By Deborah Jackson, Editor, National Liquor News
The Liquor Marketing Group (LMG) is trialling a Bottlemart e-commerce platform with the view of rolling it out nationally by 2018.
The new platform would allow customers the opportunity to order online or through a mobile app and have their purchases home delivered within the hour. This e-commerce service is currently being trialled with a group of members to test the systems and processes before it is made more widely available.
Gavin Saunders, the CEO of LMG, told National Liquor News that this has been just one area of focus for the group over the past 12 months, citing member support, data insights and marketing as its core objectives.
The ‘Start at Bottlemart/Sip n Save’ marketing programs were launched in 2016. The strategy came as a result of shopper insights which saw that a majority of shoppers at these stores would consume their purchases within the hour.
Speaking at the 2016 LMG Conference, LMG General Manager of Merchandise and Marketing, Damien Page, said that LMG wanted to “own part of the occasion, the part where all the fun starts and that’s where they make their purchase”.
CEO Saunders told National Liquor News that the marketing campaign has resulted in “our best quarterly results in three years for the period from launch”. He continued that the strong results are reflected in the Shopper Tracker 2017 survey with Bottlemart recording the best consumer price perception of all retailers excluding Aldi and big box.
“A fantastic result for Bottlemart/Sip n Save members given that this price perception has been achieved while maintaining sustainable margins and shows that our marketing programs are achieving the desired influence.”
Over the past 12 months LMG has also launched successful member support programs, including a Premium Wine Program. And stores that carry the range have achieved +7.2 per cent growth in bottled wine sales and +21 per cent growth in sales of bottled wine over $15.
“LMG has approximately 750 retail outlet members who are dedicated and support the Group. While LMG provides support and marketing, our members represent the brands on a daily basis and are a key strength to our group,” said Saunders.