Products that come alive when a customer passes? That is true

Imagine: while strolling in the breakfast section of the supermarket, when you have just grabbed your favorite cereal box, one of them suddenly comes alive … and begins to list its many qualities for you.

The scene is neither a bad dream nor an end-of-day hallucination, but a surprising commercial practice that could become commonplace in supermarkets, according to two demonstration videos posted on Twitter through the account “I work in large-scale distribution”, a website dedicated to “the business of tomorrow”.

Unprecedented POS on the shelves: here to surprise customers, brands are moving products on the shelves.

📷 Hyper U les Arcs pic.twitter.com/2HV6SuYDC9

– I work in Large Distribution (@BlogGrandeDistr) April 14, 2021

In the first sequence, a packet of Kinder brand cereal rocks back and forth while crying, “Hey! Waking up has never been so good! It’s me, Kinder CéréAlé, the new Kinder cookie so crunchy, so delicious, with tasty pieces of hazelnut or gourmet dark chocolate chips. “On the second video, filmed in the dairy products department, a President brand cheese swings the passer-by whispering” Psst … Psst … “and invites him to be tempted by his” extra fondant “…

Unsurprisingly, these images are hotly talked about on Twitter, many Internet users expressing, in comments, their perplexity, their dismay or their incredulity.

FAKE OFF

Contacted by 20 minutes, the Ferrero group tells us that it has used “this new device […] on the occasion of the launch of the brand’s first breakfast cookie ”. Jonathan Le Borgne, editor of the site “Je bosse en grand distribution”, tells us the origin of the images that have gone viral: “They are not mine, they were sent to me. This concept, which is activated when the customer passes, was invented by the Romanian company Tokinomo and marketed in France by Optimark. “

Gabriel Gonnet, director of commercial development for this advertising agency, confirms that it is the “exclusive distributor of the Tokinomo solution in France”, which it began deploying in 2020, relaying this initiative via different youtube videos.

“Many elements can be configured: the sound volume, the waiting time after which the box is triggered when someone is nearby, or the distance at which it can be activated … In addition to promoting interaction with customers, the Tokinomo box is reusable for other campaigns and products, which avoids the waste of classic highlights, which are discarded after 4 weeks ”, continues Gabriel Gonnet, while welcoming the very reception. positive from brands who have tried this tool.

Sure LinkedIn, several Ferrero group employees have shared in recent weeks
enthusiastic videos in this regard, as well as Tokinomo, who
relay of the campaign for President cheese.

An explanatory video published by the Romanian company also provides a better understanding of the operation of this “robot” marketed in different countries, which it does not hesitate to present as “the only in-store marketing solution to increase interaction with the customer during a pandemic ”.

14-day campaigns

Because sales of the products concerned are indeed boosted by this device, as Gabriel Gonnet confirms: “To date, Tominomo’s greatest successes in France concern Ferrero, Le Chat and Président. In some cases, the product has seen more than 150% increase in sales – while the average is more than 20% on classic highlights! “

If the commercial results are therefore there, the Director of Commercial Development of Optimark recognizes however that the very principle of this commercial tool is far from unanimous with the public: “The reception of consumers is mixed, some find it intrusive. From experience, we have opted for 14-day campaigns, which seems to us to be the best timing to have a better impact for the product without the installation tiring the customers either. But now that the technology is confirmed in practice, we are more in a perspective of developing this solution. “