How Liquor Stores can Build Loyalty Thru Customer Reward Programs

Opening a liquor store takes a tremendous amount of work to get the business up and running. According to recent research by Chase Design, up to 90% of consumers prefer in-store buying of liquor. This shows that customers enjoy being in control of buying their wine, beer, or spirit from their local liquor store.

As a liquor store owner, you should ensure that you offer your customers more value than just liquor to attract new customers and retain the existing ones by implementing new marketing ideas. For example, you can keep existing customers by giving liquor store promotional items to show appreciation, and liquor sales strategies, such as introducing a loyalty reward program.

Building customer loyalty requires establishing a solid relationship based on trust. Using strategic personalization while handling your customers will help you gain the upper hand in retaining old customers and quickly gaining new ones. 

What Are Liquor Store Reward Loyalty Programs?

A liquor store loyalty program is an alcohol marketing strategy designed to attract customers. The customers are enticed into spending through incentives, discounts, or rewards. There are different loyalty programs, but the points program is the most effective for a liquor store.

The points program is based on the “spend more to earn more” principle. Every time a customer spends a certain amount of money by purchasing liquor from your store, they are rewarded with points. The points are calculated based on how much has been paid. For example, buying liquor worth $100 earns the customer 10 points. 

Over time, these points accumulate and are redeemable at the store. The customer can purchase anything based on the value of their points. Using reward programs is a great way to get new customers and retain existing customers.

Elements of Successful Customer Loyalty Programs

Designing a liquor store loyalty program that best represents your brand’s vision and core values can help retain your customers. For example, some of the best consumer loyalty programs include great deals and offers that keep customers glued to their products.

To successfully launch a loyalty program for your liquor store that will have a tangible impact on your business, you should ensure that it has the following elements:

• Personality –  One of the most outward tactics your liquor store can use to strengthen its relationship with its customers is having a loyalty program that extends your brand, style, and uniqueness.
• Exclusivity – No customer desires to have loads of promotional emails or messages that do not offer value. Give your customer base reasons why they should engage in your loyalty program. For example, you can incorporate elements such as exclusive deals, discounts, or offers on their favorite drinks as perks of signing up for the loyalty program. 

The best consumer reward programs make customers feel special, recognized, and appreciated for their time spent while shopping. Examples of successful consumer loyalty programs include Sephora Beauty Insider, Starbucks Rewards, and REI Co-op.

Tips to Attract Customers to a Liquor Store

Apart from liquor store loyalty programs, there are other ways you can employ to attract a larger pool of clients into your liquor store. They include:

Displays and Merchandising

Has your liquor been merchandised in ways that create excitement among the buyers while shopping? For example, if your store has sparse displays or the wrong product mix in the most accessible spots, you will likely lose the buyers’ interest.

Prioritize high-margin items in the focal spots of the store and mix the products on display to appear exciting and fresh. One of the best ways to achieve an inviting look is using a display shelving unit. 

There are several ways to organize shelving to advertise in your liquor store, such as:

• Adding combo shelving to existing wall units or Gondola shelving units
• Introducing the 4-way display units to attract impulse buying
• Having open-ended baskets for effective display of products like wine.

Pricing Discounts

All customers get excited at the idea of saving while buying, making them more responsive to purchasing items that have a discount price tag. For example, introducing a liquor store loyalty program can drive more customers to appreciate the rewards program’s deals.

Pricing discounts as a promotional strategy for alcoholic beverages attract new and retain old customers. Therefore, you should highlight products with deals on the display shelving to allow the customers to make their calculations on savings.

To avoid incurring losses while rolling out your liquor store loyalty rewards program, use your economies of scale to price products with deep discounts but higher sales volume. 

Product Bundles

Most liquor buyers prefer bundled drinks rather than purchasing a single set of their preferred liquor. Bundling liquor and placing them on promotions increase customer spending and sales. 

This alcohol marketing strategy will allow you to pair brands with a higher profit margin with newer brands. For example, if you are introducing a new product, you can use liquor store advertising to push more sales or pair the new product with an existing one at a discounted price. 

Liquor Store Marketing Ideas

Years ago, a successful liquor store only needed to be full of alcoholic beverages and a great location to be considered successful. However, in recent years, that’s no longer enough. You need consistently market your liquor store to get ahead of your competitors. 

How to market a liquor store for its success relies on you as the store owner through drums of exciting and powerful promotions to get customers through your door. Apart from the best consumer reward program, you should consider other marketing ways to capture people’s attention.

Below are some ways to enhance your liquor store advertising:

Offering Cocktail Samples 

According to Mercury News, stores with tasting corners often see a sales increase of between 10 – 15%. You can offer a cocktail sample and then sell the ingredients bundled with the recipe to allow your customer to easily recreate the cocktail drink.

Mixology Sessions

People love buying things they cannot recreate from their homes. However, you can attract customers to your liquor store by teaching them different ways to make cocktails using drinks from your store—this liquor marketing idea pools in a lot of buyers.

Branded Items 

Your liquor store can brand items such as mugs, t-shirts, or bags and give them to your customers for free after purchasing a particular liquor brand. This can lead more people to buy the product to get the branded items. You can place the free items on drinks with a high-profit margin. 

Loyalty programs that work should include enticing incentives such as liquor store promotional items. The best marketing strategy for liquor is to create focus around your brand and product without being too much. You can use social media platforms for marketing your liquor store using regular posts that educate and inform your customer base about your product. 

Get Your Liquor Store Design to Attract Customers

Your store’s design influences a buyer’s willingness to spend at your liquor store. At Storflex, we manufacture high-quality store fixtures with the fastest lead times in the industry. Contact our expert team to improve your customers’ experience through store design.