Read the story of how CPG.IO and a popular spice brand teamed up with a social media personality with 5+ million followers.
Variety is the ‘Spice’ of Life
Building hype before the launch of a new or limited-edition product can be challenging for any company. However, the results can be remarkable with the right product and influencer to meet the mold. Here’s a story of how a popular spice brand teamed up with a social media personality with 5+ million followers. How it all went down and what happened after is quite the tale.
The idea: create a limited-edition spice developed through the collaboration of an internationally recognized social media influencer. Use the influencer’s passion for cooking and her ideas to invent a new spice while giving her label some skin in the game.
“While it’s no secret that having the right influencer can propel your brand and drive sales to new highs, the coordination of it all is what mattered most. We chose the right people and teams, and everyone delivered.” ~ The Brand
Creating A Unique Product Experience
The vision for a limited edition product with custom labels, box & inserts required close coordination with the brand and influencer to realize a unique purchase experience.
After the product and packaging had been created and manufactured, CPG.IO was responsible for receiving and storing the shipping materials, the packing procedure, the training, and the execution of fulfillment. The drill went down without a hitch. The finished experience included tissue, an insert, two bottles, and a custom tuck fold box.
The Big Day
The excitement was in the air as everyone walked into the building at CPGIO. A war room with logistics managers, senior leaders, marketing and social media team leads, and representatives for the influencer was on standby. CPG.IO’s warehouse operations were already done kitting all 24,000 orders ahead of the event. Custom pick and shipping lines were pre-configured and set for takeoff.
Fire in the hole! 60,000 emails were sent. Within seconds, Shopify’s map of the United States lit up like a Christmas tree. The website never went down. There was a ton of traffic. While doing a fantastic job of managing the visitors, even Shopify’s backend slowed down but never failed or crashed. Refresh! Refresh!
“CPG.IO’s account managers stood by watching every order flow into the system. Our order management system worked overtime to fetch the orders and send them off to concurrent label printers. The packers rushed to grab the labels in huge stacks and bring them to the labeling stations. Within 48 all orders had left the warehouse.”
Shortly after the email blast, pre-approved social media posts were published by both the brand and influencer. Everything was pre-recorded and prepped for the launch well ahead of schedule. “We sold out in 54 minutes and generated the highest revenue day on record for online sales for the Brand.”
The social media fans hit hard. “We’re showing up for this. You have no idea what you’re in for, ” they exclaimed.
Like many other limited-time offers we had seen in the past, CPG.IO stood on guard. “We knew the product would move, but we weren’t sure how fast, or what would the communities reaction would be after selling out. There were certain things we did not anticipate. Nonetheless, we were prepared for anything that day.”
CPG.IO’S Holistic Abilities Put to the Test
Timing, coordination, building anticipation, credibility, and customer service were just a few of the ingredients required to meet the goal. The Brand had its work cut out for them, and so did CPGIO.
CPGIO’s project management played a key role in delivering on the big day. Many tracks needed to be coordinated in parallel ranging from forecasting, procurement, pencil sharp price analysis, pre-packaging, shipping configurations, and more.
“Ultimately, CPG.IO’s preparedness and swift execution of both fulfillment and customer support played a major role in the success of the program, and we’ve continued to award them all our online business as a result.”
The Hidden Challenges
The brand and social media influencer had intentionally leaked some news about the event before the big day. “Our support lines were blowing up even before the sale happened. When can I order? How many can I get? How do I order?”
Weeks beforehand and months after, the emails and phone calls were relentless. CPG.IO’s team worked around the clock to answer customers using the brand’s voice and service guidelines. We worked to quell fans’ franticness and offer assurances. The CPG.IO team worked closely with the brand’s social media community managers to respond to customers and direct them to our help desk.
“Why didn’t you make more? You know how supportive we are! Oh no, I missed the opportunity, where and when can I buy now?” fans asked.
By carefully listening to the community we learned invaluable lessons. All teams involved had to adjust the strategy moving forward to ensure everyone had the opportunity to buy.
This event wasn’t the first and won’t be the last. We’re now working on the final commercialization stages to distribute this product consistently year-round. It worked. A new, fantastic Caribbean spice blend has now been established and fans keep coming back for more.
Whether you own a small business selling a few products or you own an internationally recognized spice brand, combining a social media influencer and a new product idea, when managed appropriately, can achieve amazing success in a short period. What’s more, the path forward is often made clear.
Utilizing well-known social media influencers and their ideas in conjunction with a coordinated marketing campaign can create the perfect advertising storm. Not only does it build excitement for your product pre-launch so you can plan for a manufacturing, but it can also pay dividends with every sale, sign-up, and an ounce of feedback.
Partnering with the right social media influencer adds trust, authority, and excitement to your brand. However, just having a popular name behind your product doesn’t automatically guarantee a successful launch.
Order Fulfillment
Timely fulfillment of the orders was crucial in keeping the shopping experience complete. All orders were packaged and shipped within 2 days to maintain the level of excitement for the customer from the time of purchase to the time it arrived at their door.
Increased Word of Mouth and Follow on Sales
When the product reached the customers, social media posts highlighting the new product, influencer, and brand significantly increased additional traffic. Subsequent waves continued to sell out. Eventually, everyone got a taste.
Make Every Product Launch a Successful One
Whether you’re launching your first product or your one hundredth, you need a dedicated marketing, advertising, and distribution team that gives your brand everything it needs to succeed, all under one roof.
Contact CPG.IO today to learn how we list, optimize & fulfill your new and existing products better to help you earn more, and sell more online.
Spices are one of the Oldest Traded Commodities and Innovation is Essential to Continued Success
From the common spices like salt & pepper to mixes and rubs that bring out the perfect flavor, continual evaluation, innovation, and evolution are essential in one of the oldest traded industries.
While there are many spice choices for consumers, the challenge for spice brands is that they must continually evolve by adding products that capture the attention of new audiences.
Opportunity
Whether you’re launching your first product or your one hundredth, you need a dedicated marketing, advertising, and distribution team that gives your brand everything it needs to succeed, all under one roof.
Contact CPG.IO today to learn how we list, optimize & fulfill your new and existing products better to help you earn more, and sell more online.
