Axida, a software company in the north of England had created one of the most compelling home service software
products the retail sector had ever seen.

The problem for Wayne Holgate, Managing Director of Axida, was communicating the difference their products brought to retailers. Their target audience often confused their products with other CRM, logistics, and point of sale products – all of
which tried to offer but significantly failed to deliver; the functionality Axida could bring.

Key to Wayne and Axida, was to establish home delivery services as a Boardroom agenda item and not one of simple logistical management.

Anderson Baillie following initial investigation; introduced the concept of ‘Service Subtletie’s. As a thought leadership concept, it tries and begins to define the unique benefit the Axida software application would bring. The approach focused upon its value to the retailer and ultimately their consumers and above all the cost savings and total business orientated return upon investment that could be achieved using Axida and its products.

Solution

Anderson Baillie during their first day of business auditing, were presented with a highly compelling argument. It is one that anyone who has purchased products and then had them home delivered will understand – the extra effort and understanding a retailer or manu-retailer should; and often fails to; go through to get the product to their consumer in a manner that customer prefers.

Axida had through its vast experience with customers such as Comet, seen that a standard approach; based upon business-to-business transactions and deliverly was mainly adopted for consumer home care. Namely, they always expected you as a consumer to be at home whatever time of the day or place and that all that was required was a simple product drop off.

Such retailers failed to understand consumer lifestyles and dictate availability, that set-up of homes was often required prior to delivery and even that the drive gates needed unlocking before the driver arrived!

All these pre-requisites – trivia too some; added costs to the delivery of all home products as returns and rebooking become more frequent, damage to property occurred and in some cases customers failed to be there to sign for the goods.

Anderson Baillie in it core proposition focused on the articulation of these hurdles and the pains these caused to both the retailer (or its courier) and the consumer, hence the creation of Service Subtleties – those like extra things that need planning for by the retailer and the consumer – and the improved communications that would be required to fulfil this.

Not restricting the proposition to education, namely demonstrating to the retailers what was being demanded every day by their consumers, Anderson Baillie helped Axida link this to a return on investment argument. Each service subtblty being unique to a retailer or type of product, could have a cost associated to it – cost of failing to deliver; which in turn offset the cost of implementing this service.

Once established as a thought leadership strategy, Anderson Baillie then began to help Axida articulate this new business position – articulation in communications and corporate material, establishment of independent vetting support (Butler) and the promotion of Axida as the authority in home delivery best practice with leading authorities and institutions as well as the press.

Summary

Created core proposition to new business strategy
Created new differential to exploit existing products and future vision
Repackaged existing products into new proposition
Redefined target audience to meet proposition
Established competition arguments
Created collateral to support sales argument
Educated channel and direct sales teams.

For further information on consultancy approaches click on:
Proposition Development
Go to Market Strategy
Channel management