Record breaker
Each year battery manufacturers claim that their product is the longest lasting, but Panasonic has gone one better – its new Evoia battery appears in the 2009 edition of the Guinness World Records as the longest-lasting battery ever. The record was broken in Japan where the battery goes under a different name – Evolta – but the battery is the same as the Evoia available here in the UK.
Record-breaker
The battery outperformed competitors in common industry tests, and so has entered the Guinness World Records as the world’s number-one long-lasting AA alkaline battery. As such, it’s the first battery to receive Guinness World Records recognition. Evoia replaces Digital Extreme Power, but Panasonic says it has a new structure, new materials and a new production process. It is available in four sizes – AA, AAA, C and D. The AA and AAA batteries, which are more commonly used in high-drain appliances, will feature the new world record-breaking technology, while the C and D size batteries will use the company’s existing alkaline technology. The batteries have the Guinness endorsement on-pack and this will also appear on pos material. However, P&G counters by saying it has launched an innovative technological reformulation for its alkaline range that delivers improvements in both power and performance. This innovation covers core-line Duracell Plus as well as Duracell Ultra and gives them both a longer life. As a result, the company says no other alkaline battery lasts longer (based on the average testing for devices used most) than Duracell Ultra. The range has new packaging to highlight the upgrade. And the Duracell Bunny is back to promote the range via TV, print advertising, digital media and PR.
The right display
Unfortunately for many c-store retailers, batteries are just too high a value item to put out on open sale on the shop floor. Instead, they have to be stocked behind the till area. However, manufacturers don’t see that as a barrier to sales. Varta’s Armitage comments: “Retailers need to strike a balance between the batteries being seen and being watched – they need to make sure consumers can see them but staff can keep an eye on them. “Many batteries are bought on impulse so consumers need a visual prompt to remind them. We offer small discreet solutions such as clip strips for this.” Energizer’s Boddin agrees with Armitage: “Batteries are high-value items, so it is right to take security seriously. But it’s still important that batteries are easily visible to shoppers so they can consider the type they need. Countertop and secondary display units are an excellent way to display batteries – making them highly visible to remind shoppers and attract impulse purchases, but at the same time deterring would-be thieves.” Duracell’s France adds: “We’ve been working with RS McColl on display solutions for behind the till. We’ve come up with branded displays that are highly visible and really stand out. Consumers forget they need batteries – they put them in their appliance then forget about them – so they need to see them in store to remind them to buy.” Then there’s pricing, and as we hit the peak battery-buying period in the run up to Christmas we can expect loads of price promotions in the grocery multiples. Duracell’s France reckons these promotions don’t devalue the category as purchases are incremental and there can be an uplift of seven or eight times normal sales. But Varta’s Armitage advises: “Do stock the multipacks and have special prices on them - but don’t give the batteries away. ”
● According to IRI/GFK data, the UK battery market is currently worth £316m ● Duracell has a 51.3% share of sales ● Rechargeables, specialist and lithium batteries aimed at high-drain devices are enjoying double-digit sales growth ● 25% of all battery purchases are made on impulse – 64% of those sales are prompted by in-store displays either on the main fixture or through promotions and incentives at checkouts or secondary sites ● On average, batteries are purchased only three to four times a year ● 65% of battery buyers keep stocks of batteries ready at home. The average stockholding is eight batteries ● 40% of all potential purchases are lost due to poor displays that create confusion ● Shoppers show low brand loyalty to batteries and are willing to switch brands. Source: IRI/GFK/TNS/PBSE
David Powell, Spar Tates, Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire “Christmas Day is our biggest for battery sales. We open from 10am to 2pm, but believe it or not I’ve seen people peering through the windows at 7am to see what time we open. At 10am we usually have 20 people waiting outside and most of them will want batteries. “We stock only Energizer. We’ve just had them on ‘buy one get one free’ and there are usually offers in the run up to Christmas. They’re always popular when they’re on offer.” Andrew Collier-Mays, Costcutter, Newport Village Stores, near Saffron Waldon, Essex “We were involved in the Shop Project earlier this year. Panasonic came in and sorted out our fixture. They suggested that we reposition the fixture in one, highly visible place behind the till and remove unrelated products such as razors. As a result, we saw an average weekly sales increase of 26% and total category profits up by 44%. But unfortunately since then we’ve been ram-raided and we’re in the process of putting the shop back together. The till area will be sorted shortly, in time for the Christmas rush. We sell three times more batteries in the run up to Christmas than during the rest of the year. We stick to Panasonic – people like the pricemarked packs – and also Duracell.”
● Don’t make the fixture too complicated ● Remember that five SKUs (AA, AAA, C, D and 9V) account for 90% of the market ● Make sure your range is visible ● Stock a comprehensive range of batteries in terms of price and performance ● Block by brand vertically and by size of cell horizontally ● Put lower-priced, lower-performance products on the left and higher-priced, higher-performance products on the right ● Remember 40% of sales occur between September and December. Source: Duracell/Energizer/Panasonic/Varta
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