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Ben & Jerry’s Mixes Innovation and Multimedia with Peace, Love and Ice-cream

Announcement posted by Mave 23 Jul 2014

SYDNEY, Australia – July 23, 2014 – Super-premium ice cream and sorbet chain - Ben & Jerry’s - has selected Task Retail Technology (TASK) and its xchangemedia™ multi-platform and digital design technology for its national multimedia project and digital signage rollout.
 
The project is being implemented to assist in increasing sales across Ben & Jerry’s national store network. It will give Ben & Jerry’s the option to automate and tailor menu boards to specific store locations and customer preferences, as well as grow awareness for Ben & Jerry’s broadening product portfolio of chillers, shakes, smoothies, sundaes and dessert offerings.
 
“We offer a wide variety of products in addition to our cups and cones. In fact we sell over 100 menu items” said Adrian Di Tonto, national retail operations manager for Ben & Jerry’s Australia. “When customers come into the store they look at two things, the menu boards and the ice-creams. We knew we had to build visibility and awareness of our more premium products without overwhelming customers with in-store posters and crowded menus.”
 
Ben & Jerry stores have fluctuating foot traffic numbers throughout the day and as a result the brand is looking to find the right balance between promoting its high margin super premium ice-cream products and its more niche offerings at different times of the day.
 
“The functionality of the TASK platform to rotate different offers throughout the day, such as after school treats or after dinner dessert options, has meant we can promote what the customer desires at the time they are most likely to purchase,” said Di Tonto. “It’s a subtle but impactful change.”
 
In addition to day part rotations the xchangemedia platform can also customise menus based on each store’s physical layout, however as the design and digital display was built out of head office, brand and messaging remains consistent.
 
“We have the ability to update promotions, menu items and product placement across every store nationally in a matter of minutes. This dynamic feature of the TASK technology means we can enhance customer experience and influence buyer behaviour in real-time. Ultimately, every customer that enters the store we aim to provide an unmatched experience and give them a reason to return,” said Di Tonto.
 
According to Di Tonto the decision to partner with TASK was a collaborative process including business leaders, marketing and product teams, operations and IT. Ongoing innovation, features updates and reliable support services from TASK has also ensured the partnership is built on trust.
 
“The opportunity to work with such a reputable brand as Ben & Jerry’s is an exciting one,” said Dean Houden, head of digital design and marketing at TASK. “TASK is committed to partnering with Ben & Jerry’s to achieve their operational and marketing objectives. We are constantly refining design and functionality to deliver better results and look forward to a long and successful relationship with this outstanding brand."
 
About Ben & Jerry’s
Back in 1966, in a school gym class, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield found they hated running but loved food. Years later in 1978, armed with a $5 correspondence course in ice cream making, they opened their first scoop shop in a dilapidated gas station in Burlington, Vermont. The duo soon became popular in the local community for the finest all natural ice cream. Ben had no sense of taste so he relied on what he called ‘mouth feel’, so big chunks of chocolate, fruit and nut became their signature. While they disagreed at times over the chunk size, they did agree that they wanted to enjoy themselves – as Jerry put it ‘If it’s not fun, why do it? In the early days the boys were pretty bad at bookkeeping. After two months they closed the store and hung a sign that said ‘we’re closed to figure out whether we’re making any money’. And they weren’t. But they learned a lot and by 1979, began wholesaling pints of ice cream out of Ben’s VW campervan. The rest, as they say, is history.
 
Ben & Jerry’s values:
Ben & Jerry's aims to make the best possible ice cream, in the nicest possible way. Using business as a tool for social and environmental change is just as important as sourcing the finest ingredients to make ice cream. So wherever possible, Ben & Jerry's sources ingredients from producers and suppliers who share similar values, such as only using cage free eggs to produce all our delicious flavours in Australia.
 
About Task Retail Technology
Task Retail Technology (TASK) is a provider of innovative, transaction-based solutions to customers across the Retail, Hospitality, Casinos, Hotels and Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) industries. TASK’s award winning xchangexec™ suite of software delivers tangible, commercial benefits to its customers through an array of integrated solutions including point-of-sale software, business intelligence reporting and analytics, mobile application development, multi-media content design and CMS, interactive hardware and professional services. Winning innovation and a strong focus on customer service has driven TASK’s cross-industry and international growth, including expansion into New Zealand and USA. For more information visit www.taskretailtechnology.com.
 
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