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5 Essential Inventory Metrics Every Liquor Store Should Track
You know a baseball player is strong if they have a high batting average. You know a stock is a strong buy if it has a good price-to-earnings ratio.
Premium mixers can change the game for an independent liquor store.
As more customers invest in craft cocktails at home, they look for quality ingredients to make their drinks taste like they came from a high-end bar. Most liquor stores carry the same core selection of spirits, but not every retailer devotes time and attention to curating their mixers. That’s your opportunity.
While big-box stores treat mixers as an afterthought, you can position yourself as the expert curator. Choosing the right premium mixers and promoting liquor store products effectively builds customer loyalty and sets your store apart from the competition.
Let's break down exactly how to select premium mixers that sell and promote them in ways that drive real revenue for your business.
Let’s start by defining premium mixers — what makes a mixer “premium”?
A premium mixer has high-quality ingredients rather than artificial flavoring. Think: natural fruit juices, extracts, and quality carbonation. Customers looking for these products can tell the difference between real ginger and ginger flavoring, and they’re willing to pay for it.
Premium mixers give you higher profit margins and the opportunity to establish your store as the go-to destination for quality cocktail ingredients. Plus, they open the door for conversations with customers looking for the right ingredients for a specific cocktail, helping you build stronger customer loyalty.
Your best customers already invest in craft spirits and experiment with cocktails at home. Premium mixers fit perfectly into this trend, giving you a simple way to grow basket sizes while positioning yourself as the expert who knows what works.
The key is to choose the right mixers for your customers and promote them effectively. Let's break down how to do both.
Tip #1: Stock Mixers That Complement Your Bestselling Spirits
It’s not realistic to plan to stock every premium mixer on the market. Instead, you want to choose which mixers to stock based on your sales data. Check your point of sale (POS) data to identify your bestselling spirits. Then, build your mixer selection around those winners.
Use a modern POS system, like Bottle POS, for even better results. Bottle POS has an auto ranking feature that lets you see at a glance which spirits earn an A, B, C, or D grade based on your actual sales patterns.
Start with eight to 10 premium mixers that pair naturally with your top five spirit categories, and expand from there based on what moves.
Tip #2: Prioritize Quality Ingredients Over Price Point
The key to your new strategy of investing in premium mixers is to stock mixers you would actually recommend or use yourself, not just whatever has the lowest wholesale price.
When evaluating premium mixers, read the ingredient list. Real fruit juice beats concentrate every time. Natural flavors and cane sugar are signs of quality, while high-fructose corn syrup and artificial additives are red flags.
Many small-batch and artisanal mixers offer better margins than mass-market brands while delivering the quality your customers want.
Tip #3: Create Attractive Displays and Cross-Merchandising
Premium mixers don't belong hidden away in a lonely aisle. Instead, shelve them next to the spirits they complement.
Cross-merchandising is one of the easiest ways to boost sales without spending a dime on advertising. Place your premium ginger beer next to quality vodka and rum for instant Moscow mule inspiration or position your new tonic alongside your craft gin selection.
You can add shelf talkers or recipe cards to help customers see exactly how they can use these new products to create great cocktails at home. You also want to rotate these retail store displays seasonally to take advantage of different sales trends throughout the year.
Tip #4: Use In-Store Tastings and Demos
There's no better way to sell premium mixers than by letting customers taste the difference.
Host tasting events where people can sample mixers or cocktails (or alcohol-free mocktails, if you want to showcase the mixers on their own). You don't need to set up an elaborate event to make this work. Even basic samples on a Saturday afternoon can drive significant sales.
You can also reach out to mixer brands for co-promotional opportunities. Many premium mixer companies will give samples, provide marketing materials, or even send brand ambassadors to your store for events.
Related Read: 7 Liquor Store Promotion Ideas That Actually Work
You can stock the best mixers in the world, but you won’t make sales if your customers don’t know about them. Use your POS system’s built-in SMS marketing features to end targeted messages and promotions to the right audience.
Segment your audience based on past purchases and use your marketing tools to reach the right customers with the right offers. Customers who routinely purchase tequila are great candidates for a message about your new agave syrup, for example.
Share cocktail recipes featuring products you stock, giving customers a reason to buy both the spirit and the mixer. Social media is perfect for this kind of content. Create short videos showing how to make a perfect Ton Collins or explaining why real ingredients matter to engage and educate your audience.
Finally, make it ridiculously easy for customers to say yes. Premade cocktail bundles remove all the guesswork and boost average basket size. These kits are perfect for gifts, special occasions, and customers who want to try something new without the research.
Instead of trying to track everything in your bundles manually, use an advanced point of sale system like Bottle POS to create and track product bundles. This approach makes it easier to keep track of your inventory and give you the data you need to identify which bundles perform best over time.
Integrate this tip with tip number five, promoting your convenient cocktail bundles on social media and through targeted customer outreach.
Related Read: Increase Sales With These 5 Liquor Store Promotional Items
Premium mixers can give independent liquor stores a real competitive advantage. By choosing the right products and promoting them effectively, you offer a curated selection, expert guidance, and the kind of personalized service that builds lasting customer relationships.
The six strategies in this post can help you grow your business using premium mixers, but they only work when you have the right tools backing you up. That's where Bottle POS makes the difference.
Our system helps you track exactly which mixers earn their shelf space, target the right customers with the right messaging through integrated SMS marketing, and manage bundled inventory without stress.
Ready to boost sales with premium mixers? Schedule a demo of Bottle POS today.
