Atmosphères, a subsidiary of Impact Field Marketing Group, has been supporting Lenovo Group since 2017 on a 360° offline and online strategy in order to increase the brand's visibility and boost product sales in France. From the implementation of an outsourced sales force at the very beginning of the partnership, to the implementation of new digital businesses recently, discover the results and evolution of their partnership.
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Outsourcing the sales force: a winning strategy to increase visibility
The implementation of a team of field sales representatives in 2017 was the first action to rethink the strategy on the ground and negotiate the visibility of the brand in shops. A team present in the four corners of France to train the sales teams on Lenovo products and novelties, to carry out the implementation of quality merchandising in order to attract customers on the stores' shelves, to check product stocks and to negotiate extra-visibility in order to compete with other brands.
With the support of Atmosphères' sales force, Lenovo's market share in France has increased from 12% to 20% in 5 years, with 261 shops covered throughout France by the field sales representatives. Leader on the world PC market, Lenovo has also been able to gain ground in France over the last few years in a competitive sector thanks to commercial reinforcement and the release of new products for different audiences (Legion range, Yoga, etc.).
The results are also enhanced by the implementation of animation days with Atmosphères during the main events of the High-Tech sector and the brand: Back to school, Black Friday, Christmas, with an average of 500 demodays per year.
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Keeping up with the BTOB market
Lenovo then trusts Atmosphères to develop the BtoB part of the business in order to ensure the promotion of Lenovo's ranges to resellers. In 2020, the agency recruited a BtoB trainer for the brand in order to train professionals on the various Lenovo ranges. He supports Lenovo with his presence at professional events and the realization of training, mainly by visioconference, for various specialists in the sale of computer products (e.g.: Tech Data, Inmac,...). Thanks to its training courses, it allows a real increase in the competence of resellers with the acquisition of certifications. It is through regular training on new products and Lenovo products that resellers will be more confident to promote and sell them better. In the same way as in BtoC, shop teams trained on the brand's products will more easily promote them to customers. In less than 2 years, the trainer has been able to accompany and train nearly 2,300 people.
The trainer was soon joined by 3 BtoB sales representatives who reinforced his presence in the field to develop the commercial side. Their objective is to increase the BtoB market share by going to meet these same partners (computer resellers) and to negotiate with them more important orders of Lenovo products, to then equip the companies.
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Reinventing itself through a digital approach and new businesses
With the trend of phygitalisation accelerating since the Covid crisis, Atmosphères has diversified its activities with its clients and in particular with Lenovo, by proposing additional, more digital offers with new jobs. A strategy that allows brands to be present on all distribution channels and to improve the customer experience and satisfaction with innovative devices.
In 2021, Atmosphères digitalised its offer by integrating an e-promoter into the Lenovo team. His objective? Develop online sales and ensure visibility on the e-commerce sites of Lenovo's resellers. The e-promoter is available via a pop-up chat window on the site to answer customers' questions and advise them on how to buy the products that meet their needs.
A successful gamble for the agency, since in about 1 year, more than 8,520 conversations have been conducted online with customers, with a customer satisfaction score of 77%, a very good result for this sector of activity.
This year again, the digital team has grown with the integration of a content creator for the brand. Working directly with Lenovo's social media manager, his objective is to create training videos and decks, and to host training sessions, live shopping events and to be present at all Tech events to represent Lenovo. Recently, the team was present at ESpot (an event dedicated to gaming and eSports) to present the new Lenovo Legion range.
The retail and e-commerce market is constantly evolving, especially in the high-tech sector. Omnichannel and phygital strategies are therefore essential to improve visibility and profitability by multiplying their contact points. Atmosphères has combined its expertise in the field with digital to enable Lenovo to position itself on numerous channels and to meet the expectations of its various targets.
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