Over 40 leading FMCG brands including Muller, GSK, Weetabix and Redbull have already signed up to an innovative new service that has been developed specifically to help FMCG marketers engage with symbol group convenience retailers more effectively on store by store basis in order to close gaps in distribution and drive sales growth.
CJ Contact Solutions
The official launch of the new Voice service by CJ Contact Solutions – a specialist division of leading in-store marketing company CJ Services – developed under an exclusive partnership agreement with Silverstone based retail data specialist SalesOut, follows several months of successful ‘live’ brand trials for within three of the UK’s leading symbol groups, Nisa, CostCutter and Londis.
Although primarily developed to support the needs of the brands, the launch of Voice is sure to bring secondary benefits to individual store managers – enabling them to more effectively manage volume, range and availability opportunities in-store.
Howard Becker, divisional director of CJ Contact Solutions said: “This is not only an important launch for CJ Contact Solutions, but a first for the industry. It’s a highly cost-effective new route to market for FMCG marketers and account managers, providing an opportunity to close key distribution points in over 4,000 Symbol Convenience Stores by directly and more effectively engaging with key decisions makers on a localised store level.”
Becker believes that through its Voice solution, CJ Contact Solutions will give participating FMCG brands a real point of difference where localised competition over range selection decisions is fierce.
CJ Contact Solutions chosen name for its new service is reflective of the unique approach it takes to its Store contact FM activity, using call centre expertise to follow up targeted direct marketing and up-sell brands’ products by highlighting volume opportunities, selling in promotions, supporting new line launches and closing gaps in core ranges to targeted symbol group convenience retailers.
Bespoke branded direct mail
The support service works by sending bespoke branded direct mail to stores, targeted according to historical sales and ordering data. This is then followed by call centre activity to influence individual store managers’ purchase decisions by outlining details of products and offers, and up-selling other products in the range that meet a store’s specific range profile. FMCG brands will be able to monitor activity online, as well as receiving detailed activity reports at weekly intervals – providing in-depth sales data on reorders, retained distribution and decay.
“At last there is someone in the marketplace that can say, with confidence spend £1 and get £4 back 6 weeks later at the GP level,” says Becker. “Our weekly tracking gives brand owners and sales managers complete visibility on their brand retention, repeat sales and ROI.
Given the economic pressures globally, everyone is rightly looking at all aspects of cost, and this new service gives the brand and sales teams the reasons to invest to drive their share of category.”
