, a “bar subscription” or home bar set is ideal.
Feel free to ask questions to customers – they are is a real storehouse of ideas! Firstly, customers will be able to feel even closer to you, which will increase loyalty. And, secondly, it will attract more client attention, as soon as you ask questions in a Facebook post or Instagram.
Believe me, your customers not only love to get new unusual experiences, but are also happy to share their own, received from sources that you did not even think about. And they will definitely thank you!
This will give businesses additional opportunities and much-needed support, and, in addition, it will strengthen consumer loyalty more strongly. In the time of fierce competition this is worth a lot.
Yes, you will have to build up competencies in digital. But we hasten to please you: these skills will come in handy even when all the troubles end. And they will certainly end! But do you really need any restrictions to expand the customer experience?
Cheers!