Stop guessing, start listening - lessons from retail and hospitality leaders
This week, Press Box partnered with Bombe, the AI-powered audience and targeting platform that predicts customer revenue and behaviour, to bring together retail and hospitality leaders for a breakfast series with one shared question: who are your customers, really? And what outdated assumptions about them might be holding you back?
We unboxed what this meant for food and drink businesses across retail and hospitality, and how media and PR can leverage data to capture audiences more effectively.
Retail realities
Chaired by former managing editor of The Grocer, Emma Weinbren, the retail panel highlighted a vital lesson: brands can easily hold themselves back by making assumptions about who their audience really is.
John Logue, founder of CHANCE Clean Cider, said that the majority of no and low alcohol consumers were not teetotal; “We’re not speaking to a sober audience, we are speaking to everyone, so modernising your offering is key to ensure you’re not isolating anyone. You’ll find that those drinking alcohol free beer might have three alcoholic pints, but the last one is non-alcoholic.”
Louis Bedwell, commercial strategy advisor for food businesses, said: “A mistake a lot of early brands make is going on demographics and who they want to be seen targeting, rather than who they should be targeting based on behaviour.”
Bry Tinn-Disbury, Partnerships Director at Bombe, agreed, noting the rapid shifts in consumer spending: "Consumer behaviour has changed due to tightening budgets, and many have shifted just in the last 12 months. Understanding how they are behaving on a daily and weekly basis is now a necessity."
Ultimately, the panel’s insights revealed that to cut through a crowded market, PR and communications must move away from rigid audience profiles and pre-conceived ideas, and instead apply real-world thinking. By crafting inclusive strategies that remain flexible, brands can ensure their message stays relevant, relatable and reactive to how people are actually spending their money.
Honing in on hospitality
Experience was the word of the day for the hospitality breakfast, serving as a running theme throughout the morning.
On the panel moderated by Sam Ette, Head of Communications at UKHospitality, pub owner and Major Event Director James Fitzgerald shared that while the current hospitality scene is undeniably challenging, his business prepared for it by doubling down on the guest experience. "As a pub owner, I put a huge emphasis on the experience our customers have," Fitzgerald explained. "For example, we introduced a wings night. It’s just a simple, low-cost initiative, but it has made a massive difference to our footfall."
Olivier Lavigne du Cadet, Co-Founder of Insight Hospitality, pointed out that many hospitality brands are constantly seeking new customers while leaving their current customers behind. He commented, “It can be as simple as asking their opinion on the wine and offering free samples; these are the special touches that retain customers and show them they are valued.”
The panel also tackled the ‘TikTok effect’ on venues. According to Mike Joslin, Co-Founder of Bombe, viral fame can be a double-edged sword. "Many venues are isolating their core customer by peaking too soon," Joslin argued, explaining that huge hype can lead to long queues and bad reviews, which ultimately scare off the local clientele.
Lauren Peters, Head of Retail and Hospitality at Press Box PR, agreed, emphasising that businesses need to look closely at the mindsets of their target consumers, not broad demographic labels when planning comms strategies. “I’m a mum, but that isn’t all I am. I care about other things, so I don’t need to solely be targeted via topics such as childcare or kids' activities. The same goes for the channels I use; I’m not on TikTok, and I prefer long-form content, so a viral video won't have the same effect on my purchasing decisions as an article in a newspaper.”
The overarching takeaway from both panels is simple: stop guessing and start listening. Success in the current market requires a deeper, mindset-led and behaviour-driven understanding of your audience, combined with a PR strategy that values substance over short-lived trends and outdated assumptions.
Want to dive deeper into the data or learn how to align your PR strategy with your true customer behaviour? Contact Lauren.peters@pressboxpr.co.uk today.
