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DS Smith brings products closer to the shopper with ‘SalesFront’ launch
After three years of testing and development, DS Smith has launched an innovative new packaging system that continually pushes products to the front of the shelf and avoids the need for on-shelf apparatus.
- Breakthrough innovation in the battle for shelf space in-store
- Front facing products can increase sales by up to 20 per cent
The SalesFront pack incorporates a specially engineered band into a retail-ready corrugated pack (RRP), which smoothly moves the contents forward as each item is sold. The pack has been developed in collaboration with a pan-European FMCG manufacturer.
Research from IGD has revealed that 37% of customers will buy an alternative brand if they can’t see their chosen product on the shelf, while retail trials have shown that sales of a product continually presented to the front of the shelf can increase by up to 20 per cent, with an average increase of six to eight per cent.
SalesFront will help manufacturers and retailers combat the problem of poor on-shelf availability, without the need for additional equipment on the shelf or for employee time spent manually pulling products forward.
Not just a pack design, SalesFront is a packaging system and DS Smith has developed a range of equipment to assist the assembly and filling process. When the pack is erected, the band is stretched and the product is loaded on the customer’s specially adapted packing lines.
The band can stretch to several times its original length, which means it can be easily modified to different products and sizes of pack. It is food safe can perform effectively after long periods of storage and after use can go into the existing corrugated waste stream.
“We work closely with our customers to understand their challenges and develop the best solution for their needs, and SalesFront is a great example of where we’ve worked in partnership to create something new and different,” said Tony Foster, Sales and Marketing Director at DS Smith.
“SalesFront will enable retailers to release staff from shelf tidying to spend valuable time with customers, an increasing concern in today’s competitive market. It will help retail employees face the shopper, not the shelf.
“This development will improve the shopper experience and transform on-shelf-availability. It will help brand owners put their best product forward at all times. It will also lead to increased product sales and market share for our customers. This is the next step in our commitment to continuous innovation in everything that we do, every day,” he continued.