Firestar - intro - referred by Gavin Borthwick

[firestarter]

Dear All,

Thank you for inviting us to this forum and giving us the opportunity to introduce Firestar, an all new energy sweet.

Firestar is basically a Red Bull version of popping candy, that comes in a 2.5g sachet (8.5cm, business card size). Its RRP is £1, it has a 2 yr shelf life, and comes in 4 variants 2MAX(mint/cherry), and 2SHOTZ (mint/cola).

For point of sale the sachets can be sold individually, as they are, in boxes for dispensing and or mounted on a backing board. Multipacks are also possible (online the most popular orders are bulk orders of 40). Almost any machine can be used and almost any location too, with offices, gyms, transport hubs, bars, clubs etc all being obvious place to sell the product. I know many people say it, but Firestar is ideal for replacing holes left by tobacco products. MOQ 12 boxes of 20.

For independent reviews google "firestar energy" or follow this link
http://www.inspiredbycaffeine.co.uk/app ... tar-cherry" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Out of over 70 products reviewed Firestar came 3rd in all categories and top in non-drinks

If anyone is interested we will check here regularly but for quicker responses please email sales@firestar69.com

[david@naughtyvend]

Hi,

Just to let you know that I sold some of the packs you sent up as a trial in one machine, average footfall of 18-35 audience where we have other machines to compare performance fairly...

Week 1 : £5
Weeks 2-4 : £3
Weeks 4-8 : £7

Average £1.875 weekly turnover, £7.50 monthly. Reflecting a £5.25 gross margin (45p a sachet) over the two months when 20% site commisison deducted, nett would be less three service calls and therefore even at a bi-annual servicing level not really viable. We tried...

Thanks for the opportunity, hope this feedback doesn't dampen your spirits. Best of luck with retail.

[firestarter]

Hi,

Thanks for trialling the product.

Can we ask where and how it wasdisplayed and what was used on the machine for Advertising?

It might have helped if you told us and we could have provided the required graphics etc. We would also have suggested wider distribution than one machine and provided some local support in terms of advertising

Can you also provide data for the othe products sold from the same machine please

Whilst Ed appreciate the work any new product needs a little consumer education and one machine in an unknown venue doesn't necessarily say Firestar won't sell in vending

We have signed up 2 high street retailer and a Uk airline with product hopefully in stores by Xmas

Thanks again


Ps mobile message so apologies if a little succinct and direct

[david@naughtyvend]

Can't mention the venue name but it was a high street brand of pub in and around a student area, whilst yes more than one machine could have been good this particular venue was representative and the machine used graphics very similar to those on your site with logo.

Local ads and consumer education may have helped. I was interested to see the volumes before I came back and discussed the margins, which as you know we spoke about at £1.00 RRP being too tight. I honestly think you'll do well in retail and hope you make it...

[firestarter]

Understood.

This might explain it.

By far and away the biggest problem with the first marketing product (which the website pertains too), even in retail was that people thought you need to reconstitute the crystals into a drink. This was particularly strong when the product is placed near drinks (or in a oub perhaps). This is why we changed the packaging and put a large graphic of someone eating the crystal on the front of the box, and mounted the sachet on a display backing board with the same image.

Placed in the same locations sales went up over 5 times and 10x as many people understood exactly what the product was from the labelling alone.


I've tried to attach an image to show the difference but cant

As you still have stock left perhaps you'd like to retry with different graphics and a message targeted at pub users - eg Why spend £2 on an energy drink get the equivalent of 2 drinks for £1 with Firestar ?

Again, its important what else is sold is the machine, and the type of machine that it is - I'm assuming its a wall mounted mechanical with a roughly A6 space for the advert or smaller ? Unless the message is spot on you cant expect to get trial of a relatively unknown product with just one machine in one location.

If you would like to do a more extensive trial, targeted at your customers with the appropriate images and messages for your target audience we'd be happy to support you.

Whilst pubs are good locations, multipacks in old cigarrette machines are perhaps a better idea in pubs, you have better placement of the machine, greater visibility, more time to consider purchase and more room to advertise. Service stations, gyms and offices are also possibly better locations than pub bathrooms at this time.

[Coin Operated Group]

Need to know numer of people that use venue.

[david@naughtyvend]

Need to know numer of people that use venue.

Don't have that info on footfall unfortunately, safe to say though that on a Saturday night the bouncers have a que system on the door and you can bearly move once inside... it's a good un for the NV machines.

[Vendingwarehouse]

It doesn't sound to me like a site where there would be a lot of people looking for a non alcoholic boost.

[david@naughtyvend]

It doesn't sound to me like a site where there would be a lot of people looking for a non alcoholic boost.

That was my thought too Noel, wrong market... perhaps clubs would do better but the opportunity becomes very limited and therefore not viable.

[Vendingwarehouse]

One machine in a single site does not constitute a trial and especially when you now agree that it was the wrong type of site. And to say that clubs might do better but the oppurtunity becomes limited is hogwash. Limited does not mean not viable. Am I the only one seeing thru this ??????