Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

Pos Idea For Highend Tea But On Low Shelf Position

Posted by Anonymous on 4/7/2008 at 10:46 AM ET 250 Points
I'm a fairly new, small tea company and we specialise in organic, gourmet teas. They are definitely in the high end/superior product range costing $3.34 for 20 teabags compared to the usual $3+ for 100.

It's too expensive to try get a position where the bigger sellers are and it may be difficult to keep the position since we're not fair well known to supermarket shoppers. So currently our space is limited to the bottom shelf, sadly next to the more undesirable cheaper teas and loose leaves boxes.

Can anybody help me with some POS idea to get consumers to pick up, examine and puchase our teas?

Thanks in advance.
To continue reading this question and the solution, sign up ... it's free!
SUBSCRIBE
Or, SIGN IN

RESPONSES

  • Posted on 4/7/2008 at 4:41 PM Member
    I would also try some sort of interactive device that might hang off your product.

    Could be a coupon, synergistic offer with another brand or another one of your products, etc.

    Also, get the brand up yourself. Do those interactive taste and previews that they *always* have at Whole Foods or your local organic market.

    Perhaps you can also offer a really nicely designed informational piece that can be close by so folks can get additional info on the health/product benefits of your product.

    I always like these because I can take it with me and even if I just glance at it I am more pre-disposed toward your product.

    Or how about some sort of treasure hunt you advertise elsewhere where they have to come into the store and find $10 or something attached to the bottom of one of the boxes. Just the idea of something fun and interactive.

    All the best,

    Doug
    [URL deleted by staff]



  • Posted by Tracey on 4/7/2008 at 8:34 PM Member
    How about offering samples in the supermarket? Those often get me to try something new. You could incorporate a really high-end display with that, and some kind of ad - e.g., a pamphlet with information about your tea or novel uses for the tea, like recipes. You could also think about partnering with another product to do the sampling -- such as another high-end product like biscuits that would go with the tea.
  • Posted by saul.dobney on 4/8/2008 at 7:38 AM Member
    Are end-of-isle promotional bins not available to introduce your product to more people? And should you be in the tea section at all - do the supermarkets have 'specialities' or 'gourmet' areas with collections of upmarket products - would you be better positioned here?

    Presumably as an upmarket product the supermarket makes more margin per sale for your product than others. Isn't it therefore in their interest to get the product to a more substantial position - perhaps not mainstream with a large shelf space, but positioned next to other premium and flavoured teas?

    I'm also confused as presumably this is only for one supermarket chain? And they would allow you to add signage under the shelf? If that's the case, then given your organic/premium positioning wouldn't a wicker basket effect catch the eye? And is there any way you can get something sticking out into the isle - even a little as it will catch the eye walking down the isle. If you have something on the shelf but have to turn to face the shelf to see it, it won't be effective.

  • Posted by matthewmnex on 4/9/2008 at 9:41 PM Accepted
    This is an interesting discussion and I have had a lot of experience in selling high end goods.

    You don't mention if you are nationwide or just in a localised area or what kind of volumes you are looking at.

    Your problem is to build brand awareness and brand equity. The supermarket is definitely the wrong place to do that.

    if you are a small operator them my first strategy would be to make sure that your boxes are truly top class design and speak of a high end product.

    Secondly, I would keep to 100 bag boxes just like all the others but sell at 19.99 a box or even higher 24.99 sounds good.

    Get the tea into all the speciality stores but you have to get it into all the top class restaurants and hotels. Your restaurant accounts will be your ambassadors. Work closely with them to train them how to brew it and serve it correctly (don't assume that restaurants know how to do this, most waiters have little training on the art of tea service). make sure you can get tent cards onto the restaurant tables or some time of little announcement saying " We proudly serve Xbrand organic tea". This is a very low cost way to advertise and build awareness of your product.

    Next invite the local press people for teat tasting at the top hotel. Show them all the flavours and packagng etc and let them try a sumptuos Englis Tea time - the hotel gets benfit from this too because they get mentioned in the write ups.

    Send free samples of your tea to all teh local food writers and ask them to review it.

    Build as many 'events' around restaurants and hotels as you can. Start the TEA club and start signing members. Upper class ladies who spend their afternoons shopping will love a forum where they can meet and take tea and discuss the various merits of high class organic tea.

    Once you start to get awarenss going, then you can start to buy ads in colour magazines (don't waste any time with news papers - it is the wrong forum for now).

    Once you start to get volumes moving in the restaurants, hotels and speciality stores (don't foget that the hotels also have speciality stores) and you have signed all the local suprmarket owners in your tea club (or at least had them attend a tasting) then is will be time to go back to the supermarkets and at that point you should have enough brand awareness and premium price margin to get a top shelf position. (this is a 3 year strategy).

    The most important thing with this strategy is to make sure that you have fun doing it :) Don't get frustrated at the initial ow volumes. You need a strong personality, hopefully yourself or a top class sales manager to front the whole thing. make sure that person is constantly in the restaurants and hotels and tea parties and getting their face in the press releases. Everyone in town should know the TEA person after a year or so.

    Di I include charity and golf events etc?? Check out as many gallery openings and golf afternoons and yachting events etc etc as you can find. Sponsor their TEA time activities. get the tea in front of the audience that you want to buy it. High end tea is not drunk by people who shop in supermarkets, it is drunk by people who shop atSpeciality Stores adn don't really ask the price.

    I hope there are some useful insights here. feel free to contact me if you need further advice :)

    PS please excuse the British English spelling :)
BACK TO TOP

Post a Comment

Related Discussions

Community Info

Top 25 Experts
(Advertising/PR)