I am a big believer in the value of the stories behind the products – the suppliers’ stories.
I’ve written before about how retailers can leverage these stories to inject their own brand products with expertise, interest and passion; making them more compelling and thus driving sales.
In this post, I’d like to explore how you can further leverage these stories to naturally grow brand loyalty and advocacy.
Of the hundreds of suppliers that I’ve visited over the years, I can’t think of any who wouldn’t relish the opportunity to share their passion and enthusiasm about their products. The inspiration. The ingredients. The people. The recipes. Whatever makes their product special from where it is grown/made to the sustainability credentials.
The opportunities are as endless as the categories within your own brand portfolio.
By working as ‘One Team’ with your suppliers and facilitating these activities, your organisation can create the best kind of press releases or social media stories of genuine win-win situations:
- Your brand could associated with educating the next generation, supporting the national industry and championing provenance in your product range.
- The content can provide fresh and engaging point-of-sale materials (which can also have a ‘halo effect’ on other products in the range)
- Your suppliers receive national press coverage, potentially increasing the sales of their own brand lines in your stores.
You get the picture…
Ultimately, by inviting your suppliers to join you in your extended own brand team – working together as ‘one team’ - you can create authentic content to improve your brand perception in the eyes of consumers using something right under your nose – your supply chain.
Learn more about Supplier Engagement here.
