“Mmmm. Jacobs Coffee and R1-million in prizes to be won. Now that’s ‘wunderbar’.”
A new campaign by the coffee brand was given a major boost after Jacobs used the Tokinomo Shelfobot, that started talking to passing shoppers while suggestively holding a product out for them to see. This collaboration unfolded across 20 Checkers Stores over 18 days in March and April. The robot sat behind Jacob’s coffee products and, when a sensor was triggered, ‘spoke’ to consumers.
“The organic feedback on digital platforms, especially on LinkedIn where customers have actively shared their in-store experiences and engagement, really reinforces the effectiveness it had on our campaign,” says Domaine Rautenbach, senior brand manager for Jacobs.
“We used the Tokinomo solution to revolutionise our promotional campaigns and enhance shopper engagement instore and it’s something we’d definitely try again in the future.”
The retail robot market – floor cleaners, inventory managers, data analysers, packers, and shelf talkers – is anticipated to grow to $55 billion by 20281. The robots are designed to either enhance the way retailers operate or catch the eye of the tired customers as they tramp down the aisle.
Brought to life
At Stop & Shop in the US, Marty – a robot with googly eyes created by Badger Technologies2 – wanders the shop floor alerting staff to product shortages and spillages. Zara has adopted an AI-driven robot designed to collect products for customers who opted into click-and-collect – it is quick and efficient, saving both the customer and the business time. The retail store B8ta in California saw a 70% increase in footfall after introducing Papper, an AI-enabled robot that helps people pick out merchandise in-store.
As Corina Mihalache, partner success manager from Tokinomo explained: “Marketing needs something new, something beyond wobblers, and stickers. Shoppers have developed banner blindness, they don’t even see them, and it has become increasingly important to bring products to life.”
Sales increase
For the Jacobs marketing team, adopting a robot saw a marked increase in value sales thanks to its integration across a variety of malls. At the Roodepoort activation, the firm saw a 78.1% value sales change and 32%-unit sales change compared with the same time a year ago; and at the Tokai Hyperactivation, the campaign saw a 61% increase in value sales and a 39.4% increase in unit sales compared to the previous year.
The customer feedback was exactly what any marketing company would want from its investment into a campaign. Levitating coffee, immediate attention-grabbing and, in the Jacobs case, a solid call to action that kept customers engaged – a chance to win a share of R1 million in prizes. As a customer said, “I was impressed by this clever motion-activated gadget.”
