Amidst the Mumbai rains, I was on my way to a meeting and my vehicle was parked at the traffic signal. While I was sitting with my eyes shut, wondering about the meeting and the traffic, I suddenly heard a voice from outside my car! “Paanch rupaye mein time pass! Paanch rupaye mein time pass!” yelled a man at the top of his voice. I was intrigued by his statement. I lowered my window to see what it was all about.
“Sir, Paanch rupaye mein time pass?” he asked as he showed me his bundles of peanuts.
Now, he definitely had made me his customer. While I was enjoying the time pass worth Rs. 5, I wondered about how amazingly the man placed his product in my mind as per the situation. There was nothing mentioned about the product, its features or benefits and yet, I ended up buying it just because of the way it was positioned as a solution to my boredom.
Inspiration can strike you from anywhere, even from within the crowded roads of Mumbai. Our retail outlets are often visited by families. While the mother is interested in shopping, the little one is only interested in creating a whirlpool throughout our store and the husband is busy with his smartphone. Though adorable, the child thus creates challenges in the shopping experience of the family as they seek some adventure in what they find a boring affair. This hurdle was for us to cross as we wished to bring back the smile of peace and contentment on the face of our momma shoppers.
At Soulflower, we amuse and we amaze. This challenge was yet another chance for us to do the same.
As we were brain storming over this topic, I remembered Mr. Paanch Rupaye Mein Time Pass. I decided apply his idea on a very simple, yet effective tool of child amusement, the cootie catcher. Ideas met action and I saw my favorite childhood ‘time pass’ with Soulflower products merged within it. My infant side loved the outcome.
Soon, our retail stores featured cootie catchers for children to play with. The silent engrossment of children attracted the curious attention of not only their mothers, but fathers also as they checked what their kid was fiddling with. The result, parents were introduced to various Soulflower products and offers in a seamless way. And yes! We witnessed contented smile, not only on the face of the infant, but the entire family.
Every challenge is a potential opportunity. #GrabIt
