At least some people survived the Titanic

My test seems to go from bad to worse...


So far after 6 days, I have sold the grand sum of ZERO! That's right nothing, nada, niente, sweet f-all!


So all my posturing about what I would do if it sold only a bit or a lot was not really worth anything...


But I still don't know why I've not sold a sausage... some thoughts...



a) Nobody knows about it - awareness is limited to the POS I have in the shop window & on the counter, and whatever the retailer decides to tell the customer when he is in the shop.

b) Staff might not know about it - I got the feeling at the training that the retailer's staff (well one in particular!) weren't that interested in it or actually understood it, so if they're not confident about it they won't sell it.

c) Staff don't see the value in it - may be they just can't see how much cash there is to be made here and even if they do why should they care...

d) Takes time to build awareness / desire to buy - I often think my idea works in a similar way to a Big Mac meal at McDonald's. You go in there to buy one thing, and they ask if you want to "Go Large", i.e. a large drink & large fries instead of the standard serving sizes. Now that has become something we all know and perhaps are now so aware of it we might even ask now for a large before we are prompted for it. Perhaps it takes time for people to see this product, to be prompted for it, see its relevance in their day to day life and then later to actually decide they need it and buy it.

e) Incorrect processing of the sales - perhaps the staff have been selling it, but not actually logging any of the sales, so I think we've not sold a thing but instead have sold quite a bit. Doubt it...

f) Price is too high - this has always been some concern to me. The price is now related more to the cost base than an actual desirable price point and is at the top end of my own price expectations.

h) Doesn't meet a widespread need - have I really nailed the consumer insight about why somebody would want this product and part with cash in the midst of a recession? Have I been able to communicate that insight clearly?

i) Wrong type of market - my retailer is in a relatively poorer area of West London and perhaps this only has appeal to younger, more affluent consumers than exist in his locality...

So what interventions can I make?

There's little more visibility I can gain in the outlet, given POS is already in place and opportunities for more are limited by the outlet themselves. Its well known that people pay little attention to outlets (there was a voxpops I once saw of a man outside a petrol station who was a regular and had just bought something and he was being asked to name the brand of forecourt and he didn't know). Awareness from driving visibility seems limited. Awareness from having trusted staff telling you about this service is as yet unproven as to whether or not its happening....

I really need to get under the skin of the staff. What are they saying and how are they feeling about my product. Perhaps do some role plays. Listen to their worries. Show them the benefits. Take the time with them...


So, lets assume the staff are telling people about the service, then that leaves a couple of other options... Either people don't see a need for it or its too expensive. If its they don't see a need, I would struggle with that as almost everybody I've spoken with about this idea has said its a good idea. But is this people just being nice or is it a limited opportunity to white, anglo-saxon, 30-somethings that have an infrequent purchase cycle in this particular category? Perhaps its a bit like Dilbert...


If its price, then we can do somethings with that. I think I would test it for free, just to check the levels of potential demand, and then try it at several price points over the course of a couple of weeks to "gauge" the right price, rather than the other option of doing claimed purchase at different prices.

So what's next?

I need to do two things... first of all is conduct a mystery shop on the outlet and my business buddy has volunteered to do that for me. That should let me know what is happening there, but it won't answer why its happening and for that I'll need to meet the retailer and discuss with him what's happening and get his feedback on the test, and that might only give me a glimpse into why, rather than a categorical answer.

So all in all, I have only really learnt one thing so far ... its not going to be as easy as I thought!