What's the point - of point of sale?

I remember the good old days of trade visits with Scottish & Newcastle Breweries, working on Beck’s Bier. We’d visit pubs the length and breadth of the country, meeting the publicans, talking to them about their customers, delivering pos and promotional kits.

Bunting was a big thing back then. And scratchcards. If we were in a posh place, there was even a ceramic plaque. Font and bottle design was (and remains) of supreme importance for catching the eye of the customer in bar, hopefully tempting them to order a pint/shot/double.

But how times have, of course, changed. There are far fewer pubs. There’s far more drinking at home. There’s the culture of “pre’s” for the young ‘uns (again taking trade away from the pubs and clubs).

So, grabbing the precious attention of the “swing voter” - for those who ARE out in bars - is even more important than ever. With the outlets arguably significantly more focused on aesthetic and design themselves, its NOT as easy to get precious shelf space for your supporting point of sale.

Which means, we have to do a much better job now to create items that support and elevate the brand (sometimes quite literally – plinths!), that enhance and amplify the drinking experience too, in order to get any standout.

Since I joined ORB, I have loved seeing the care, craft, precision of thinking and execution that goes into the design of point of sale.? Its almost as intense as the development of the product (the whisky, the gin, the beer) itself.? How materials are chosen. How things are finished. How small details can make a big difference. All which fuels my hunger (or should I say thirst) to work with more and more brands who choose to invest in raising their visibility at the point of purchase.?

We have our own bar in the office here at ORB. If you want to talk, you’ll find me at the end stool, nursing a large soda water (well, it is a Tuesday morning after all).