Holiday Promotion Ideas For Liquor Stores

The winter holiday seasons are different from any other time period throughout the year. More people socialize, give gifts, and…drink a whole lot more than normal. In fact, the average American drinks almost twice as much during the holiday season as compared to the rest of the year. To be sure, the holidays are an extremely important season for alcohol retail. Consequently, business owners should implement some liquor store holiday promotion ideas to generate maximum revenue.

Like any retail marketing plan, liquor stores must use an array of strategies. These include in-store promotional activities, bundled deals, and even paid advertising. Read on for some more detailed advice on holiday liquor store promotions.

Utilize Sales Data

First and foremost, use your data from previous holiday seasons to inform all of your decisions. Sales reports from a smart point of sale system should power your insights regarding what products to stock, how to promote them, and segmentation based on customer purchases. What kinds of wines sold during this season last year and the year before? 

For more information about the point of sale reporting check out POS Reporting and Analytics.

Seasonal Specials

There are items that are especially desirable during the winter holidays. In fact, there are actually some items that are only available in December. For example, many breweries make limited release seasonal beers. An option for wineries or wine shops is to create a wine advent calendar. Feature a mini bottle of wine for each day of December leading up to Christmas Day. Offering these seasonal specialties will increase overall foot traffic and encourage customers to spend more during the holiday season.

Have your sales floor staff or cashiers mention these exclusive temporary items to every guest that comes into your store. Presenting these items as limited-time offers will make your clientele feel more compelled to buy them. Be sure to post info about seasonal brews and gifts on your social media and marketing emails.

Festive Drinks

In addition to limited edition beverages, consider stocking and promoting an abundance of celebration-focused items. Unsurprisingly, New Years Eve sees more sparkling wine sales than any other time of the year. Therefore, it’ll likely pay off to feature and highlight more champagne, cava, and other bubbly options than usual.

Ready To Drink  

Another type of product that is extremely popular during the holiday season is ready-to-drink cocktails. Buzzballz, for example, makes a bottled eggnog. These drinks eliminate steps for party hosts, and offer party guests a great option to bring along with their mac and cheese, casseroles, cakes, and pies.

Bundles And Cross Selling

The months of November and December typically see more parties, more people coming over, and more gatherings. Hosts are much more willing and happy to buy things they wouldn’t normally buy. Use this as an opportunity to cross-sell items and present bundled packages for your clientele. Set up displays and combination deals that make sense for parties and winter get-togethers.

Think of putting rye whiskey and bourbon with vermouth and bitters on an end-cap display for a manhattan bar. Don’t limit yourself to liquor products. You can add higher price margin items to this type of bundle. Pint glasses, measuring jiggers, stirring spoons, and fancy strainers are all tools that bartenders use to make great drinks for their guests.