Sera: Strengthening the hand of the specialist outlets

“Our products are calculated to enable the dealer to achieve optimum profits”, says Josef Ravnak, Sera managing director.
The company’s aim is to strengthen the hand of the specialist outlets in competition with other forms of distribution. Using the motto “Here comes your salary increase”, Sera presented the objectives of its new offensive at Nuremberg’s leading Interzoo fair. “Our products are calculated to enable the dealer to achieve optimum profits”, stresses Josef Ravnak, the managing director of Sera. The basic principle is: high profit margins multiplied by first-class sales opportunities ultimately equals more cash in the till.
Running in parallel with the trade offensive is an original consumer campaign that is designed to attract attention, with a light and entertaining style that should appeal to the various types of aquarium hobbyists. The aim of this campaign is to encourage interest in aquariums and attract new enthusiasts to the hobby. With the same aim in mind, the company has launched a special photography competition in the garden pond sector, with a long deadline for entries extending up to the end of May 2003. The point of this is that the pond can be a fascinating subject at any time of the year, even in the depths of winter – hence the competition motto, “4 seasons – photograph your pond when it’s at its best”.
Sera opened up its new trade offensive at Interzoo
Much of a retail outlet’s success depends on its point of sale display, and Sera is thus making it a priority to offer the specialist trade professional support in sales promotion. This purpose is served by the company’s new campaign displays. “Sales and income are advanced markedly virtually without incurring any expense with this special campaign”, explains Josef Ravnak. As a special incentive to buy, every pack of “Sera vipan 1000 ml”, “Sera aqutan 500 ml” and “Sera nitrivec 500 ml” now comes with an attractive collectable key-ring in the form of a fish. Three motifs are offered: discus, angel fish and fighting fish. Sera is also giving specialist shops ideas on how to optimize shelf displays to increase sales. Sera states that its simple suggestions for optimizing shelf layout will improve profits virtually without expenditure on the retailer’s part.
Prominence is also given in the company’s policy to an extensive training programme, aimed at enhancing the professional competence of the dealer and enabling the latter to achieve qualitative differentiation from competitors from…