Mountain Hardwear, a leading outdoor apparel and equipment brand, faced significant challenges in their go-to-market (GTM) strategy. Their traditional methods of managing sales contests, learning initiatives, and merchandising checks were cumbersome and inefficient, hindering their ability to engage with retail sales associates effectively. Does this sound familiar to you and your brand?

Challenges Faced by Mountain Hardwear

1. Educating Sales Associates: The need to ensure sales associates were well-informed about their products was a constant struggle.
2. Organizing Sales Contests: Simplifying and effectively managing sales contests was another significant pain point.
3. Visibility and Measurability: They lacked proper visibility and measurability for sales contest results and point-of-purchase (POP) display effectiveness.
4. Reach and Engagement: Reaching out to a vast number of sales associates and building strong relationships with them was nearly impossible with limited resources.

The process involved distributing discount cards and PowerPoint presentations, with reps visiting sales associates’ door-to-door. This approach was inefficient and often resulted in missed opportunities and unmeasured outcomes. Kelly Caccamo, former Marketing Manager at Mountain Hardwear Canada, highlighted the chaos and inefficiency of this traditional method, stating, “It was always kind of a mess. When the contest ended, you never really had any idea if it went well or not, or if it helped to increase sales.”

Adopting Sales Enablement Tech to Drive Engagement and Brand Loyalty

Mountain Hardwear’s adoption of ENDVR, a digital retail sales enablement platform that helps brands drive sell-through and brand engagement via our mobile app and direct connection to sales associates, brought a transformative shift in their GTM strategy. Here’s how ENDVR addressed their challenges:

1. Sales Incentives: Instead of relying on traditional discount codes and SWAG, Mountain Hardwear implemented frequent learning campaigns on ENDVR. Sales associates who completed these campaigns were rewarded with cash, discounts, free products, or prizes. This new approach proved highly engaging, driving immediate and enthusiastic participation from sales associates.
2. Visual Merchandising Checks: ENDVR enabled Mountain Hardwear to track the effectiveness of their POP displays effortlessly. They could request and receive pictures of fully built in-store displays from multiple locations, allowing for quick assessments and adjustments.
3. B2B Customization: ENDVR’s platform allowed for customized campaigns tailored to specific retail partners and stores. This personalized approach was highly appreciated by store owners and significantly boosted sales.
4. Learning Missions: The user-friendly interface of ENDVR made mission building and launching accessible to users of all skill levels. Detailed campaign results and easy navigation of the platform facilitated data-driven decision-making and justified their investment in ENDVR.

Kelly emphasized the impact, saying, “There’s just no easier way to engage retail staff with your brand and then give them sweet rewards for doing it. If you are in wholesale marketing and you don’t use ENDVR, you’re missing out huge. It will help in so many ways. It will make your job so much easier!”

Enhancing In-Store Sales for Your Brand

Mountain Hardwear’s partnership with ENDVR exemplifies how embracing innovative solutions can enhance a brand’s GTM strategy. By addressing their core challenges and streamlining their processes, Mountain Hardwear significantly improved their reach, engagement, and overall sales performance in retail stores. 

For brands looking to elevate their wholesale marketing efforts, ENDVR offers a seamless and impactful solution, take a peek at our 3 minute demo reel to see how you can get instant visibility into your wholesale channel spend.

To learn how ENDVR can help your brand drive sell-through and brand engagement via our mobile app and direct connection to sales associates, for real-time impact, have a chat with one of our team members today.