OPINION: Answer these four questions honestly about your alcohol range

I recently went to the launch of something called the Summit Scorecard, which offered analysis of the Top 50 UK retailers’ online performance.

Of the 50 companies analysed, Argos, Sainsbury’s and John Lewis were best in class, while Evans and Topshop lagged some way behind.

It may be heartening that some of the biggest companies in the UK still can’t get their online sales operations quite right. The calculations used by Summit, the makers of the Scorecard, awarded the very best a score of only 77% – and the 49th ranked store, Topshop, scored only 56%.

The Scorecard asked four simple questions of businesses to analyse their performances.

You might not sell online, but the principles are the same. Have a look at those four questions and answer them honestly: does your alcohol range get you above 77%?

Firstly: how easy is it to buy from you? The Scorecard focused on the technological capabilities and website usablity. But for your alcohol display – can people actually access it? Does it have a logical flow, and make sense for the customer? Imagine buying something online, and then having to put in too many details or being taken onto an external platform to enter payment. Does your alcohol range feel like it’s part of your store?

Secondly: how close are you to your customers? This was a focus on effective marketing – including Google ads and social media. So do your customers know what you sell and who you are? Do you really market your alcohol range in the right way?

Thirdly: how appealing are you to your customers? The Scorecard focused on photography online, pricing and payment options. So what are your prices? What does your display actually look like? Is it tidy and does it make use of the great labelling that modern brands provide?

And finally: do you delight your customers? For online ordering, this is about the last mile, customer services and logistics. So in store, it’s about communication. Do you congratulate customers on interesting purchases, or offer recommendations? How functional is the purchase of alcohol in your store?

You might not sell online, but the principles are the same. Have a look at those four questions and answer them honestly: does your alcohol range get you above 77%?