"Premiumisation" seems to be the buzzword for the licensed trade at the moment, here we take a look at how any venue can get ahead of the premiumisation curve.
1. Premium Bar Snacks
Gone are the days of stocking salt & vinegar Walkers for 50p, customers now expect a wide range of bar snacks to tickle their tastebuds. Our favourites include:
Cockle popcorn sells for £6.50 at The Forester in Donhead St Andrew
Brinkburn Brewery's Caramalised onion scotch egg with quayside blonde ketchup is a Geordie favourite for £6
Ham hock nuggets go down a treat at The Hogarth, Teddington and cost customers £5.95
As you can see, gaining a greater margin from snacks whilst pleasing your customers with premium food doesn't have to be rocket science.
2. Premiumisation Of Drinks
Specialised gin bars and rum selections have been around a while now but which other drinks can you stock to raise your premiumisation level?
At BYOC ("Bring Your Own Cocktail") in London, customers are asked to bring along their favourite tipple, mixologists will then conjure up a wonderful cocktail for them to enjoy.....and customers pay £30 for the privilege! In fact offering bespoke cocktails is a great way of making customers feel special and create an element of theatre in your venue - after all premiumisation is not all about price.
You can offer as many fancy cocktails as you like however you will still get customers who just want "A Pint" , so how do you premiumise beer?
Glassware is very important, ensure glasses are clean and free from any contamination that may affect the beer. There are now many handy tools such as the Airack which can be utilised to dry glasses without the need for cloths.
Digital signage can be instrumental in pushing customers from a standard beer to a more premium product. Many venues use our signage templates on the BeeBox system to persuade customers to try something new. If you have access to a digital signage system it is also essential that it is switched on during peak trading hours, make sure you flick over to your ads at half time of the football for example.
Suggesting wine pairings next to food items on your menu is another great way of using a small change to premiumise your entire venue and take the customer experience up a notch. If you're not a wine connoisseur speak to your merchant and they will be happy to help match wines to your dishes. A lot of customers are baffled by different wines so making the choice easy for them takes the mystery out of wine selection.
3. Create Premium Gaming Zones
With the rise of the millenials, bars and pubs are having to become more engaging and need to offer something other than just great food and drinks. A couple of venues that are excelling in the premiumisation of gaming zones are listed below:
Head of Steam in Headingley have converted their entire upstairs in to a unique gaming area including retro video machines, shuffle board and Xbox zones.
The London Shuffle Club in Shoreditch have taken gaming to the next level by converting an old warehouse into a full Shuffle board venue. This includes both table and floor styles of the game that are charged by the hour!
You don't even have to steer too far away from traditional pub games. Punch Tavern's Champs venues have created premium pool areas for their players which includes top quality pool tables, professional grade cloth and improved cues to again enhance customer experience.
Fruit machines have even branched out in to the premium arena, major manufacturers have now created digital fruit machines with HD monitors and the latest game content to capture player's attention. Make sure your gaming machine supplier has access to the latest products.
I hope you can see that the Premiumisation Trend is far more than just securing an increased price for your products. Premiumisation has more of a focus on enhancing the customer experience by offering unique food, drinks and services that they cannot enjoy elsewhere.
Have you seen any other great premiumisation techniques? Please share them below.
