TY KU Realizes 600% Uplift in Sales with Tensator Virtual Sommelier

MONTEREY, CA and NEW YORK, NY – September 24, 2014 – Tensator, the world leader in queue management and customer journey solutions, today announced that TY KU, the premier Sake & Spirits company has realized a 600% uplift in sales following the deployment of Tensator’s Virtual Assistant interactive next-generation digital signage at a national retail chain in Monterey, California.

While wine enthusiasts and connoisseurs have been bowled over with TY KU’s Sake, TY KU wanted to attract a broader consumer audience. Getting consumers to try something new is always challenging – and with dozens of beverages for consumers to choose from, attracting and holding customer attention long enough to get them interested in trying something new and different is hard to achieve using traditional signage.

Much like having a friend or an expert that people can relate to for trusted recommendations, TY KU was looking for a way to make a direct connection with retail shoppers in a personal, yet professional way to engage, entice and educate prospective buyers about TY KU Sake.

The Tensator Virtual Sommelier

TY KU turned to Tensator’s Virtual Assistant, an innovative HD projected imaging and audio-visual technology that creates the illusion of a real person, capable of delivering customized messaging. Working together with Tensator’s Customer Journey experts, TY KU identified the exact persona they wanted and developed the script they had in mind for a virtual sommelier. TY KU’s Virtual Sommelier was designed to provide a whole array of deep, rich, and of course, highly visual information about TY KU Sake, covering everything a customer would want and need to know about TY KU Sake – from how the sake is prepared, how best to enjoy various different kinds of TY KU Sake and even recommendations on which food pairings are best with which sake, along with the right temperatures to serve them. The Tensator Virtual Sommelier also included messages for health conscious shoppers to let them know that TY KU Sake is all natural, gluten free, sulfite free and has very low acidity – making it the perfect complement to seafood, sushi and lighter, health conscious cuisine.

600% Sales Uplift within two weeks

Before deploying the Tensator Virtual Sommelier, TY KU Sake sales were flat for six straight weeks. After the first week, TY KU saw an incredible 500% increase in sales followed by a second week of 600% lift.

“There is literally no other form of signage that could have achieved the amazing boost in sales that the Tensator Virtual Assistant delivered,” said Adrian Molina, Brand Communications Manager, TY KU. “Its ability to captivate shoppers is unparalleled. Not only did shoppers stop, look and listen — they bought TY KU Sake — providing us with an amazing 600% lift in sales in the first weeks of deployment. We are delighted with the results of our Virtual Sommelier.”

“TY KU turned to Tensator with the idea that by having a Virtual Sommelier they could engage, educate and inform retail shoppers about all the delicious, healthful benefits and options that TY KU Sake extends,” said Keith Carpentier, Senior Business Development Manager, Tensator, Inc. “In today’s fast paced, noisy world, being able to capture and hold a potential customer’s attention is priceless. We are extremely pleased to have partnered with both TY KU in this innovative deployment which has proven how instrumental and effective the Tensator Virtual Assistant is in driving new sales.”