No wonder why Sweden is the #1 import country of US Craft Beer: 300-years of peace, a strong and inspiring economy, cosmopolite folks… Like no other countries, Sweden has embraced craft beers from the US very rapidly, way before it became a trend in the rest of the world.
The speed in rolling out new product is also accountable to a unique system that rules the Swedish retail landscape: The SystemBolaget. With its 430x outlets and accounting for more than 20% of all import beers, the powerful monopoly SystemBolaget, is playing a central role in educating the Swedish consumers and staying ahead of the trends.
Funny enough the SystemBolaget is against alcohol! SystemBolaget main mission is neither to sell nor to promote … but to educate.
Through a tender system all brands (craft or mainstream) have equal chances to be listed in the monopoly. Only the best liquids that have passed the very strict tasting panels, are eligible for sales.
In each outlet, there are no fancy advertisings, no flashy banners, no giant displays, no eye-catching price-off, … all of these are forbidden.
Focus is on employee education. SystemBolaget’s employees receive intensive trainings and educational materials on the available products. They will never come to you to ask if you need any help, since their role is not to push sales. However you may be positively surprised by their level of knowledge of each product.
The Swedish retail model forces brand owners to redefine the way they promote brands and approach their consumers. If you wish to enter the Swedish market, throw 95% of your brand activation plan and re-focus on developing relevant educational materials.
Prior to the launch of SweetWater in September in Sweden, we had to review all visuals and artworks from the US. We let our distribution partner lead the discussions on how to best localize our marketing tools so that our “Where There is Water, There is SweetWater” campaign can still resonate by Swedish consumers while still remaining in full compliance with the Swedish alcohol legislation.
So, which side will you choose: educate or promote?