Between April 2017 and March 2018 , the agency hosted more than 23 tastings per day at its stores across New Hampshire .
2018 Best Practices Awards
The NHLC held more than 23 tastings per day across its stores throughout the state .
BEST RETAIL INNOVATION New Hampshire Liquor Commission
Try Before You Buy
In the last year , the NHLC greatly expanded its free , in-store wine and spirit tastings , offering customers thousands of opportunities to sample new products before they buy . The agency offers more than 11,000 wines and spirits at its Liquor
BY JEREMY NEDELKA
& Wine Outlet stores , which serve 11 million customers per year .
“ We ’ re committed to offering customers a variety of educational opportunities ,” says Nicole Brassard-Jordan , the agency ’ s director of marketing , merchandising , warehousing and sales . “ Tasting events and seminars are well-attended and enjoyed by consumers .”
The NHLC runs a number of large-scale tasting events , including the Winter Wine Spectacular and the Distiller ’ s Showcase , both of which sell out weeks in advance and attract thousands of customers . The agency ’ s store in Nashua – at 33,000 square feet the largest liquor store in northern New England – contains a Learning Center with multimedia systems , wifi , wet bar and room for nearly 50 people . Often , sessions at the Learning Center are expanded due to high customer demand .
“ As we renovate and relocate Liquor & Wine Outlet locations , we ’ re always exploring the possibility of adding training spaces similar to the Learning Center in Nashua ,” Brassard-Jordan says . “ We have another store in Nashua with a full commercial kitchen as well , where we hold our In the Mix Kitchen Series .”
The culinary series features tastings from brokers and local
Between April 2017 and March 2018 , the agency hosted more than 23 tastings per day at its stores across New Hampshire .
restaurants , and will soon include cooking demonstrations with complementary wine and spirit tastings .
Between April 2017 and March 2018 , the agency hosted more than 23 tastings per day at its stores across New Hampshire . During busy holiday periods , that translated to more than 1,000 per month ( an exponential increase over the 100 tastings per month the NHLC held the year prior ). In a state of only 1.3 million residents , that ’ s a lot of tastings .
The NHLC tracks metrics associated with its in-store tastings , including daily sales , coupon redemptions and transactions during time periods tied to specific events .
“ As many in the industry will confirm , the ability to share product with consumers plays an important role in the customer ’ s purchasing decision ,” Brassard-Jordan says .
Broker partners rely on in-store tastings as a crucial tool for introducing new products to consumers in a casual setting , and promoting seasonal products . In-store events often coincide
22 StateWays | www . stateways . com | September / October 2018