Beverage Merchandising: Strategies, Ideas & Best Practices to Boost Sales

What Is Beverage Merchandising?

Beverage merchandising is the practice of presenting drinks in a way that attracts attention, drives impulse purchases, and maximizes sales per square foot. From supermarkets and convenience stores to bars and foodservice outlets, effective merchandising can make the difference between an average sales day and a record-breaking one.

Whether you’re working with soft drinks, bottled water, craft beer, spirits, or ready-to-drink coffee, the right merchandising strategy ensures your products don’t just sit on shelves — they sell.

Why Beverage Merchandising Matters For Stores

• Drives impulse buys – 70% of beverage purchases are unplanned.

• Maximizes space – Strategic shelf placement and cooler displays boost turnover.

• Supports promotions – Cross-merchandising beverages with snacks, mixers, or seasonal items raises basket size.

• Strengthens brand presence – Eye-catching displays give products a competitive edge.

Soft drinks in particular play a crucial role in retail profitability. Many retailers allocate prime shelf space to them because beverages often generate higher margins compared to food staples. In fact, drinks can represent more than a third of overall in-store sales. That makes soft drink merchandising not just a side activity, but a core driver of both revenue growth and customer satisfaction.

Beverage Merchandising Ideas That Work

Use Endcaps and Checkout Displays – Position beverages where shoppers make quick, last-minute decisions.

Cross-Merchandise – Pair sodas with chips, beer with pizza kits, or energy drinks with protein bars.

Leverage Seasonal Themes – Holiday, sports, or summer-themed displays drive urgency and relevance.

Highlight New Products – Use signage, shelf-talkers, and lighting to feature innovation.

Create “Grab-and-Go” Zones – Chilled beverages near the deli, bakery, or prepared foods boost on-the-spot sales.

Custom Beverage Merchandising Solutions

Not all stores or beverage categories are the same. Custom beverage merchandising allows retailers and brands to design displays tailored to:

• Store layout and traffic flow.

• Beverage size and packaging (cans vs. bottles vs. multipacks).

• Branding elements (logos, colors, seasonal campaigns).

• Sustainability goals (eco-friendly display materials).

Boosting Soft Drink Sales with Planograms

One of the most effective tools for soft drink merchandising is the planogram — a visual guide that maps out how products should be placed on shelves to maximize visibility and sales. A well-designed planogram helps retailers balance factors like brand, price, flavor, and package size so shoppers can quickly find what they want while being exposed to new choices.

Here’s how planograms support soft drink sales:

1. Improve navigation and product discovery

Placing soft drinks in a clearly visible, high-traffic section of the store ensures shoppers don’t have to search. Grouping them into logical categories — like carbonated sodas, sports drinks, flavored waters, and energy drinks — minimizes confusion. Color-blocking also works well (e.g., green tones for energy drinks, blue for hydration/sports).

2. Maximize shelf efficiency

A planogram ensures products are arranged neatly and logically, making the display both attractive and functional. Stock rotation is easier, and retailers can guarantee shelves are always replenished. Prominent placement of new launches can spark trial, while cross-merchandising (e.g., soft drinks with chips or snack packs) increases basket value.

3. Drive impulse purchases

Strategically designed planograms help integrate promotional tags and labels such as “2 for 1” or “limited-time offer.” Pairing these promotions with seasonal moments — like Christmas, summer holidays, or sports events — builds excitement. Positioning discounted drinks near checkout counters also boosts last-minute grabs.

Tech spotlight: Modern planogramming tools

Cloud-based solutions like visual merchandising software allow retailers to set the planogramming process and adjust product placements in real time. These tools make it easy to create store-specific planograms, send them to the store, test layouts, control planogram execution, analyze shelf performance, and adapt merchandising strategies quickly for improved sales performance.

Merchandising Soft Drinks and Juices: Practical Tips

Another critical category in beverage merchandising is non-alcoholic drinks and juices. The best practice is to locate this section along the store perimeter near fruits and vegetables, as this placement reinforces a sense of freshness and natural quality.

Water: Essential but Strategic

Mineral and sparkling water may not deliver the highest margins, but they are fundamental to any beverage assortment. Sales are stable year-round, with demand increasing 2–4x in the summer months. To capture seasonal peaks, retailers should install refrigerated displays in high-traffic areas like checkout zones and main aisles. This not only boosts impulse purchases but also helps meet demand during hot weather.

As consumer awareness grows, shoppers are paying closer attention to mineral content, filtration, and packaging type. This requires careful assortment planning and shelf segmentation:

• Separate flavored water from classic mineral water.

• Distinguish between plastic and glass bottles.

• Place large bottles (5–10 liters) on bottom shelves, standard family packs (1–1.5 liters) at eye level, and smaller bottles (under 0.5 liters) at the top.

Retailers should also follow the FIFO (first in, first out) principle to ensure freshness and minimize waste. To promote new or lesser-known brands, POS materials like wobblers, posters, and promotional stands can increase visibility and shopper interest.

Juices: A Profitable Category

Unlike water, juices represent a highly profitable and fast-growing segment. Retailers should prioritize leading brands but also include options across price ranges — from premium to budget-friendly.

The vast majority of juices (over 95%) are sold in carton packaging due to its light weight and convenience. Glass bottles are typically reserved for the premium segment.

Juice merchandising strategies include:

• By flavor – grouping orange, apple, tomato, and other juices into blocks.

• By brand – vertical brand blocks (e.g., “Rich,” “Tropicana,” “Minute Maid”).

• By price – budget-friendly juices on lower shelves, mid-range at eye level, premium glass options at the top.

• By size – larger family packs (1.5–3 liters) on the bottom, 1–1.5 liter cartons at mid-shelf, and small 0.2 liter packs at child’s eye level.

• By popularity – top-selling flavors at eye level, niche or less popular varieties lower down.

Since juice sales are also seasonal, demand typically dips during the summer when fresh fruits are abundant. However, with smart assortment planning and strategic shelf placement, retailers can maintain strong turnover year-round.

Building beverage planograms in PlanoHero: quick, easy, and convenient

Creating a smart beverage display is way easier with modern tools like PlanoHero. It's an all-in-one planogram service that lets you manage your whole store display in one place.

Key benefits of using PlanoHero

Easy to create planograms – thanks to the intuitive interface, you can quickly place products on shelves by brand, type, volume, or price category.

Fast – you can build a complete planogram for even a large department in just a few minutes.

A single tool for all planograms – no more switching between different programs or spreadsheets. All planograms for water, juices, carbonated drinks, or alcohol can be created, stored, and updated in a single environment.

Ease of updating and control – it is easy to change the layout depending on the season, assortment updates, or promotions, as well as to control the compliance of the actual shelf with the planogram.

Using PlanoHero, retailers gain efficiency, transparency, and control in merchandising, which directly affects sales performance and customer satisfaction.

To create a planogram in PlanoHero, click the + Create Planogram button, specify the name of the planogram, select the equipment and store layout. Next, add the products for display and arrange them manually using the drag-and-drop tool, or automatically arrange all products on the shelf, or create a display rule by setting the necessary parameters. You can sign up for PlanoHero free trial and create your first planogram.

Beverage Alcohol Merchandising: Key Highlights

Alcohol is a high-margin category, but it also comes with strict regulatory restrictions. That’s why liquor merchandising and promotion in this segment require extra care:

• Premium presentation – branded shelves, illuminated displays, and wooden racks for wine and spirits create a sense of exclusivity and sophistication.

• Seasonal offers – holiday gift sets (whiskey in tubes, wine with branded glasses, etc.) drive additional sales during festive periods.

• Cross-merchandising – placing alcohol next to cheese, cured meats, or snacks positions the products as ready-made solutions for celebrations.

• Clear zoning by type and price – beers and ciders are best displayed in refrigerated units, while wines and spirits are placed in dedicated sections, organized from premium to budget options.

• Responsible promotion – compliance with legal requirements and emphasis on responsible consumption strengthens customer trust.

Well-executed alcoholic beverage merchandising not only increases sales but also enhances a store’s image, creating a premium shopping experience for customers.

Crafting a Beverage Merchandising Strategy

A strong beverage merchandising strategy should consider:

1. Target audience – Millennials shop differently than baby boomers; energy drink buyers differ from wine enthusiasts.

2. Store environment – Convenience store merchandising isn’t the same as big-box retail.

3. Category segmentation – Carbonated soft drinks, alcohol, functional beverages, and water all need tailored approaches.

4. Data-driven placement – Use sales data and shopper insights to identify hot zones for beverage placement.

Beverage Merchandising and Promotions

Pairing merchandising and promotions is one of the fastest ways to accelerate beverage sales. Examples include:

• Bundle deals (snacks + beverages).

• Buy-one-get-one (BOGO) offers for soft drinks and sports drinks.

• Loyalty program tie-ins for coffee or energy drink purchases.

• Digital signage & QR codes to encourage engagement.

Beverage Merchandising Trends to Watch

• Sustainability – Eco-friendly display materials and recyclable packaging.

• Digital integration – Screens, QR codes, and interactive displays.

• Premiumization – More attention to high-value craft and functional beverages.

• Experiential retail – Tastings, demos, and immersive displays.

Final Thoughts

Strong beverage merchandising is about more than stocking shelves — it’s about storytelling, placement, and shopper psychology. By combining creative ideas, custom displays, strategic promotions, and integrated food & beverage merchandising, retailers and brands can capture attention and boost profits.

Whether you’re a retailer looking for merchandising ideas or a brand manager designing your next campaign, the right strategy can transform beverage sales.