We’ve just had a bumper summer of sport when Britons notched up a record haul of Olympic medals. But the winter TV events and house party season is just about to start, and we’re in a new period of economic uncertainty – perhaps a recipe for more staying in.
ONCE upon a time the Big Night In was a new concept. Satellite and cable TV developed in the UK in the late 1980s but it got off to a slow start. All that began to change however when Sky Sports secured the rights to live Premier League matches in 1992.
Today those rights are shared with BT Sport and between them the two main UK pay TV networks broadcast football and other huge sporting events from all around the world throughout the year to TVs, computers, tablets and phones.
Throw in the new streaming movie and TV box set subscription and download services from Netflix, Amazon, Apple and Google and just about the entire world of entertainment is available in living rooms across the country. Not that it is all pay as you go of course, some of the biggest on-screen events still take place on the BBC and ITV, including the Olympics, Euros, World Cup, Strictly Come Dancing, X Factor, Eurovision Song contest and Bake Off.
When the recession came along in 2008 availability hit relative affordability and staying in became the new going out. And, given that the powers that be appear still to be very concerned about an economic slowdown after the EU referendum result, we can expect staying in to remain popular for some time to come.
So there are opportunities for sure. But Partners for Growth, the special programme backed by Unilever to aid convenience channel merchandising, reckons convenience retailers could make much more of Big Night In opportunities.
Nick Widdowson, Unilever merchandising and creative controller, laid out what he sees as the key facts about the Big Night In before going on to suggest ways that c-stores might maximise benefits.
Top Big Night In tips from PfG
l Keep key categories well-stocked and always have the best-sellers available
l Use clear in-store signage to prompt combinations of Big Night In products
l Flag up offers in in-store communications and on social media
l Build excitement with Big Night In themed displays
l Tastes are becoming more adventurous so experiment with some extra flavours and provide multi-buy promotions
l Health is becoming an increasingly important aspect of snack choice so make sure you offer healthier options
l Don’t neglect hot snacks in the evenings
l Be aware that sales of ice cream bought for a special or treating occasions have soared in recent years
Quoting Kantar Worldpanel Usage statistics he said 28% of all in-home meal occasions are a snack. However, while daytime snacking has actually fallen, snacking in the evening is growing for almost all consumer groups, and it’s often impulse-led.
Big sports events bring people together. We’ve had two big events this summer in the Euros and the Olympics and of course a great Wimbledon too. But now the regular football season is about to start. And arguably it could be more exciting than for many years (see page 80) and of course there’s very important rugby and other events too.
Partners for Growth reckons the growing popularity of TV bingeing and boxed sets means evenings on the sofa are becoming more of an occasion – but an ad hoc one.
However, Widdowson made a very important point. Research suggests seven in 10 shoppers choose supermarkets over c-stores when buying for night-in events. That means, he argues, that there is a huge opportunity for convenience outlets.
The main reasons given for favouring supermarkets are price perception and ranging but independent retailers can do a lot to increase their share, he claimed. “For example, 46% of shoppers say promotions would influence them to buy from a c-store, so multi-buys and cross-category merchandising are highly recommended.”
28% Snacks share of all in-home meal occasions
70% of shoppers choose supermarkets over c-stores when buying Big Night In items
68% of adults said they should eat more healthily
Of course Scotland is different from the rest of the UK in that retailers cannot cross-merchandise alcohol with most other products and cannot offer some promotions, such as BWS multibuys.
Widdowson notes that, for night-in events, items like beer, crisps, soft drinks, hot drinks, bagged snacks and pizza – are “popular across the board”. But nights in are not just about beer and crisps, he stressed. Treating and snacking is increasing in other categories. Unilever produces pot snacks and ice cream tubs and it says both are playing a big part in the Big Night In scene and are increasing sales.
The UK population is becoming increasingly diverse, with ethnic minorities set to make up one-fifth of it by 2051, he said.
Consumers’ tastes are becoming more adventurous. Health is also becoming an increasingly important factor in snack choice, Kantar Worldpanel found 68% of UK adults said they should eat more healthily. The proportion of snacking occasions where ‘health’ is an important consideration for choice is rising.
So what does all of that suggest convenience retailers should do to make sure they make the most of the Big Night In opportunities?
They should, Partners for Growth suggests, use promotional deals well. Multibuys and cross-category merchandising are highly recommended, as 46% of shoppers say promotions would influence them to buy from a c-store. Make sure you’ve got something for everyone and for all the different possible Big Night In events and tailor your communications – think of deals targeting men, couples, groups of friends, and don’t forget ‘treat for myself’ offers and promotions aimed at families, PfG says.
In Scotland you cannot display alcohol with, for example, crisps or tortilla chips and you cannot combine alcohol with most other products in a deal.
But other Big Night In items could be put on a special fixture close to the alcohol area and a retailer could run deals combining soft drinks and snacks, for example.
Widdowson suggests a special Big Night In fixture is a great way to “create theatre and build excitement”.
Shout about offers, he suggested. “Flag them up through signage in store and use social media – Twitter, Facebook and the like – to tell people what’s on offer.
“Offering entry into a prize draw for people who like, share and comment on posts can really spread the word and bring customers in,” he said.
Partners for Growth provides info on how to use social media to boost business at:
https://partnersforgrowth.unilever.com/industry-insights/views/social-media/
It’s important to keep up to speed on the best-sellers in snacking-related categories but don’t neglect areas like
ice cream and instant hot snacks, product categories that Unilever has experience of, he said.
“Instant hot snacks are increasingly being seen as tasty and filling options, relevant for social meal occasions and evening consumption. They’re portable, accessible and convenient,” he argued.
“82% of pot snacks are bought on impulse so put them somewhere visible. Flavours are crucial so make sure you give space to the best-selling variants.
“Ice cream consumed for special or treating reasons has soared in recent years. NPD drives excitement into the category when people are ‘treat-focused’. Make sure POS material is colourful and displayed so that customers can see it.”
