From the doppelbock to the bratwurst to the lederhosen, who doesn’t love a good Oktoberfest celebration. But as a brewery team, you need to ensure that your special event is also a money maker for your business.
For craft breweries aiming to harness the spirit of Oktoberfest, understanding sales dynamics during these events is crucial. This article dives into how modern analytics can help breweries optimize sales for Oktoberfest-inspired events.
Analyzing Sales for Oktoberfest Events
When hosting an Oktoberfest-themed celebration, it's vital to gauge its success through sales. Here's a roadmap:
1. Gather Detailed Sales Data: Begin by collecting comprehensive sales data from the Oktoberfest event day using your POS system. This should include transactions level detail to get to total sales, hourly sales, and sales segmented by individual beer types or merchandise.
2. Benchmark Against Typical Sales: Oktoberfest is likely to be a significant sales driver. To truly assess its impact, compare the event day sales with a standard sales day, ideally from the same day of the week.
3. Evaluate Oktoberfest Specials: Many breweries release Oktoberfest-themed beers or merchandise. Analyze which of these specials were top sellers and which underperformed.
In our example of an Oktoberfest dashboard we can see that most of the highest sellers were related to our special Oktoberfest offerings and they made up 44% of our total demand for the day.
Pinpointing Top Sellers
To ensure every Oktoberfest event is a smashing success, knowing your top sellers is imperative:
1. Itemized Sales Overview: Examine sales data at an itemized level, focusing on individual Oktoberfest brews or themed merchandise to identify stars of the show.
2. Historical Sales Comparison: If the brewery has hosted Oktoberfest events in the past, overlay current sales data with historical figures. This can reveal whether certain Oktoberfest brews maintain their popularity over the years.
In our example, we can see that Oktoberfest events are often the most popular event of the year. And this year was almost double the volume of a normal Saturday.
Informing Future Oktoberfest Celebrations
Armed with sales insights, craft breweries can fine-tune their Oktoberfest strategies:
1. Inventory Adjustments: If specific Oktoberfest beers consistently emerge as crowd favorites, it's prudent to ramp up their production and inventory for future events.
2. Staff Planning: Tailor marketing campaigns based on sales data. Emphasize proven top sellers in promotional materials and perhaps offer discounts or bundles for slower-moving Oktoberfest items to spur sales.
3. Feedback Integration: Oktoberfest is as much about the ambiance as it is about the beer. Utilizing feedback tools or post-event surveys can provide insights that go beyond sales, helping to shape a more enjoyable Oktoberfest experience.
Back to our example dashboard, we can see how demand was very high in the afternoon, often 2-3 times our normal rate. With this info, we’ll be able to ensure appropriate staffing levels for next year’s event.
Wrap Up
Oktoberfest-inspired events offer craft breweries a golden opportunity to immerse patrons in a rich tradition while driving sales. By integrating modern analytics into the preparation and post-event analysis, breweries can refine their strategies, ensuring that each Oktoberfest is not only a joyous celebration but also a business triumph. Prost!
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