GROW

How do I encourage my customers to spend more?

Step 1 – Think business

Go large: Think about increasing sizes of wine glasses from 175 to 250ml. You can do the same with mineral glasses and bottles, and it works for 35ml optics too.

Upselling: Train your food staff to upsell. Simple suggestions and questions such as offering nibbles in advance of a starter, coffee and desserts at the end of a meal or checking whether drinks need to be replenished.

Money makers: You should promote the products you make most money on and ensure that they get premium merchandising space on the back bar. Try offering customers a choice of gin for their gin and tonic. You’d be surprised how many people will opt for the more premium option as a treat.

Step 2 – Making the most of sporting opportunities

Drink deals: If you have a sports event on TV, you could consider opportunities to increase sales by offering deals on 4-pint jugs or bucket deals for bottled beers.

Match meals: If customers’ minds are focused on the TV or entertainment, you need to provide food they can hold and eat. A special match meals menu will go down a treat. Advertise these on posters and chalkboards.

Don’t just sit there!: If the football’s on or people are drinking outside on the patio, they’ll be less likely to get up and walk to the bar. Offer table service instead, with the option of upselling with nibbles or snacks.

Step 3 – Promote yourself

Meal deals: Introduce meal deals including starters and/or puddings, ‘3 for 4’ meal offers or ‘free bottle of wine when 4 dine’ – they'll help your business during quiet sessions. But you should always remember to build your promotions around high-margin main course dishes.

Collector’s corner: Collector kits or instant win mechanics can influence buying behaviour and make customers buy more from you. Prizes could even bring customers back to your outlet, by offering a meal for two.

How do I get my customers to visit more frequently?

You need to provide customers with a reason to visit, whether this is through offering bounce-back offers and promotions or by running an event. If you are running an event, give some thought as to when and why – e.g. are you trying to make weekday evenings more interesting or making sure that your outlet is included in the pub circuit on a Saturday night.

Perfect timing

What else happens in your local area? It’s no good going head-to-head with an already established event (unless you know yours is going to be better!) – all you’ll be doing is sharing customers. Put yours on a different day. If a competitor is running a loud music event, see if it’s worth attracting their older customers who’ll be put off by the noise: lay on a quiz night for example.

Promotions to increase customer visits:

Pub games: Encourage customers to participate in pub games in the local leagues. And get other customers to come along and support them too!

Quiz nights: Encourage groups of customers in your pub to enter a team on the night. Try a roll-over ‘Play your Cards’, ‘Unlock the Door’ or a ‘Jackpot Round" to bring people back.

Knockout competitions: Run knockout competitions and quizzes regularly, they’re always popular and people will come back to see the finals.

Bounce-backs: Bounce-backs are added-value offers that can be redeemed if the customer makes a return visit. For example, a free or discounted drink or a free or discounted element of the food offer.

Big screen sports events: Make the most of sporting events by advertising in advance and laying on a complete experience. Drinks deals and food packages will go down well and make the event much more special for customers.

Charity appeals: Involve customers in raising money for local charities, have a draw and get customers to commit to providing a prize. Make a big event out of the presentation night.

Theme nights: Whether your business is drink or food driven, theme nights provide the opportunity to encourage customer visits. Use themes that are appropriate to your business objectives and create fun that customers will want to return to the pub to talk about and will create anticipation for another one. Check out our events calendar for some inspiration!