tom@thomasbaughmedia.com

Men drink beer, women drink wine, and sailors love a swig o’ rum. Not only are generalisations like these culturally dated – they can also damage a drinks business, especially if they’re taken to heart and applied to its strategy.   With every passing year we see ever more empirical evidence that confounds long-held stereotypes …

Sometimes in business, profit doesn\’t come from the deals or the data, it comes from the relationships. Being a retailer\’s preferred drinks distributor can earn you better placement in-store, more frequent orders, or more marketing opportunities on the shelf – all of which could help you grow faster and build market share.   In this …

From product specifics through to leveraging the insights required to make sales, the right beverage software can help distributors sell more.  It’s not rocket science, it’s just data–and a little help from your strategic software partner.    Specific software for beverage distributors serves up sales  The obvious advantage of drinks industry specific software is that …

As major drinks companies, including C&C Group and Heineken, move further into controlled distribution, we sketch a blueprint for how non-global drink distributors can stay relevant and retain market access.   Landmark acquisitions herald a new era of controlled drinks distribution In controlled distribution, a single company controls both the manufacturing and distribution of a …

 The UK and Ireland have been basking in record high temperatures–and drinks businesses have rightly recognised this as an opportunity to sell more beverages. After all, what could be more refreshing than a bottle of ice-cold beer on a sunny day? The effect of weather on consumer spending As a drinks distributor, you hold the …

Drinks companies consistently name trade promotions as the biggest drain on their revenue after the cost of goods. Most accept this as the price of meeting customer expectations, but how many companies can point to detailed statistics that prove their promotions provide a benefit? Remarkably, not many. The reason for this can be pinned on …

A good demand planning strategy is the difference between profit and loss for your drinks distribution business.   In this article, we’re going to sketch out a basic approach to demand planning strategy that could make your drinks distribution business more profitable. But First, Why Strategising & Planning According To Demand, Is So Important? In …

To say that Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software can speed up buyers’ decision making is an understatement. In many cases, it goes a long way towards doing the decision-making for them.   ERP can help quicken the pace of decision making on both sides of the B2B relationship by predicting buyers’ preferences and helping your …

 Does cash flow freely throughout your drinks distribution business or is it regularly quarantined or tied up in assets that can’t be touched?   Cash flow is a perennial problem for all businesses, but drinks distribution has a handful of specific challenges that need to be solved by industry-specific beverage software. 1. Cash Flow Problem: Unpaid invoices What’s …

Strategic selling to your drinks business’ core customers based on insights gathered from your order management software should be common practice. Retailers are constantly dictated to by changing and fragmented consumer behaviour, as well as continued demand for quality, choice and value. Being caught up in day-to-day operations means they often rely on their distributor …