If beverage-customers can't find their preferred product, they won't make a purchase

Twenty-three percent of beverage consumers won't substitute another product if they can't find the product they want – an American survey points out."That number scares me.", said Bruce Miner, director of category management for Dr Pepper Snapple Group, during CSP's Cold Vault Summit in Las Vegas. The truth is that consumer's likelihood to leave a store without making a purchase if their preferred drink is hard to find or out of stock may just reflect a growing trend toward planning for shopping trips. And yes, it is indeed part of a growing trend as more and more consumers plan for shopping trips before leaving the house for the store or choosing not to buy at all. Gina Bingham, senior category manager of convenience and grocery for Pepsi-Cola North America, Purchase, N.Y., said energy drinks bring in some of the most fickle cold-vault customers. "They have the highest walk-away rate at 13%," she said, citing Pepsi's Cooler Study 2008. "The energy consumer has already made the purchase decision before going to the store." Further data provided by Plano, Texas-based Dr Pepper Snapple Group shows 77% of c-store beverage shoppers would substitute a product if their choice were missing, 15% would go to another store, and 8% would delay the purchase or note make a purchase at all.