To drive crisps and snacks sales, you need to make sure the category is quick and convenient to shop. 

Get your fixture flow right

To drive crisps and snacks sales, you need to make sure the crisps category is quick and convenient to shop. Forty-five per cent of purchases are made in less than 60 seconds, so you need to make it easy for shoppers to find what they need. A logical, clear flow is key.

Matt Collins, KP Snacks convenience sales director, says: “Blocking similar types of products together, such as ridged crisps, will make it easier for your shoppers to find what they need.” 

To create the most logical flow, you should make sure value options are located on the bottom of the shelf. “Then you can merchandise sharing bags at the top of the fixture,” he explains.

Cassandra Stavrou, Propercorn co-founder, agrees independents need to focus on merchandising that makes shopping more convenient. 

“Retailers should group snacks together and include healthier snacks in the main fixture, so shoppers can make informed decisions at the shelf,” she says.

Introduce more core facings

To make the most of your crisps and snacks range, one facing per line in your fixture 
isn’t enough. 

This is especially the case for bestsellers, says Pierre Jackson, category insights controller at PepsiCo. “Sixteen of the top-20 single-serving crisps and snacks are PepsiCo products,” he says. 

KP Snacks’ Matt Collins says: “The bestselling singles bags must be positioned prominently. They should be the first thing shoppers see as they walk down the snack aisle.”

By double or triple facing your bestselling snacks lines, you’ll make sure they are unmissable.

Nick Widdowson, Unilever Partners for Growth range and merchandising controller, says increasing the number of facings increases availability, as well as sales.

You can grow your sales by avoiding out of stocks, putting bestselling lines at eye level and, if space is tight, blocking horizontally rather than vertically. 

Cash in with pmps

Price-marked packs play a massive role in communicating fair prices to your shoppers. 

In sharing, PMPs are growing at 11.9%, faster than the rest of the segment. PepsiCo’s Pierre Jackson says: “More than 50% of all PMPs are priced at £1 in independents.”

Forty-three per cent of consumers believe PMPs signify a promotional price, making them more likely to purchase a product, and 83% of retailers say they sell faster than standard packs.  

KP Snacks’ Matt Collins says PMPs are a great way to help communicate value to shoppers and have been proven to be a successful tool in driving impulse sales.  

“Our £1 PMP range is growing by 25%,” he says. “This success can be attributed to the strength of our brands, as well as the right format.”

Use the best PoS

Once you have your range in place, you should make sure that you are using shelf strips to promote your bestsellers. Premium products can be promoted with cards on shelf that describe their taste.

Alex Albone, founder of Pipers Crisps, says eye-catching PoS should be used to make sure you grab shoppers’ attention.

“Strong shelf presence is vital, so retailers should look for snack ranges that stand out well,” he explains.

KP Snacks’ Matt Collins says: “Retailers can increase basket spend by making use of branded display kits and PoS like stackers and dump bins.” 

You should also use PoS to promote certain themes, such as the ‘big night in’. This can make sure your shoppers pick up snacks, as well as sharing drinks and treats.

Don’t forget the dips

Dips like guacamole, hummus and salsa, are the final ingredient in increasing snack sales. The category has been driven by new products and recipes in recent years, which has helped it appeal to younger shoppers.

Sales of dips grew by 26% from 2010 to 2015, and the chips and dips category is predicted to grow by another 17% by 2020. 

Elena Mallo, Mondelez International marketing manager, says: “Chilled dips is one of the fastest-growing snacking categories, but still has headroom for growth.” 

To grow sales in the sector, you should make sure you are stocking well-known brands and using PoS at the snacks fixture to remind shoppers to pick them up.

Retailer View

“Shoppers are looking for healthier options now and are moving away from traditional brands and buying more baked crisps and popcorn instead. 

“Crisps that are higher in salt and fat do still sell for us, but they do better as part of a meal deal. 

“Consumers are more health conscious nowadays, so we stock options like fruit pots and granola with yoghurt pots. Those products are easy for customers to take on the move.”

Conrad Davies
Spar and Eurospar, 
Gwynedd