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Craft Brewery

beer or newest recipe on shelves, stackers and ucts, you’re removing yourself from the time-con-
corrugated risers that clearly exhibit your brand- suming difficulties and headaches of manual main-
ing. Make sure the colors are bold and vibrant, tenance and upkeep.
and that the wording can be read from across
the aisle. Take pride in your craft and give it the An effective e-commerce portal is not only a reli-
attention it deserves. able source for managing your inventory in an orga-
nized fashion, it can also be seamlessly updated to
• Small Idea, Big Impact: Even the smallest idea accommodate for new products and inventive pro-
can have the biggest impact when it comes to motional efforts. Including pre-order windows and
branding and product marketing. Sticky shelf making them available to your distributors will help
talkers, ceiling danglers, window clings and floor to better gauge the potential success of your latest
placements. Make it so that no matter where product promotions before taking the plunge and
the customer is looking, your brand is sure to jumping head first into a new initiative.
grab their attention. And it’s not always about
how big of an impression you make or how Planning for the upcoming year’s promotions,
much real estate your branding utilizes. A strate- brand launches and seasonal programs is an
gically placed logo can help even the most unde- important function critical to the ongoing success
cisive beer drinkers make the right choice. of your business. Having access to online order-
ing is a great resource to take advantage of when
• Your Fans are Your Biggest Advocates: Don’t working toward upcoming events. Providing your
overthink it. The practicality of the idea often distributors access to your ecommerce site makes
becomes the biggest win for off-premise busi- the process of managing and expanding your brand
ness. Let your fans do the “heavy lifting”. Selling a seamless activity.
a variety of tote, lunch coolers and brown paper
bags, each with your branding clearly identified However, maintaining your inventory and ship-
for everyone to see, is a great way to contin- ment data can often be challenging. Working
ue getting your name out there. Used at work, from a comprehensive and reliable report – one
on vacation or attending any number of social that details the data needed to drive a successful
events, your biggest fans will be promoting their program – saves time and increases productivity,
favorite beer without ever saying a word. allowing you to focus more on your craft. Accessing
these reports, whenever needed, makes the pro-
• The Signs Are Everywhere: Chalk-based A-frame cess of future inventory planning and promotional
menu boards. LED light boxes. Laser cut, digital- efforts even easier and more sustainable.
ly printed hardboard wood. What do all these
different types of signage have in common? Inventory Optimization
They’re the most classic form of beer advertising Space is a commodity. You’ll never have enough
you can think of. People of all ages collect them and will always be needing more. When owning
and prominently display them in their homes, and operating your craft brewery, you’ll quickly
garages and on the walls of the businesses they realize that as more of your space is consumed by
own. They catch your eye, make a statement branded merchandise, less will be available for that
and get you thinking about one thing, and one essential, behind-the-scenes equipment – brewing
thing only – BEER!
systems, canning lines, tanks, fermenters and more.
Working with a total fulfillment partner opens up
Product Management
the possibility of maintaining and safely storing
your merchandise stock.
Having access to your own, business-specific
e-commerce website is an opportunity to more At its core, inventory optimization and sup-
effectively manage your growing list of products. ply planning answers the question about how
When conveniently organized by category, a robust much merchandising inventory should be carried.
e-commerce solution is more likely to yield an Working with your fulfillment partner, you’ll be
increase in the number of merchandising orders able to better understand the complexities of
placed. By providing your sales group, wholesalers supply and demand and more accurately identify
and consumers 24/7 virtual access to your prod- inventory targets. By maintaining appropriate levels

18 August - September 2020 BEVERAGE MASTER

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