The holiday season always brings increased competition among brands. They look for different ways to stand out, and, more importantly, how they can boost their sales at the end of the year.
For alcohol and beverage brands specifically, the holidays represent another opportunity to increase their visibility and make the shopping experience just a little bit easier.
RTD Captures Attention
Ready-to-drink beverages are one strategy that brands are using to capture the interest – and it’s gaining traction. According to Nielsen IQ, ready-to-drink cocktails are growing at an astonishing rate—a stand-out compared to other beverage categories. In fact, the firm noted in a data report on the subject that “ready to” products are “here to stay” and that the future of those products lies within “the success of innovative packaging, premium cocktail offerings, unexpected flavors, continued recruitment of 21+ Gen Z consumers, and adapting to the fast-paced Ready to…innovation cycle.”
As a recent Alcoholic Beverage Industry Key Trends report put it, “Consumers are still interested in domestic mixology” and to compete against RTD, “spirit brands should provide consumers with a turnkey solution to make domestic mixology as easy as RTD.”
With one-click recipes, shoppers can effortlessly turn an ad click into shopping cart ingredients or lists, saving time and reducing holiday stress. Offering this convenient feature allows them to seamlessly add all the necessary ingredients for holiday cocktails, which leads to an exponentially increased likelihood of purchasing those ingredients.
The Influence of One-Click Recipes
Recipes are a powerful tool for alcohol brands, and modern recipes go beyond just providing a helpful list of ingredients and instructions. Modern drink recipes spark creativity, inspire possibilities and connect with customers on an emotional level. Think about classic pairings, like apple cider and Fireball in the fall, or Bailey’s with hot cocoa in winter, for example, which show how brands have crafted drinks that resonate with consumers.
With shoppers seeking inspiration online but continuing to prefer shopping at brick-and-mortar retailers, brands are facing the challenge of turning pre-shop online recipe browsers into committed in-store shoppers. The holiday season presents an omnichannel solution for brands to connect and convert recipe researchers into brand buyers by offering easy-to-make, memorable cocktails that meet the demand for convenience.
For example, Campari and Mindshare leveraged one-click recipes when they looked to enhance sales of Aperol Spritz—a drink traditionally associated with summer—around the holidays. Their goal was simple: to offer a convenient, time-saving cocktail recipe for consumers. To achieve this, they launched a one-click add-to-cart digital campaign that was activated against Albertsons and Safeway stores, while also promoting their Espolon Tequila and Grand Marnier brands.
The takeaway for Campari was that combining popular holiday drinks with convenient one-click options increased consumer purchase intent. The Add-ItTM units, created by AdAdapted, drove shoppers to add the Campari brands as well as a special one-click cocktail recipe creative specifically for the Aperol Spritz.
The result? The campaign achieved a 0.37% engagement rate and by leveraging a third-party sales measurement partner, they were able to drive a $3.40 incremental return on ad spend and a 9.9% sales lift. Campari is just one example of many who look to attract attention during times of celebration, by promoting one-click drink recipes.
Implementation and Long-Term Benefits
Whether it is a special family Christmas Day gathering, an end-of-year work party, or a New Year’s Eve celebration, cocktails have always been used to help mark the occasion as festive and memorable. As a recent Real Simple article put it, the holiday cocktail party is “an excuse to cozy up with beverages, loved ones, maybe some strangers, pets, and festive decor is so welcome come winter.”
Flavors like eggnog or spiced rum have come to represent more than just a treat. These drink recipes create memories and bring out the spirit of the holidays —and many are now associated with tradition, an ultimate win for brands.
If you are an alcohol brand interested in implementing a one-click recipe strategy and having it be successful and long-lasting, select recipes that will resonate with holiday shoppers.
The next step would be to recommend key ingredients or branded components. Doing so will help position you as the essential go-to brand for those specific holiday cocktails.
To effectively engage consumers, do more than just leverage digital campaigns and targeted ads. By identifying key ingredients that resonate with your audience, you can focus on targeting consumers who not only have an affinity for alcoholic beverages but also express interest in specific recipe ingredients. This approach will allow you to create tailored messaging and promotions that speak directly to the interests and preferences of your ideal customers, driving greater engagement and conversion.
In addition, when you use a mix of online platforms to push your products and expose them to a wider audience such as through off-property media, websites and apps, you can connect with potential customers across a wide range of digital touchpoints similarly to the way Campari did in their campaign.
Off-property media represents a largely untapped opportunity, and advertising within these apps and on websites where people craft their inspiring holiday menus and experiences is a proven game-winning strategy.
Molly McFarland is the co-founder and chief revenue officer of AdAdapted.
