Drinks retail has‘lost the fun’, new report finds

According to the newly released Retail Proposition Index Report compiled by OC&C Strategy Consultants, drinks retailers need to hone in on “fun” to counter sliding sales.

The report says that re-focusing on fun is vital in order to reinvigorate the market and get consumers spending again.

“Much of retail has become functional, not fun,” says Luke Sparke-Rogstad, associate partner, retail and leisure, for OC&C. “Retailers that reinvigorate a sense of excitement and discovery into the shopping experience are gaining traction, particularly with younger consumers.”

Generation Z is leading this shift, the report found. Gen-Zs are twice as likely as baby boomers to name “fun to shop” as a reason to frequent a retailer.

Sparke-Rogstad added that the trend applied across all geographical locations surveyed.

Green shoots

Although we are “starting to see green shoots in consumer retail behaviour as inflation recedes”, the report urges retailers to “inject excitement and enjoyment online and offline”.

“Fun has been lost from the retail experience, leaving retailers more exposed than ever to competition for consumer spending,” the report says. “Consumers continue to prioritise leisure spend over retail.”

The report pinpoints a number of ways in which retailers can find the fun again. These include incorporating “eclectic product ranges, gamification of the purchase journey and hyper-personalisation.”

Gaming potential

In 2021, Californian e-commerce platform Underground Cellar introduced a new gaming element for its wine buyers. Customers with six wines in their basket, priced at US$30 each, may have half their order upgraded to bottles worth US$50 or more at checkout. The free upgrade is not guaranteed. It’s more of a “roll the dice and see” tactic that has proved popular with consumers and wine producers alike.

“Some of the best wineries and winemakers wouldn’t respond to us two years ago,” said founder Jeffrey Shaw. “Now they are coming to us, tail between legs, saying ‘we’d love to chat’.”

The drinks business also published a deep dive into how to pair wines with video games, including why rosé and Fortnite make the perfect match.

Meanwhile, Japanese electronics company Onkyo matured two wines using the NieR: Automata video game soundtrack. The audio was created by composer Keiichi Okabe, and praised by gaming reviewers the world over.

Engaging methods such as these could help to bring more“fun”to the drinks retail experience.