NEWS FEATURE
10 ASIAN TRADER 21 MARCH 2025
heatre-style experiences, branded
merchandise and grand props – promo-
tional activations in convenience stores
are increasingly becoming more immersive
and spectacular. At the same time, recognis-
ing the importance of building close relation-
ships with communities, brands are increas-
ingly choosing local stores for new product
launches.
NPD launches in c-store are no longer just
about allotting shelf space; they have now
evolved into multisensory experiences. With
branded POS, window displays, posters,
bollard covers, free samples, merchandise and
themed props, local stores are being trans-
formed into event spaces for maximum
impact.
Interestingly, this is an arrangement
where everyone involved benefits. Stores
hosting activations see an influx of custom-
ers, while brands successfully generate the
buzz they need.
According to seasoned retailer Bobby Singh
in West Yorkshire, immersive
activations do more than boost
footfall and incremental sales;
they also create demand by
making new products more
familiar to consumers.
“When my customer tries
something new and loves it, I
make sure to stock that line. I
really feel this is the correct
method for creating demand,” he
says
BB Nevison Superstore in Pontefract is one
of the brand-favourite stores for activations,
promotions and takeovers. Back-to-back
campaigns, free gifts and ever-changing
eye-catching POS keep the store buzzing with
a “theatre-like” feel.
Hosting such activities regularly has made
BB Superstore a destination store.
“Since we actively market the activation
on our social media channels too, we see
people coming from faraway places. Some are
actually traveling miles to see what’s
happening in the store,” he adds.
C-channel power
In-store activations in local stores are proving
to be more efective.
Singh strongly feels that NPD launch
In-store activations are not only becoming
grander, says Pooja Shrivastava, but
brands are also increasingly choosing
convenience stores for creating buzz
while shelf-talkers, floor
liners, and attractive POS
turned the stores into
experience zones.
The activation also
included spin-to-win
wheels and a host of prizes.
This purple-themed immersive branding
was seen in stores across the country,
including BB Nevison Superstore, One Stop
Carlton, Nisa Broadway Oldham, Woosnam
and Davies News in Wales, Londis Bexley
Park in Dartford, and Go Local Extra Belle
Vue in Middlesbrough.
The combination of interactive displays,
spin-to-win prizes, and social media
promotion, both from retailers and the
brand, resulted in record footfall.
In a sleepy Northamptonshire village,
the Doritos Dinamita activation turned out
to be nothing less than a mini festival.
Since this was the first activation of any
sort in Kislingbury Village Store, the
community was overjoyed.
Retailer Vidur Pandya said, “The whole
set of activities, be it spin-the-wheel or free
branded merchandise to be won, brought in
customers even from neighbouring villages
who normally don’t shop at our store.
“Since the NPD launch is exclusive to the
convenience sector, we also got to boast to
customers that you are not going to find this
range in the supermarkets.”
Elsewhere, in Fenstanton village in
Cambridgeshire, retailer Amit Puntam-
bekar reported selling 100 Doritos Dina-
mita bags in just a week from his store Ash’s
Shop Nisa Local.
Puntambekar attributed the sales to the
success of in-store activation, particularly
bespoke POS and the “spin to win” game for
shoppers.
Explaining why PepsiCo chose conveni-
ence for this launch, Ed Merrett, Whole-
saler Controller at PepsiCo, told Asian Trader,
Winds of Change
activations are more impactful in local stores
than at bigger giants as c-stores engage
shoppers more efectively.
“We are close-knit with the community.
We don’t just talk superficially but we have
known them for years. So
when we say something,
they tend to listen and
engage with us actively.
“We create a ripple
efect in the community.
That’s something big
supermarkets simply can’t
replicate,” he says.
One Stop Carlton in Manchester is
another store that hosts almost one
activation per week.
Retailer Priyesh Vekaria believes
immersive in-store activations can “stop
consumers in their tracks,” disrupt their
mindset, and persuade them to buy things
that weren’t on their shopping lists.
Vekaria echoes Singh’s thoughts on how
the impact of promotions and
activation gets amplified in
convenience store set-up.
“Wholesale activations look
great and impressive due to their
sheer size. However, they only
end up encouraging a retailer like
me to buy some stock and not the
end-users.
“Our engagement, however,
showcases products directly to
the customers,” says Vekaria.
Even if a product is launched and
marketed through other channels, such as
TV ads, there is no real engagement with
end-users, he says, stressing that true
engagement happens in convenience
stores.
The Dinamita Activation
Retailers’ sentiments are reflecting in
market trends.
Skipping supermarkets, PepsiCo chose
to launch its new product, Doritos Dina-
mita, directly in the convenience channel
this February.
Under the massive in-store activation,
participating stores were taken over by the
brand for a complete makeover. Bespoke
branded vinyl was covered on the windows
Priyesh Vekaria