Entrance ticket for German trade
Countless new products flop in the trade. Keeping the market entry risk low is just as important for start-ups as it is for international companies that want to take off in Germany. Bonsai has developed a tool that does just that: Testing and perfecting new products, their marketing measures and pricing strategies before launch.
Market entry study for foreign companies and start-ups
A current example: The American Farm School (AFS), Thessaloniki, is planning to sell various products from Greece and other EU countries in Germany in the future: "Bonsai is currently exploring together with AFS how Greek products can make it into the German food retail sector", reports the Lebensmittelzeitung in its Greece report: "According to Alexandros Kiriakidis, consultant and leader in the development of the sales support area of Bonsai, the potential of AFS products is to be determined in the context of a new study in cooperation with European institutions and companies". How this works? Here is the background:
Test buyers for table grapes
3,800 mystery shoppers are regularly on the road for Bonsai to put German retailers under the microscope. Since 2019, the trained mystery shoppers have been specifically observing the fruit departments in German supermarkets: They not only record which countries the table grapes on Germany's fruit shelves come from and which grape varieties they are, but also at what prices the grapes are offered and how they are placed in the shops. Every week during the grape season, Bonsai delivers results from the Mystery Panel to Greece. AFS uses this data to determine the best price achievable for Greek table grapes on the German market.
BUT:
Greece has more to offer than grapes.
AFS has more to offer than training and support for producers.
Bonsai has more to offer than mystery shopping
THEREFORE:
A new study on the potential of Greek products in the German market
AFS has developed products, partly in cooperation with producers, which have so far only been distributed in Greece. In the new study, Bonsai will analyse the potential of AFS products in the German market, optimise the products, test them later "in real life" and - in the best case - accompany the market entry.
"With our tool, we can put a product's performance on the German market through its paces even before its launch," says Alexandros Kiriakidis: "We do this for international companies and for German start-ups. But the fact that I can now contribute to bringing products from Greece to German retailers has a special appeal for me."
A multi-stage study is planned for the AFS products, in which other producers from Greece can participate (possibly also other European agricultural universities).
Stage 1 Group discussion with traders in Germany: How do market managers evaluate the Greek products and those of AFS cooperation partners from other EU countries? Do they see room for improvement (for example in packaging)? Which sales prices do the experts consider realistic?
Stage 2 Representative online survey of consumers: How likeable are Greek products to them? How willing are they to buy and what price would they pay?
The products that are promising from a trade and consumer perspective could then be tested further. What is still a pipe dream for AFS products is currently being implemented by Bonsai Research for Roshen, one of the largest Eastern European confectionery manufacturers: After a listing in the online supermarket myEnso (stage 3), Bonsai is taking the products to the real test market (stage 4). In the test market, products are tested in real life before launch in a specific region: in real supermarkets by real people who shop normally. More about the Roshen Case
A multi-stage process does not have to be lengthy. Which products from Roshen and which products "Made in Greece" make it into German retail - a glance at the supermarket shelf could soon answer this question.
About the organisation American Farm School (AFS)
AFS is not a training and research institution for agriculture. It is also known to Greek consumers because it designs, produces and markets its own products in cooperation with farmers. So far, these products have been available mainly in Greek supermarkets. In the future, AFS wants to market the products in Germany as well.
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