Sports bars and stadiums have recently been welcoming back events at full capacity. That’s good news for operators.
Before COVID-19 sports bars were visited by 1 in 4 consumers and are an undeniably important On Premise channel. However, consumers were less likely to return to these channels in the early days of reopening, versus traditional food-led outlets, CGA Channel Strategy Research has found .
Fotball is by far the most popular sport for spectators in sports bars (71%), followed by basketball (40%) and baseball (40%), CGA found. Key events across the sporting calendar in partnership with alcoholic brands, or bucket deals could further grow audience levels in sports bars.
It is important to get consumers back into venues to remind them of the atmosphere gained from visiting sports bars versus staying at home. But offers will need to be sufficiently enticing to encourage that initial on-premise spend as consumers have gotten very used to shopping off-premise.
Who Watches What
Both UFC and boxing attract a younger audience, so sports bars should focus publicity for these events to this demographic and capture drinks brands which are perhaps more adventurous than the key beer brands more closely associated with football.
Those visiting for food-led occasions are more likely to watch baseball, reflecting the slower pace of play and presenting an opportunity to offering pairing deals for drinks and food in venues. Whereas drink-led offers are better positioned for those who are watching soccer and boxing.
The time sporting events take place impacts which sports bar offers and categories are best placed, the data suggests. Key dayparts in sports bars are the early evening (54%) and mid-afternoon (25%) as visitation is generally at its highest then. However, these are likely to intersect with different sports. Mid-afternoon sports could have the greatest opportunity for golf spectators, which caters to a different palate than early evening visitors who are more commonly watching football or basketball.
When looking specifically at takeout/delivery from sports bars, UFC and boxing are focus areas for promotions. Cocktail sports bar drinkers are also much more likely to order (20%) or consider ordering (30%) takeout/ delivery from a sports bar. Having suitable cocktail options for delivery is a key sales pitch and could prove a successful way to encourage purchase.
Mobile sports betting leverage spend and visitation
CGA recently delved into using sports betting and found 70% of On Premise visitors would be likely to order more drinks if they are watching a sports event they bet on versus one they did not. Future changes to legislation should be mobilized where possible to combine drinks offers and develop a more sustained visit.
Andrew Hummel, Client Solutions Manager – Americas, points out that “Beer is currently the dominant drink category within Sports Bars, however, the popularity of mobile sports betting creates more celebratory occasions which are correlated to spirit and shot consumption. The combination of bettors’ higher propensity to spend and introduction of new celebratory occasions results in a huge opportunity for spirit suppliers and operators alike.”