A new "solutions" concept for merchant self-service areas
How do you improve readability and clarify the product offering at a point of sale?
The world leader in adhesives and chemical products for construction, MAPEI® is keen to meet builders' merchants' expectations for readability and a clearer offering at their points of sale.
The brand thus called on Convergence to roll out a new self-service merchandising concept to revitalise its merchant business and better guide its customers.
BrandMAPEI
SectorConstruction – housing
BusinessConstruction chemicals, adhesives and mortars
Website mapei.com
Challenges
To gain visibility, MAPEI® wanted to evolve its self-service shelving concept
Self-service is booming among distributors. Hugely popular with tradespeople, it is a major lever for growing a point of sale's overall margin and for building loyalty among professional customers. Starting from this observation, and to meet builders' merchants' expectations, MAPEI® wanted to evolve its self-service shelving concept.
In short, this took the form of 3 objectives for a new merchant self-service concept:
- Improving readability and clarifying the offering at the point of sale
- Making product choice easier and building loyalty among installer tradespeople (tilers, masons…)
- Demonstrating the brand's dynamism to distributors
The second pillar of the programme was to create a concept personalised to the point of sale's profile
The concept designed by the agency offers 2 segments :
- The " Essentials " version, made up of MAPEI® best-sellers and the products that generate the most sales volume (i.e. the top 20%).
- The modular, complementary range, made up of the " Expert " products. These strengthen the offering for professionals with designer grouts, and waterproofing products for pools and terraces.
The offering is fully flexible and co-constructed with the point of sale; in fact, the new MAPEI® self-service concept offers nearly 90 possible combinations. In practice, the more linear metres the merchant chooses to develop, the more complete an offering they have, with all the tools to enhance their point of sale and, in turn, their expertise.
The final pillar is to guide tradespeople and make their choice easier
To deliver an efficient customer journey, Convergence designed more modern, more impactful signage. To do so, the agency focused on the benefit of the solution rather than on the product. Selection guides made available to MAPEI®'s tradesperson customers also allow them to make their choice completely independently.
At the point of sale, each area of expertise is embodied by its own identity and its own graphic codes. This ensures consistent, impactful and therefore easily identifiable shelving.
Results
Builders' merchants have a turnkey concept for energising and enhancing their points of sale
Builders' merchants now benefit from simple, high-performing solutions to energise and enhance their points of sale. And to make their day-to-day management easier too!
With this new self-service merchandising concept, MAPEI® now has the broadest offering on the market, with a range of products for tiling, floor preparation, masonry, decorative flooring and resilient flooring.
The concept was rolled out throughout the first quarter of 2018 across the hundreds of partner merchant branches.
Our finest collaborations, told by the people who know them best
A responsive, available and highly rigorous team, with solid expertise in the construction sector and consistently sound advice. Their creative approach gave our catalogue a real boost. A big thank you to the whole Convergence team for their commitment and the quality of this great collaboration.
Lauren C. Publishing Manager
When the time came to unveil our new brand platform, Convergence found just the right words to create a clear, impactful identity for us. Clients and employees alike embraced it immediately.
Priscille T. Operational Marketing Manager
In CONVERGENCE we found much more than a marketing agency: a true strategic partner, able to understand our challenges, take ownership of our objectives and turn them into impactful campaigns, always delivered with professionalism, creativity and positive energy.
Nadine C. & Marion C. Marketing and Communications Officers
Convergence provides us with high-quality support, delivered by a responsive and fully committed team. Their excellent understanding of our challenges and specific needs, combined with their creativity and ability to deliver, is a real asset.
Eugénie C. Communications Manager
Thank you for your support — a successful campaign on every level, with KPIs that put a big smile on our faces 🤩
Anaïs G. Digital Specialist
The Convergence teams supported us in defining and structuring our new range. They helped us design a universe, messages and tools perfectly suited to our target audience, to convey the key information clearly and powerfully.
Alexandre P. Product, Communications and Digital Manager
Since I arrived in the construction sector, working with Convergence has been a real asset. Their understanding of the market and its customers, their creativity and the quality of their support bring genuine added value to our campaigns. A trusted partner who is a pleasure to work with.
Valentine G. Marketing Manager
Convergence has been able to adapt to our organisation and has become a genuine day-to-day support as a hyper-specialist in communication for the construction industry.
Maxime B. Communications, Marketing and Specification Manager
Working with Convergence makes a real difference on the various topics that concern us as a construction manufacturer. We don't need to train them — they already know the market.
Stefen W. Communications Officer
Thanks to Convergence's expertise in the construction sector, we were able to move forward much faster, developing tools perfectly suited to the specific needs of our B2B audience.
Rami J. Marketing and Communications Director
Working with Convergence means being able to put yourself in the hands of an enthusiastic, efficient team that understands our business challenges perfectly. Thank you for bringing our projects to life.
Alizée E. B2B2C Marketing Project Manager
A great day-to-day collaboration: the team immediately understood the PUM universe, while bringing innovative ideas to the table. Special thanks to Véronique for the quality of our exchanges and her responsiveness, which make projects smooth and efficient.
Lea C. Commercial Communications Officer
Convergence imagined and delivered the tools best suited to the launch of our Elixair range, thanks to their knowledge of our sector, the quality of their work and their ability to push our thinking ever further. A true partnership of equals where we challenge each other to keep improving!
Katerina V. Global Communication Manager Pam Building
Attentiveness, responsiveness, expertise and creativity are the words that best sum up our collaboration with Convergence. The agency has supported JELD-WEN in developing the brand for several years and has created a genuine campaign tone that quickly became the brand's signature.
Anne R. Marketing and Communications Manager
Convergence's specialisation makes all the difference! I particularly appreciate their responsiveness, their ability to listen and the thinking they bring to our projects. Their strategic and operational support makes for a valuable, effective collaboration.
Virginie Q. Operational Marketing & Communications Manager
Convergence has supported us for 5 years, on one-off projects as much as on more strategic challenges. Their knowledge of the sector, of our clients and of our challenges is genuine added value, and our collaboration grows richer project after project.
Aurélie B. Client Marketing and Communications Manager
Convergence stands out for its agile, professional support, offering excellent expertise across all of our launch projects. Strategies are tailor-made to our objectives and communication is always transparent!
Juliette T. Communications Manager
Beyond the support we receive throughout a project, what is particularly valuable when working with Convergence is the upstream phase: they take the time to analyse the environment and the target audiences, and to take a step back. That is very important for our strategic projects!
Nicolas B. Client Marketing and Training Manager
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