The Impact of FSDUs - Partner Branding to Increase Sales!

After posting the last blog my colleagues and I got chatting about the impact that past Christmas POS materials have had on sales. There is no doubt that a well placed Free Standing Display Unit (FSDU) can have a massive impact on sales, especially with seasonal produce.

One very early example which is seasonally topical was the Christmas dinner add ons. The brief originally came from Bisto Foods, which was then part of RHM Foods several years ago.  Their project manager was Philipe Roucoule and the task was to visit circa 3,500 JS, Asda, Tesco, Somerfield, and Kwik Save stores over a period of 6 weeks to install free standing display units.  The object of the brief was to promote impulse purchases by linking brands that sit alongside each other on the plate; so in the fresh meat aisles we were asked to build and merchandise FSDUs to promote Bisto Gravy and Paxo stuffing.

The idea was that when a shopper bought their chicken or beef they would then see Paxo & Bisto and purchase alongside.

The impulse nature of these units was so successful they increased sales by 66% and we were asked to go back in, merchandise new and additional stock and replace or install new units if the original ones were damaged.

Early Bisto FSDU 1999

At the time it was acknowledged that these temporary units had a maximum life span of 4 weeks as they incur the use of shoppers, water from the cleaners, etc. So we looked at extending the shelf life of these units by adding plastic skirting or footers to protect the cardboard bottoms from daily cleaning as this was where the stands suffered the most.

Getting an installation company to deliver, install and merchandise the units ensures that there is at least one turn of stock on the unit. If the unit is just delivered to the store, it is then up to the store to build and merchandise the unit and as can happen they just decide to bin it as they don’t have time. Therefore we improve the return of investment (ROI) in their marketing spend by taking care of everything for them!

Merchandising a Sharwoods FSDU in Tesco, Northwich 

There are many more examples of how well thought out POP materials increase sales. I thought this one was particularly appropriate and worth sharing. It continues to be a leading method of increasing sales by partnering brands alongside one another. We regularly install FSDUs in supermarkets for brands and promotions as we have every Christmas since.

...and just for nostalgia remember this Bisto Gravy ad from the 80's?