With its four-county territory in southeastern Wisconsin incorporating special event venues such as sports arenas, concert venues and festival grounds, Beer Capitol Distributing Co. Inc., Sussex, Wis., offers enhanced service to these accounts during busy time periods, explains Aldo Madrigrano, chief executive officer of the company.
Preston, Wash.-based TalkingRain Beverage Co. recently placed a focus on its Sparkling Ice enhanced water brand, which in turn has experienced a national surge.
Since 2008, the sports drink category has grown to include more than 650 UPCs, explained Susan Viamari, editor of Chicago-based SymphonyIRI Group’s Times & Trends, during the market research firm’s “Merchandising Trends” webinar in February.
As the saying goes, “variety is the spice of life,” and for beverage-makers, package variety also can be a tactic to spice up sales. In the aluminum category, packaging manufacturers have gone beyond the traditional 12-ounce can and now offer a range of shapes, sizes and closures to help beverages stand out on store shelves.
Businesses seeking to empower — and monitor — their employees in the field have adopted smartphones and tablet computers and are leveraging wireless capabilities to increase communication. In response, direct-store delivery (DSD) software and hardware suppliers are developing new options that help these mobile workforces.