After creating an instant slush that could be packaged, frozen and drunk anywhere, and without the need for a machine, one of the most complex challenges we have taken on in recent times has been to completely change our marketing model, to reach all our potential consumers (who now number in the millions) with our communication and distribution. As for the communication challenge, we will leave that for another time. Today we are going to focus on the giant step we are taking in marketing.
The challenges of distribution
With Frosty® PocketWe knew from the outset that dozens of new distribution possibilities would open up for us: absolutely any point of sale, physical or digital, was now a potential point of sale.. We are talking about a product that does not require any special treatment, does not require refrigeration, has a low RRP, is light, small, resistant, has a long shelf life and is distributed in small boxes of only 10 units. There is no barrier that prevents it from being in absolutely any business: from a cafeteria, a food truck, gas stations, online stores, grocery stores, beach bars and even, why not, a shoe store, a bazaar or a hairdresser’s shop. And, of course, supermarket chains.
We were also clear from the outset that there are two channels that are strategically essential to the success of the new Frosty® Pocket: the impulse channel and large-scale food distribution. The former provides us with capillarity to reach any part of the country; the latter offers us visibility and credibility: although we have been in the market for almost a quarter of the 21st century, there are still many people who do not take a food product seriously if it is not on the supermarket shelf.
But carving out a niche for yourself on the retail shelves is no easy task. Not at all. For some years now, the chains have been more inclined to reduce references than to incorporate new ones. Especially if it is a new product, with no history or history, no category in which to place it, without even a possible comparison with similar products (which do not exist) or behavior in other countries, where there is nothing like it either. “An instant slushie?” With luck we managed, after much trying, to get someone on the phone. Of course, everything changed as soon as they tried it. We already said that the most common reaction was “it’s incredible!”, and that, fortunately, opened the doors we needed.
And after testing, the product earned its place on the shelves.
Thus, this summer, with all the difficulties of being a new product created by a family company, a good part of the modern distribution began to be enthusiastic about our product and soon we were on the shelves of some of the main chains: Ahorramás, Caprabo, E. Leclerc, Gadis, Spar, Carrefour Express and others. Our presence is already a reality in most of the most important regional chains in Spain. And we continue working to be soon in all the others.
Our Frosty® Pocket has been enthusiastically received and has earned the recognition of many distributors throughout the country. Thanks to them, we are now in thousands of points of sale throughout Spain. And we continue to work closely with our partners, with the common goal of continuing to grow to reach all consumers.
Still a long way to go in distribution
However, over the past few months, one question has been constantly repeated (several times a day) on our social networks: “Where can I buy it? We have therefore created a map of points of sale that allows stores to register as a Frosty® Pocket point of sale and consumers to locate them. We have already added close to 1,000 outlets to this map, yet the vast majority are still not listed here.
The promise that was born with Frosty® Pocket, to be “the slush to drink wherever and whenever you want”, is only possible if we manage to fulfill our purpose of taking it to all the shelves and freezers of every grocery store in every town. Until then, we still have a lot of work to do.
