As the warm weather approaches, pubs across the country are trying to unlock the secrets of a long, profitable summer. If you’re a landlord looking for that extra advantage, here are five trends that look set to have a big impact this year.
Craft beers and ciders
Craft beers and ciders have boomed over the last few years and canny landlords have been quick to react to the changes in demand. But it’s not just the size of the craft beer market that has changed – so too has the type of craft beers being sold. In fact, 60% of the craft beer market is now made up of IPAs and Pale Ales – while more traditional categories such as brown ales have seen their market share fall from 14% to just 5% since 2016.
Low- and no-alcohol beers
Supermarket sales of beers with ABVs of 0.5% or lower rose to almost £8 million in Christmas 2018 and have grown by 381% since 2017. It’s clear that low ABV options are proving ever-more popular with health-conscious drinkers, so make sure you’ve got options at hand – including mocktails, for those who want something different to low ABV beers and lagers.
Contactless payments
Think of how many of your customers will be spending their weekends and summer nights passing the time in your beer garden. If you’ve got any outside space, it’s crucial to make things as convenient as possible for your customers. A Bluetooth-enabled PDQ machine will let you take payments as quickly as possible up to 100 metres from the base station. For customers with contactless cards spending less than £30, payment is even quicker!
Special events and BBQs
If you’ve got a beer garden or outside space, hosting special BBQ events are great ways to attract extra customers. Pick a day when the weather is forecast to be good and advertise your event in advance – you could soon have families flocking to your pub! But don’t forget to cater for the growing numbers of vegetarians and vegans. A good selection of vegetable options will really add colour to your BBQ offering!
Dog-friendly areas
In 2017, a Kennel Club survey found that 98% of dog-friendly pubs believed their takings had improved after letting pooches on the premises. Are you catering to the 8.5 million dog owners in the UK? And more importantly, if you’re not… can you afford to see all those potential drinkers head to your nearest competitor? Creating a dog-friendly area, even if you don’t make your entire pub open to dogs, could have a significant impact on your trade.
Whatever your plans for the summer, it’s time to get moving. We’re only weeks away from the hottest spell of the year!
To find out more about how our card machines can help your sales sizzle this summer, visit our Card Machines section.
