Maximising Personal Care Sales in Convenience
Maximising Personal Care Sales in Convenience
8 in 10 Convenience retail consumers shop snacks & drinks but only 1 in 10 shop deodorants, haircare or skincare*. Converting just 5% more shoppers into beauty and personal care (BPC) categories could be a £1.8m RSV opportunity.
The DCS and Unilever teams spent time out in trade and reviewed sales data to find that BPC categories were not well represented in Cash &Carry, with a lack of core range PMPs and C&C friendly outer case packaging. The teams worked together to create a core Personal Care price marked pack range to drive incremental sales & offer consumers an affordable Personal Care range to cover key need states.
In collaboration with our Category Insight and Repack teams, we developed the range on the basis that all SKUs had to be #1 brand performers in their categories. Pricing was based on the Average Unit Price in market, with packaging designed to stand out and be cohesive and create a category destination in depot.
In March 2021 we launched 16 new SKUs with support from Unilever. Advertisements in The Grocer and The Wholesale News heralded the new range, while partnerships with retailers such as D.B.Ramsden members gave shelf visibility on a trial across 50 stores. Additional activity in POS comprising of pallet wraps, posters & shelf wobblers were all delivered in conjunction with stock.
Such was the success of the range, the annual target was surpassed in the first 8 months. Deodorant, Hair and Skin cleanse SKUs were the standout winners, each reporting roughly 30% of total sales. The rate of sale climbed steadily, clearly showing growing confidence as the range bedded in.
In a climate of uncertainty, using the full range of DCS Group resources, we implemented a Unilever Personal Care PMP range that delivered on customer margin & consumer value on key core range lines. These are now regarded as must stock lines for any convenience range.
Key learnings for year one was to refine the range in some areas, expand successful brands with additional SKUs and reinvest to add new brands in the future.
2022 looks likely to be another tumultuous year, however using the Power of the Group we have confidence in forecasting a further 50% increase in sales for the year.
*Kantar 52 w/e 31/3/21