How Harbin Beer rewrote the rules of product placement

So what exactly is the hack? Well, through smart design, Harbin Beer developed a custom-design refrigerator hack with a raised zig-zag-shaped rack to insert in beer fridges— echoing the form of Harbin Beer’s iconic ice mountain logo.

 

Using a smart spring-loaded system, the hack’s mechanism automatically pushes cold beers forward as one is taken from the back. This ensures that the next cold beer is always within reach. To remain intuitive and flexible to various types of fridges across the shops, the rack was designed in left- and right-opening versions which allows seamless integration across stores. Best of all, shop owners received the racks for free—on one condition: stock Harbin Beer in the back row.

 

The Back Rack Hack effectively aims to solve a dual set of challenges. Firstly, beers at the back of the fridge are difficult to reach as customers often have to squeeze their hands through the existing front-row beers or remove the front-row beers altogether to safely reach the back without knocking over any bottles. The second challenge was that beers at the back are naturally less visible and can be easily overlooked.  

 

This micro-innovation reflects Harbin Beer’s attention to detail when it comes to user behaviour. For consumers, this small adjustment provided by the rack makes it easier to reach back-row beers and they’re guaranteed an ice-cold beer—improving the ‘last meter’ of the freezer journey. Meanwhile, for shop owners, the elevated convenience of consumers meets purchasing needs, naturally driving up sales. Altogether, the Back Rack Hack is an invention that can provide as a reference for freezer display and beer terminal operations—ultimately injecting inspiration into offline retail and shelf optimisation.

 

Harbin Beer rolled out The Back Rack Hack across many stores in Southern Chinese towns, supported by fridge exterior branding featuring bold, eye-catching visuals to highlight the easy-to-reach beers inside. The brand also released posters and signage to reinforce the ‘It’s Cooler at the Back’ messaging. To build buzz, social and on-site activations were also held to invite customers to test the temperature difference themselves and to spark word-of-mouth excitement. In the end, it was the fusion of smart design, sharp consumer insight, and bold execution that turned a fridge tweak into a brand-defining idea.

 

The campaign delivered a double-digit increase in year-on-year sales in partner stores as well as fridge engagement or foot traffic. This is a major milestone for a brand that draws most of its business from small street shops. Overall, Harbin Beer achieved stronger brand recall and favourability and remained top-of-mind for consumers looking for a cold, refreshing beer on a hot day.

 

The Back Rack Hack stands as a sharp reminder that great design, when grounded in original insight, can outsmart convention and deliver serious business results. Looking ahead, Harbin Beer remains committed to putting consumer experience at the heart of its strategy. The brand will continue to explore scenario-led innovation—embedding itself in real consumption moments and crafting even more intuitive, refreshing experiences for drinkers. From shelf hacks to smarter sips, Harbin Beer aims to ensure that every interaction with the brand is as crisp and memorable as the beer itself.