From Deals to Delivery—The New Face of High Performance in Alcoholic Beverages

Industry players face numerous challenges today—intense competition, sluggish global growth, uncertain economic and regulatory environment, an increasingly demanding consumer who is extremely price and health-conscious, and constantly shifting brand loyalties.

Our research shows that the high performers in this industry are no longer just serial acquirers, but focus on mastering the art of excellent execution and developing integrated operating models. This helps them stay ahead in the league, move beyond the beer and spirits peer group, and measure themselves against the best global consumer goods companies.

Accenture research shows that to chart the route to high performance in the alcoholic beverages industry, companies must:

• Build and maintain a deep understanding of local markets, and combine it with a focused approach to meet consumer expectations.

• Use analytical insights to understand consumer needs better and translate them swiftly into profitable brand innovations.

• Build brands that consumers can readily identify with.

• Leverage digital and especially social media to promote brand innovations, which requires gathering valuable information about consumer preferences to deliver relevant marketing messages.

• Share information about consumer and sales trends with targeted retail outlets and distributors, and build strategic partnerships that give them near real-time point-of-sale data.

• Develop a robust sales organization and performance management strategy that is completely aligned with the organization’s performance goals.

• Develop flexible, agile and low-cost operations for excellent execution and growth.

• Reinvest savings in new products and processes, especially in marketing.

Leading alcoholic beverages companies fully recognize the importance of maximizing economies of scale, in local markets and globally. High performers steadily integrate their business services across regions and reap significant rewards in terms of efficiency, operational agility, growth and profitability.