Pepsi Showcases Pop at the Pump

As more motorists pay at the pump rather than going inside to a register, impulse sales are suffering at convenience stores/gas stations. Routine visits become one-function trips, with potential customers bypassing the store altogether. Unless, that is, something outside draws the customer in.Pepsi's new sidewalk merchandiser is designed to help boost sales in convenience stores and service stations by calling attention to Pepsi 12-packs outside the store. Bright graphics and an obvious price point encourage consumers to "take one home!" A watertight, lockable steel cabinet stocking 125 12-packs, the showcase drives impulse purchases while maximizing brand awareness.Before the showcase, Pepsi's outdoor merchandisers were "nothing more than little sheds. [We had] nothing that was merchandised professionally that would attract a customer," says Roger Burchett, merchandising manager for Pepsi's Southeast Business Unit in Atlanta.To keep the unit from looking like "just a metal box sitting out there," he says, "we made it look like a 12-pack. The graphics gave us the opportunity to offer a display when the store was open, and when closed, to still have very vivid advertising that you can see from the street."The oversized 12-pack measures 54-inches-wide by 42-inches-high by 25-inches-deep. Addressing retailers' concerns about the unit's height, the roof adjusts from a raised position, providing added visual impact, to a closed position offering a lower profile. The front opens like a set of double doors that swing open and can be locked to the sides or left open for greater sidewalk visibility.Designed by Burchett, James Morris, key account manager for convenience and gas, and Randy Word, business development manager for convenience and gas, the unit was produced by Display Technologies, Whitestone, N.Y."They really deserve credit for taking an idea and running with it," says Burchett. "Display Technologies listened to us and responded quickly. There's not as much of that today as there should be."The showcase became available in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and parts of Florida in February. "We originally committed to 2,500 units for the Southeast, and in the last 30 days, Display Technologies has begun to distribute additional [sample] units throughout the United States," he says. "Based on the success [of the unit] in the Southeast, it will be popping up all over the country soon."Initially intended to merchandise regular Pepsi, the showcase is a solid Pepsi blue color with a rust-resistant UV coating. Different vinyl graphics packages, similar to those used on vending machines, can be attached to the cabinet adapting it to Diet Pepsi, Lipton Brisk or other brands. A green box is in the works for Mountain Dew.Air holes and drain holes help eliminate heat and moisture build-up inside the showcase. When the lid is closed, product can still be accessed from the front of the unit. An optional, clear vinyl curtain is available to protect the soda packages from water, sea salt spray and sunlight when those conditions threaten to fade or melt the packaging.A special spiral pad lets retailers change the advertised price by flipping to new numbers and reinserting the pad into magnetized channels. The pad can be affixed anywhere on the box -- on the top, sides or below the doors.Pepsi supplies the merchandiser free of charge, occasionally paying a slotting fee for a certain length of time or for exclusivity."If you figure it holds 60 cases of 12-packs, after it turns over three times, it has paid for itself," says Burchett. The unit cost $419 to produce. "We are really pleased with the results," he adds. "It's so bold, you gotta love it."

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