Blendtec in-store demonstrations

Client: Blendtec | Date Started: July 2015 | Skills: Demonstration, Training

As a new supplier to Costco Wholesale in the UK, Blendtec needed to quickly deliver success. WDS (Fizz’s partner brand operating in Costco) was tasked with providing a national team of brand ambassadors across 12 locations, to deliver 4 days of activity per store, per month and maximise the brand’s ROI.

Objectives:

To create interest in the brand and educate shoppers on the key features and benefits.
To demonstrate and actively sell the product.
To differentiate Blendtec from competitor products.
To secure long term listings with retailer in the UK.
To create theatre and excitement around the brand.

Our solution

Fizz was required to plan, manage and implement an ongoing programme of in-store sales and demonstration activity for Blendtec’s ‘Total Blender Wildside’ product. As a USA business with little UK resource, the brand needed Fizz’s local expertise to mange this on its behalf.

Although well placed to deliver the activity (having worked with Costco for 25 years), the product nature, brand ethos and challenges of a wholesale retail environment meant that a fresh approach was needed. In particular, the detailed preparation of our brand ambassadors together with an impactful in-store demonstration was vital in delivering the service and results required. Key elements were:

Brand ambassador selection and training. Candidates were profiled against experience and performance followed by a 2 day off-site training programme delivered by Blendtec and Fizz (see ‘People’ below).
The demonstration. Additional presentation and audio equipment deployed to ensure stand-out in a warehouse environment.
Field management. Ongoing performance to monitor performance, identify gaps and maximise ROI. This included mystery shops, on-site supervision, regular store visits by Fizz field managers and site visits from Blendtec’s own staff.
Sales & incentives. Additional measure put in place to measure and reward performance excellence.
Reporting & account management. Single Fizz contact established as main point-of-contact providing weekly reporting and feedback.

People

Key to the success of the activity was the selection and then equipping the brand ambassador team with detailed knowledge and first-hand experience of the Blendtec product. This was achieved by investing in numerous initiatives:

Candidates profiled to identify those with relevant experience and strongest sales experience.
2 day off-site training delivered by Blendtec/Fizz personnel allowing best practice to be passed on and individual abilities to be assessed (see images below).
Brand ambassadors provided with their own Blendtec for personal use – extending hands-on time before activity commenced in order to fine-tune demonstration technique.
Online resources used to provide easy access to training material; allowing brand ambassadors to quickly refresh knowledge and check understanding. These focus on set-up, demo technique and take-down.

Results

Fizz worked extremely closely with Blendtec to deliver a campaign that met the client’s objectives. This was achieved by ensuring Fizz brand ambassadors received the passion and product expertise first-hand from Blendtec. These skills were then combined with our operational expertise of working with Costco for over two decades to deliver a highly effective, well managed campaign that delivered a return on investment of £3.21 for every £1 invested (based on ex.vat retail sales).