How Customers Benefit from a Distributor’s POV
The changing seasons, trends, and consumer preferences all play into what types of beverages are going to sell. Any team operating within the food and beverage space knows the precarious game of striking a balance between suppliers and customers. A strategic partnership with your distributor can help add unique visibility to the overall supply chain and how your business can best serve its customers.
The Right Fountain Products
The beverage industry is a dynamic one and when it comes to options for what you serve in your bar or restaurant, you have thousands of choices to cover both products and equipment, and you even have options for whom you partner with on behalf of your vendor and distributor relationships. A distributor well-versed in the right models for your business is one that can easily make recommendations and help you prioritize the needs of your customers. Fountain systems and products have transformed into innovative, revenue-generating aspects of your business. A good distributor will help you promote your fountain offerings year-round.
While sales still favor the classics like cola and diet soft drinks, consumers are being more selective about what they choose to pour, looking to expand their soda choices. Options like non-carbonated Gatorade, iced tea, and lemonades along with new trends of flavored or enhanced waters are becoming popular choices.
Your Business Goals Front & Center
Be cautious of a set-it-and-forget-it distributor, fountain included. Distributors should be more and do more than drop off inventory for you. A dedicated distributor should be reviewing the results of your beverage program to gauge what is selling best and what else to explore on your behalf. They should share innovations with you, and opportunities for growth, as well as new products or equipment that benefit your business.
There should be conversations about programs or marketing support available to the distributor’s customers. For example, Bernick’s works with customers on menu support—adding fountain beverage logos or line items to a menu can increase beverage sales by 20 percent.
We offer solutions, and any good beverage distributor should be having proactive conversations that extend beyond fountain soda products. What else can your beverage distributor add to your lineup? What other categories do they represent that your bar or restaurant could benefit from?
How to Promote Fountain Sales
Our goal at Bernick’s is integration. Integration in order to help you drive beverage sales.
Our team focuses on your brand identity to promote it to consumers by complementing it with ours. Those initiatives take investment—as any good partnership should have. Have the conversation with your intended distributor to see how they align with your team. Do they offer staff training or menu support? Can they offer marketing and promotional ideas to drive customer engagement and loyalty?
Does an incentive program exist for businesses like yours? How accessible will your distributor be as your relationship progresses over time—or your business experiences a disruption in operation for how you serve your customers? Our team is always here to help our customers get creative, work through different scenarios, and look for ways to promote their beverage programs no matter what is happening. We're focused on the overall success of your business. Forecasting is just another aspect of partnership that adds value to your bottom line.
Your Beverage Specialist
Installing a fountain unit and delivering products is only a small portion of what a beverage distributor can do for its customers. That is truly just the beginning. It's common when people begin their search for beverage distributors, they're focusing on the cost or the logistics of a transactional business process. For the ultimate benefit of your business, look beyond the economic side of the potential partnership, and dig deeper. Look for all the little things a dedicated beverage distributor can bring to the table that are crucial for long-term success.
