POS & Promotions
With brands increasingly looking to dominate specific shopping missions, it comes as no surprise to see some fantastic examples of occasion-led activations and standout in-store displays hitting the shelves. We are also sharing our thoughts on a new category currently sweeping the drinks aisle and challenging traditional consumer habits.
We captured some of the best promotions seen over the last month, including those using innovative technology and clever twists on entry mechanics to bring campaigns to life. Alongside some juicy insights that might just change the way you think about shoppers, please let us know if you have any questions about this month’s selected examples or need any additional information.
Have You Heard the Moo-s?
“ Something a bit different that brings the fun to this promotion. A ‘mooing’ golden ticket is an excellent way to get noticed in the asile and winners are already posting on social media with the novelty lids. Winners simply call a number and quote a unique code from the lid to claim. Great to see some innovation from Frijj!” – GC View
The Frijj ‘Hear a MOO!’ campaign is a clever, sensory twist on the classic golden ticket mechanic. Instead of a visual search for a hidden voucher, it uses an audible sound chip (triggered upon opening) to surprise shoppers. This turns the hunt for the ten £10,000 jackpot prizes into a highstakes exciting brand experience.
The Best of Both Worlds
“ An excellent way to cut through the noise in the world food aisle and dominate the shelf. The brand collaboration between Patak’s and Blue dragon not only simplifies the decision making process, it encourages basket expansion and premiumises the convenience meal-time approach with a vast range of options across both brands’ portfolio.” – GC View
Patak’s and Blue Dragon’s ‘Asian for Any Occasion’ and ‘Build your Banquet’ bay is a masterclass in cross-brand collaboration. By segmenting shelves into meal occasions and shopper missions like ‘Dine in for Two’ and ‘Grab a Side’, it simplifies the shop and drives trade-up. The dualbranded header creates a high-impact destination that captures a larger share of the dinner mission.
Raising the Bar at Home
” This Smirnoff bay takeover is a fantastic example of driving conversion across categories. The bold colours and ‘Explore a World Alive with Colour’ headline create instant impact, while placing spirits and mixers together helps shoppers elevate their at-home occasions. By providing easy recipes to follow, Smirnoff inspires everyone to become a home mixologist.” – GC View
Smirnoff’s ‘Explore a World Alive with Flavour’ bay drives conversion through education across the range. The top banner integrates a motion screen to capture eyes across the aisle, while shelf-edge recipes like ‘Peach Pulse’ provide genuine utility. This recipe-first approach encourages cross-category shopping and lowers the barrier to home mixology.
The King of Soft Drinks
“Cash and carry depots are traditionally highly functional spaces. By executing consumer-grade retail theatre in a B2B environment, Irn-Bru perfectly disrupts the independent retailer’s auto-pilot mission. This commanding physical presence secures unparalleled category authority, inspiring store owners to champion the brand back in their own shops.” – GC View
Irn-Bru’s massive castle display at Parfetts is a standout example of high-impact wholesale theatre. This unmissable fortress drives volume sales with an accompanying ‘Got the Girders to Win’ promo, offering a Scottish mini-break at every depot. By linking bulk purchases to its iconic heritage, the brand turns a trade visit into a memorable destination.
A Fiesta in Every Fajita
“Owning an event like Cinco de Mayo is a brilliant play for Old El Paso. By aligning their easy meal kits with a specific occasion, they’ve successfully secured incremental, off-fixture displays. This strategy commands attention, drives impulse sales, and capitalises on a moment where direct competitors are completely absent.” – GC View
Old El Paso is carving out a unique retail window by bringing Cinco de Mayo to UK aisles. By owning a holiday rooted in its Mexican heritage that is not yet targeted by competitors, the brand creates an ownable occasion. High-impact, colourful POS turn a routine shop into a cultural event, driving incremental sales through atmosphere.
A Fetching New Location
“The Nature’s Goodness activation shows exactly why this shift different categories is working on gondola ends. By combining high-visibility placement with a clear purpose-led message around the 10p Battersea donation, the promotion delivers strong shopper engagement while reinforcing brand values in a meaningful and commercially smart way.” – GC View
Since HFSS regulations restrictions came into place, we have been seeing different categories like pet care claim prime gondola ends. This Nature’s Goodness display uses that space to lead with purpose, highlighting a 10p donation to Battersea. It is a smart mix of high-visibility placement and value-driven shopper marketing.
Land £10,000 in Cash
“Cadbury consistently places strong emphasis on promotional activity, and this latest campaign is no exception. Running across multiple UK airports with a high-value cash prize, the activation is designed to maximise shopper engagement and visibility. The bold creative execution ensures strong standout within busy retail environments, helping to capture attention.” – GC View
This GTR exclusive promotion from Cadbury leverages the brand’s iconic heritage to target travellers. By requiring a £15 minimum spend to enter a £10,000 cash draw via QR receipt upload, the brand incentivises higher basket spend. This strategy effectively turns gifting and souvenir shopping into a high-stakes opportunity.
Lights, Camera, Action in the Aisle!
The Mandalorian & Grogu and The Devil Wears Prada 2 partnerships show how brands like Aero, Diet Coke, and Wotsits use cinematic IP to stand out in store. By launching limited-edition products and accompanying them with consumer promotions, they turn a standard purchase into a gateway for prizes. It is an effective way to borrow cultural relevance and drive short-term volume in crowded categories.
Turn Browsers into Winners
Suprême Nights
1664’ ‘Win a House Party Suprême’ promo uses onpack QR codes to drive weekly engagement. By offering party prizes, it positions the brand as the social choice for at-home drinking occasions.
Snack Jackpot
McVitie’s recent promo uses high-value £10k prizes and See Tickets vouchers to drive frequency. It successfully links a treat purchase to major life experiences, boosting relevance and visibility in the biscuit aisle.
Race Day Refresh
This Tesco-exclusive Schweppes promo targets the premium summer occasion. By offering exclusive Royal Ascot tickets, it incentivises trade-up to 1L bottles and multipacks during a key seasonal window.
Pot (Noodle) of Cash
Pot Noodle’s ‘Golden Ticket’ arch is unmissable theatre. It turns a quick purchase into a £30k treasure hunt, using oversized packs to grab attention at the and drive immediate volume through high-impact disruption.
Fruity AND Functional?
Hero brand Jubel has pioneered the fruit beer movement, paving the way for dedicated category bays now appearing in UK grocery. This newly defined space is diversifying as no-and-low brands like Lucky Saint and Heineken 0.0 enter with various fruity flavour blends. The innovation is even turning functional; Lucky Saint’s lime and sea salt lager includes electrolytes. This growing shelf space reflects a shift in consumer behaviour toward flavourforward, moderated drinking.
Food for thought…
Seasonal Sales
Shoppers remain cautious ahead of the summer months as seasonal offers increase to 26% of sales.
Nielsen NIQ
Functional Thirst
Nearly one in four (24%) people now say they look for benefits like added vitamins, minerals or fibre when deciding what to drink.
The Grocer
No, Low & Mid
40% of UK adults now choose mid-strength options more often than last year. This rises to 54% for 18-34s, signalling a major generational shift towards mindful drinking that brands must cater to in-store.
Ocado
Summer of Margs
M&S report a 50% year-onyear surge in tequila sales, with margaritas jumping 75%. Trading the classic G&T for premium, warm-weather serves shows the spirit is becoming a summer staple.
M&S
Impact of Q-Comm
Research reveals nearly half of consumers check prices online whilst shopping in physical stores. This highlights how q-commerce transparency is forcing traditional grocers to remain highly competitive.
Pricer
