When a European water products company sought to expand its popular hydration brand into the U.S. grocery market, a national sales manager overseeing the campaign realized they needed help to meet notoriously strict U.S. retailer requirements.
waterdrop® produces small, dissolvable cubes that turn a glass of water into a sugar-free microdrink full of key vitamins and rejuvenating fruit extracts. The company also produces a line of sleek water bottles and accessories. To enter the market, waterdrop started by reaching out to numerous U.S. packaging and custom display providers.
Finding the Right Retail Partner
Although waterdrop had done business with a firm that had helped with online sales, the manager knew that the U.S wholesale market was an entirely different level of challenge.
“I must have called 10 different suppliers and TPH is the one that stood out,” recalled the sales manager. “I was looking for a partner that could solve many problems beyond just sending them a print file… one who could give their two cents and really guide us with their knowledge of the retailers.”
The result was a partnership that positioned the brand for success in some of the biggest grocery retailers in the country.
Here’s an overview of the challenges, the solutions and the differentiators that working with TPH Global Solutions provided.
The Challenges
As it plotted its first grocery campaign in the U.S., the company went looking for a partner with deep industry expertise.
Among the initial obstacles the brand had to navigate was a European display that would need retooling for the U.S. grocery market. It was too big for one thing. The manager struggled to find a way to make it work.
The Solution
TPH Project Manager Rachel Perry listened carefully but knew there was a simpler way.
It’s hard to find a supplier and partner that kind of goes out of their way to assist you in all your needs and TPH has so far shown to do exactly that. “It’s one of the reasons I would highly suggest them. Very attentive and highly responsive – whether you have five or six projects going on with them, they check in on every single one.
– Hydration Brand National Manager
“At first, I was trying to force it to work,” the manager said. Rachel “did a really good job of pushing back in a constructive way, making modifications and suggesting changes that ultimately ended up making it much better. TPH just really took a step back and came forward with an entirely different display that still fit our brand. We’re now using that design across multiple product lines.”
The work included a display for the flavored water cubes that includes 12 boxes packed into trays that open into a counter display, as well as a floor display with a smaller footprint and a design that would work across multiple retailers.
“With them taking the lead, it’s just a much better product,” the manager said. “The integrity of the display is much stronger. Just little things here and there that make more financial and logistical sense.”
As an example, the manager cited TPH’s recommendation of switchable panels that allow the display to be converted for different products.
“Things like that,” the manager said. “Thinking outside the box to save us money, save us time and make it simpler.”
The Results
With some of the displays now in-store, the manager said he is looking forward to continued work with TPH Global Solutions as the business grows its U.S. footprint. “We’ve gotten good feedback on them,” he said of the displays.
The company is now in the process of pitching other retailers. Partnering with TPH Global Solutions has the manager feeling confident. “The work that TPH has done with us put us in a much better position to land these deals,” he said.
He credits both the expertise of the TPH team and the “hands-on approach” to customer service and ensuring that everything goes smoothly.
“It’s hard to find a supplier and partner that goes out of their way to assist you in all your needs and TPH has so far shown to do exactly that,” he said. “It’s one of the reasons I would highly suggest them. They are very attentive and highly responsive – whether you have five or six projects going on with them, they check in on every single one.”
The TPH Global Solutions Difference
When you rely on the experts at TPH Global Solutions for your retail campaign, you get a partner with capabilities you can use across the entire process, from pitch support to display and packaging, to supply chain logistics.
TPH works with you to help make it easy to get your products to market and leave retailers eager to work with you again.
With over 50 years of experience in retail POP display and packaging, retailer pitch support, project management and global supply chain logistics, TPH provides a system of end-to-end support that enables our clients to win over the toughest of retailers and maximize sell-through.
Speak with one of our team members to learn more about how partnering with TPH Global Solutions can help make your next retail campaign a success.
