Coke Solutions
Retail

Maximize Sales with Front-End Solutions

Don't miss this opportunity to drive sales

Regardless of grocery store format or size, there’s one location every shopper must visit: the front end. Yet as retailers reconfigure space to accommodate self-checkout lanes, some operators are missing opportunities to drive essential impulse sales in the three key front-end power categories: beverages, confectionary and magazines. Best-in-class solutions are now available to retailers who want to change these dynamics and capture incremental sales.

“As retailers grapple with new approaches to increase basket size, the front end presents tremendous potential to maximize sales because it’s the one location that every shopper encounters,” says Ron Hughes, director, Shopper Experience Innovation, Coca-Cola Refreshments. “As self-checkout becomes more attractive to retailers, the industry is hungry for thought leadership about how to best merchandise the front end.”

The Company has taken a holistic approach to this issue with insights and solutions that encompass the entire category — not just beverages.

“We’re looking down the road at ideas that will be relevant not just today,” says Hughes, “but 10 years from now.” Among the recommended strategies:

  • Recognize the value of the front end to store sales and profits.
  • Manage the front end as a department with a dedicated manager.
  • Base decisions on total profits from placement fees and sales revenue.
  • Focus on three power categories that drive front-end sales and profits.
  • Take advantage of the growth opportunity by adopting the best practices of top-performing retailers.

In addition to generating proprietary research to further support its customers, Coca-Cola Refreshments has joined forces with a consortium of industry leaders including NCR, Source Interlink and Time‑Warner Retail to further explore this important issue. The organization, known as Front-End Focus, is dedicated to identifying best practices for superior checkout merchandising.

For more information, talk to your Coca-Cola representative. In addition, Front-End Focus offers free downloads of industry research. ​​

Published: June 27, 2012