etventure startup POSpulse continues to be a talking point. Two leading media outlets in the food industry – the Lebensmittel Zeitung and the Lebensmittel Praxis – recently presented the Berlin-based company’s business model and gathered detailed client feedback. The response is overwhelmingly positive. POSpulse is also applying its innovative technology to new business projects by working together with auditing company EY and the global standards organization GS1 Germany.

Scouts use an app to check POS campaigns (Lebensmittel Zeitung)

“The use of […] crowdsourcing to check the implementation of campaigns and to observe competitors is still in its infancy in Germany. One of the pioneers here in Germany is Mars,” writes the publication’s editor, Jörg Rode. With the help of POSpulse, Mars Petcare has evaluated its Germany-wide promotional campaign for the Whiskas and Pedigree brands. This involved hundreds of “scouts” checking the placement of the products within the supermarkets, the visibility of the campaign elements and the coupons for redemption at the POS. Mars Petcare assessed the pilot project as having worked “very well.” Indeed, Jochen Horstmann, Customer Development Director at Mars attested that the crowd-based market research offered by POSpulse had “considerable potential.” According to the article, all of Horstmann’s experience indicated that the most important thing for POS campaigns was the execution at the outlet. Using crowdsourcing allows this to be checked much more efficiently than would have been possible if a field service had been used. Horstmann also confirmed that another advantage was the near-immediate display of the initial results on the online platform. Last but not least, the client praised the Berlin-based market research company for the good partnership while planning the project.

Customers provide feedback – right at the POS (Lebensmittel Praxis)

The Lebensmittel Praxis magazine also wrote about the POSpulse concept recently. Sonja Plachetta, the editor of this specialist magazine, writes the following: “Which products and what product information do customers want? […] How is product placement perceived and why are certain retail companies or certain branches favored? With the help of mobile market research at the PoS, these kinds of questions can now be answered – practically in real time.” To do this, POSpulse uses real consumers as market researchers who use the “ShopScout” app to carry out missions. “The data collected at the outlet is presented visually in the POSpulse analysis tool,” Plachetta explains. “Traders can follow the results (e.g. about the shopping behavior of certain target groups, or the success of certain sales campaigns) in real time, and they receive practical advice.” Dominik Blank, Founder and Managing Director of POSpulse, is also quoted in the article. He says that POSpulse’s analytical technology makes it possible to check not only the sales promotion measures that are applicable to retail but also, for example, “the perceived quality and freshness of products, the overall cleanliness of the store and the politeness and competence of the service staff.”

New projects with EY and GS1

It is not only specialist media outlets which are showing an openness to app-based market research. As of recently, POSpulse is also making use of its technology in joint projects with auditing and consultancy company EY (formerly Ernst & Young) and the global standards organization GS1 Germany. The Berlin-based market research company is supporting EY with its European consumer research projects in the area of retail. POSpulse is currently working with EY for a client in the food retail industry. This work includes, for example, carrying out store checks in order to record consumer perceptions. In this joint project, the etventure startup is responsible for the technical design and implementation of the analysis. This enables POSpulse to provide valuable insights so that EY can evaluate the customer data and offer strategic advice.

In addition to this, POSpulse is now a member of the GS1 Germany Solution Provider Program. GS1 is an organization that is well-known for developing cross-sector standards such as the barcode. Since February, POSpulse has been providing GS1 with support in the area of training. One aspect of the training provided to sales and marketing managers from the FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) sector involves the use of POSpulse analysis technology. The technology simulates real-life data-collection at the point of sale. The participants gather information themselves, for instance relating to shelf positioning or to product perception. They can then immediately view and interpret the data they have collected.