BACK
Looking to sell new and existing products through new channels and markets not currently served by your distribution network?
There are hundreds of thousands of untapped, uncalled-on retail outlets around the globe that simply aren’t being reached by mainstream distribution including C-store hybrids, co-working spaces, single/small chain independent stores and yoga studios.
Pilot Lite puts boots on the ground to identify alternative outlets and implement a geographic-specific route-to-market and distribution strategy. With a proof of concept, our clients are able to integrate and scale this new distribution network into their business.
Selling through independent and alternative retail outlets allows clients to test new products, grow sales of existing products, rapidly deploy new products, achieve higher margins and gain marketing access to the end-customer.
The client challenge
A multinational food, snack and beverage corporation asked Pilot Lite to expand the sales and distribution of new health and wellness drinks—including gazpacho, kombucha and cold-pressed juices—beyond mainstream grocery stores and into more specialized retail and food service outlets in four city centers: Berlin, Copenhagen, Stockholm and London.
Our solution
Pilot Lite mapped the uncalled-on universe of retail outlets outside the reach of mainstream distribution. In Berlin alone for example, we found 2,000 uncalled-on outlets. Next, we identified city-specific routes to market using localized hubs and a mosaic of micro semi-wholesalers. Our client is now using these delivery partners to distribute to these additional retail outlets.
The client asked us to go a step further in Berlin, Munich and Stockholm by managing the launch of a juice into newly mapped alternative markets. In Stockholm alone, we distributed into 300 independent outlets and doubled our target sales volume over a 5-month test period. With a proven concept, the client is now planning to expand distribution across a wider Scandinavian market.
