The Challenge
Scaling POS Infrastructure to Match Rapid Brand Growth
LALO Tequila engaged The MRL Group to overhaul its approach to point of sale during a critical inflection point in the brand’s growth trajectory. Experiencing exponential expansion across retail and on-premise channels, the brand had outgrown its legacy POS management model.
While LALO’s existing approach had supported early growth, continued expansion required:
- A more scalable POS ordering and fulfillment system
- Improved forecasting and inventory visibility
- More proactive creative design and ideation to support development of POS toolkits
- More dependable delivery timelines to support national account execution
- A single, unified technology platform to connect creative, operations, and analytics
Without modernization, inefficiencies in POS development, POS mix optimization, and fulfillment risked limiting the brand’s ability to fully capitalize on its growing dollar share and secure the share of display its performance warranted.
This case study demonstrates how technology-enabled POS management, integrated analytics, and operational expertise can help high-growth alcohol brands unlock efficiency and accelerate performance.
MRL Action Plan
SmartBuy™, An End-to-End POS Ordering and Analytics Platform
The MRL Group onboarded LALO Tequila into its SmartBuy™ technology ecosystem, a proprietary platform designed to centralize and streamline POS operations from concept through fulfillment.
Through SmartBuy™, the LALO Tequila team gained:
- Clear visibility into what POS assets sales teams were ordering and when
- Data-driven insight into which POS tools were gaining the most traction, enabling tighter forecasting
- Identification of gaps in POS toolkits, allowing for nimble, real-time adjustments
- Real-time fulfillment pipeline visibility, improving delivery predictability — critical for securing placement in large national retail accounts
Once onboarded, the MRL Creative Services team partnered with the LALO Tequila team to ideate on and develop a comprehensive suite of elevated POS assets, including:
- Custom retail displays
- On-premise merchandising solutions
- Branded merchandise and promotional items
- Print and signage tailored to multiple sales channels
All assets were fully integrated into the SmartBuy™ platform, enabling seamless consolidated ordering, warehousing, and nationwide fulfillment.
The Results
Cost Savings, Scalability, and Smarter POS Decision-Making
Using SmartBuy™-enabled analytics, The MRL Group’s client services team delivered strategic recommendations that unlocked meaningful efficiencies and long-term scalability.
Key outcomes included:
- A shift toward evergreen, always-on POS assets, reducing costly program churn and supporting longer-tail in-market deployment
- Targeted merchandising recommendations aligned to evolving channel strategies
- Scalable POS solutions designed to grow alongside the brand, eliminating the need for repeated system overhauls
By centralizing POS operations within a single, data-driven platform, LALO Tequila gained the operational foundation needed to support continued national expansion, while empowering sales teams with the tools, visibility, and reliability required to execute at scale. LALO Tequila’s rapid national expansion successfully positioned the brand to be acquired by Tito’s Vodka in 2025.
Looking to Scale Your POS Operations Without Slowing Growth?
The MRL Group helps alcohol and beverage brands modernize point-of-sale ordering and fulfillment, gain real-time visibility and analytics, reduce costs while improving execution and scale seamlessly across retail and on-premise channels.