Wanna bet who sells the most?

(the In-Store Challenge)
Thank you for helping me to win this bet.
As you know, the goal is to show that, even if you think you’re already doing the best for retail sales, the results can be better.
Se vuoi sapere da dove è partito tutto, leggi QUI

… Today I want to drag you into a challenge.
Actually, it’s not a competition between us.
The challenge is all mine, but I need your valuable help to win it.
It all started a few days ago during the conversation with a dear friend of mine, who, like me, deals with Visual Merchandising and product display.
We both absolutely agree on the great usefulness of these tools.
But he is convinced that all displays are the same, but I absolutely not.
In the way that, for him, it is enough placing “off-shelf” a product to obtain certain results, for me, however, given the extreme competitiveness of current markets, it is not enough at all.
And not for my assumption, but the evidence of the facts. And in any case, if it were so, all companies that are using displays would have no problems. Weather in terms of sales and, more generally, of distribution management.
But I don’t think so.
When I showed him the testimonies of my customers, he immediately objected that the result was not due to the sales system used, but to other factors, such as market trends, product quality and so on.
In short, according to him, the quality of a product and the good health of a marketplace, are alone themselves a guarantee of success in sales.
They are certainly critical factors, but what my friend doesn’t take into account is that there are thousands of competitors struggling to share the same slice of the market. And the risk of being dragged into the price battle is very high (for some, almost inevitable…).
At this point, as they say, I threw the gauntlet to him: I’ll show you that in a saturated and crowded market,and they are mostly all nowadays,not all sales approaches bring positive results. And in any case, there are new approaches that work much better than others.
That’s why I need you now.
I’m selecting companies to offer them a “Test Drive” package of my sales system, the More Sales with No Hassles methodology, to work alongside the tools they are already using to promote retail sales.
In a nutshell, I want to demonstrate with facts that even though your industry is challenging and full of competitors, the More Sales with No Hassles system gives more results than what you are using now.
Either in terms of sales and cost optimization, till to retailer and end-customer satisfaction.
Obviously, the package is almost free of charge and without any commitment. The only effort I’m asking you is to give me the necessary information to design the right tool for you and, after the test, to provide me with the required feedback. I say almost free because, for obvious accounting reasons, a transaction, even if minimal, must be there. But believe me, it’s pretty much the cost of a good pizza.
You’re now wondering: and what’s in it for me?
Well, first of all, you have the chance to check, substantially for free, whether your retail system can actually be significantly improved, both in terms of revenues and costs (…but not only).
Second you’ll have a powerful sales tool at your disposal – Polypro dispaly stands, already used by more than 500 companies around the world with excellent results. And, at worse, you will have sold a little more and improved the perception of your products and your company in the eyes of your customers.
Moreover, if you decide to adopt this system definitely, you will have the possibility to do it under much more advantageous conditions than the standard ones.
All this will cost you practically nothing and will not involve any future commitment from you and your company (if not of that, as I told you, to give me your valuable feedback).
All the material that will be delivered to you will remain yours, and you can use it where, if and when you wish.
In a nutshell, what I want to demonstrate is that, although your company is in a competitive and challenging market, it is undoubtedly possible to free yourself from the grip of competitors and improve the efficiency of the distribution of your products.

Before we go into the specifics of how this bet is made, let me clarify what I mean by “better results”, which in itself would mean everything and nothing.
A first improvement is certainly in the economic area.
Improving sales undoubtedly means increasing the number of final sales – not just sell-in – and preserving sales margins.
But it is also to optimizing – and if possible reducing – all the costs associated with the distribution of your products.
In other words, increase the R.O.I of your sales campaigns, that is, in simple words, how much you have earned in the face of how much you have spent.
The improvement, however, is not only in the economic/commercial sphere, but also other assets that, although intangible, are just as important.
These assets are related to the perception of your products and your company, not only in the eyes of end-consumers, but also of retailers,and in general, of all players in the supply chain.
First of all, today more than ever it is necessary to “inculcate” in the consumers’ minds the qualitative and differentiating aspects of your products.
It is evident that the more you succeed in this intent, the more people who prefer to buy from your company.
Another important aspect of improvement is definitely customer satisfaction.
I am not referring in this case to the end-costumers that consume your products, but to those who resell them.
Aside from affordability, a retailer decides to sell your products in other ways as well.
For example, the ease of working with you, your punctuality, your service and, not least, your support to the sales.
This last point is becoming to be more and more relevant, since today, in an ultra-competitive market – the sales war is won by marketing, not with the characteristics of the products.
Finally, the improvement also applies to the internal staff of your company.
Not only from the point of view of wasting time in non-productive activities but also on the guarantee of spending well and safely the company’s money.
These are the elements on which this challenge will be posed.
So here are the practical details.
As I anticipated in the invitation message, the challenge is to compete your current product display with those of the More Sales system with No Hassles.
You will receive 25 stands to send to your retailers, replacing the ones you are already using or even better to join them.
The goal is to make it easy to verify the total sales units of each one, preferably counted in the same period of time and at the same point of sale.

The Challenger

The comparison is made exclusively between floor displays – with shelves or with hooks – not therefore between counter displays.
The displays that will be provided to you are extrapolated from the Polypro Universal Models catalogue and adapted as much as possible to the characteristics of those you are already using.
For this reason, I will ask you to send me a photo of your stand and any other information necessary to design the new one.
Once we have finished the project and received your approval, you will receive the die-cut template to make the graphics design.
As for printing, the printed parts will be all the external surfaces, except the back of the display.
The base colour of the display can be either white or black.
In summary, in order to develop your project, you need communicate to us essentially this data:
  1. number of shelves
  2. shelves sizes
  3. weight on each shelf
  4. type of print finish (gloss or matte).
  5. other information you need.
Once ready you will receive the 25 pieces to start the test.
If you are resident in a European Community country, shipment will be for free. Otherwise, you will have to pay for transport costs.
For accounting reasons, each display will cost 1 euro, for a total of 25.00 euros.
The amount you will have to pay when you accept your application.

How to participate

To participate in this challenge, as already mentioned, you must already use floor standing display units.
You can’t participate if you don’t already have at least one stand in your sales strategy.
For this reason, you need to send us images of your current display.
Only manufacturers – or distributors – who sell/distribute their products in no less than 50 stores can participate in the bet.
Finally, you must have a system for tracking sales.
Of course, each participant must commit to giving feedback on the progress of the challenge (see better the feedback chapter).
The challenge will last about 3 months, enough time to have statistically reliable data.

The Feedback

As mentioned, the purpose of this challenge is to receive your feedback, which is the proof in my favour – or against – of how things went.
The feedback will cover essentially 4 areas:
  • The salestrend.
  • The ease in logistics management.
  • Comments from your dealers, especially about practicality, endurance and visual impact of the stands.
  • Your general impressions of the More Sales with No Hassles system, how the situation was before using it, and what are the advantages and improvements you get.
Unfortunately, given the short period, it will also be difficult to accurately assess the reduction in costs due to the long life of these tools.
But since, at the end of the bet it will remain yours, so feel free to tell us, even after many months, how much you think you’d have saved for not having to continuously buy – and send – new displays to retailers.
Finally, I ask you the opportunity to disclose the results of this test and be allowed to publish on our marketing materials the details of this bet.
So, to recap:
Step 1: Request to participate in the challenge (form below).
Step 2: Admission.
Step 3: Release technical information for the new FSDU.
Step 4: Approve the new project.
Step 5: Production and sending of new stands.
Step 6: Test period.
Step 7: Feedback.
I hope that the information will be sufficiently clear, in case of any doubt or further clarification, write to me directly to giuseppe.tripodi@polypro.it

APPLICATION TO PARTICIPATE IN THE IN-STORE CHALLENGE