Eyes in the Aisles: Total Wine & More

Headquartered in North Bethesda, MD, Total Wine & More is the largest independently owned retailer of wine, beer and spirits in the U.S., operating 205 liquor stores across 24 states. Locations are typically 20,000 to 50,000 square feet in size, stocking more than 8,000 wines, 3,000 spirits and 2,500 beers as well as more than 300 fine cigars.The family-owned company is known for investing time in training employees and focusing on educating shoppers, with tastings and other educational events a part of the business model. Some 60 locations are even equipped with high-tech wine education center classrooms that serve as community meeting spaces, offer wine tastings and stream the live virtual tastings the company pioneered, in which well-known winemakers lead a tasting from their vineyards.The company has also embraced e-commerce, in many areas offering same-day delivery services through its website and mobile application.The Path to Purchase Institute visited several stores in Minnesota, Florida and Maryland over the past few months to get a feel for how they handle merchandising and what brands are doing to stand out on the shelf.Endcap signage kits are one way brands can gain the spotlight among the vast selection of SKUs available in stores. When Anheuser-Busch's Natural Light launched its hard seltzer line, for example, the brand secured a dedicated endcap and outfitted it with giant 3D cans popping out of the header. Other permanent endcap spotlights include top-20 wines and beers of the month.The wider aisles offer secondary merchandising opportunities in the form of a bevy of case stacks, where brands vie for shoppers' eyeballs and dollars with creative headers and props. Seasonality plays a huge role here, with some examples from the recent holidays including an ugly sweater-themed stack from MillerCoors' Miller Lite and a Heineken Christmas tree stack.While not common, illuminated headers make an appearance on top of case stacks. Pernod Ricard's Absolut, for example, channeled typical bar signage for its glowing neon bottle-shaped pole topper, while Mark Anthony Group's Mike's Hard Lemonade got creative with a lemon tree bearing lit up citrus fruits.Rebates and giveaways are plentiful and often incorporate scannable codes to facilitate entry and redemption. MillerCoors’ Keystone Light made an attractive offer for ice fishermen in Minnesota this winter by dangling the chance to win an Ascent IceArmor floating suit by Clam Outdoors. Shoppers could enter by registering in the store, scanning a depicted Snapchat Snapcode or via a promotional website.Cause activity also has its place in the store. Employing the same ice fishing theme, Keystone sister brand Coors Light used a pole topper to invite Minnesota shoppers to tag the brand with #Beersaveslakes on social media to trigger a $1 donation to nonprofit Conservation Minnesota.Stores additionally make room for custom displays such as this elaborate setup for the new Drinkworks Home Bar by Keurig, an advanced home bar system backed by Anheuser-Busch and Keurig Dr Pepper that can whip up a craft cocktail in seconds from a pod. The display transports shoppers right into a home kitchen environment with a marble-like countertop, tile backsplash and wooden shelving.For its countertop display, Coravin opted for a video unit to help educate shoppers on the benefits of its patented wine preservation system that lets wine drinkers pour any wine in any amount without removing the cork.Beyond alcoholic beverages and cigars, stores also stock non-alcoholic drinks and beverage accessories. Intelligent Beverages’ anti-hangover drink Resqwater commands its own upfront rolling racks, for example, while Cortec Group Management Services’ Yeti earns a dedicated endcap.Click here to see the full Total Wine & More gallery.

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