TYKU and a Leading US Pharmacy Chain See 600% Lift in Customer Sales

TYKU, Dedicated to Sake Excellence

TYKU, the premier Sake & Spirits Company brings authentic, best in class Japanese Sake and Soju products to consumers while educating them on the inherent health conscious benefits of these beverages. TYKU has been honored with numerous professional and industry awards and accolades and has been actively looking for retail opportunities to help spread the word and increase its US sales and visibility. TYKU partnered with a leading US retail pharmacy chain in a trial offering targeting the local demographic at the Monterrey, CA store.

Challenge – Boost Awareness & Sales

While wine enthusiasts and connoisseurs have been bowled over with TYKU’s Sake and Soju offerings, getting consumers to try something new is always challenging. With hundreds of beverages for consumers to choose from, it is a challenge to attract and hold customer attention long enough to get them interested in trying something new and different. Much like having a friend or an expert that people can relate to, to make a recommendation, TYKU was looking for a way to make a direct connection with shoppers in a personal, yet professional way to engage, entice and educate prospective buyers about TYKU Sake.

Solution – The Tensator Virtual Sommelier

TYKU 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 and promotions Working together with Tensator’s Customer Journey experts, TYKU identified the exact persona they wanted and developed the script they had in mind for their Virtual Sommelier. TYKU’s Virtual Sommelier was designed to provide a whole array of deep, rich, and of course, highly visual information about TYKU Sake, covering everything a customer would want and need to know about TYKU Sake — from how the sake is prepared, how best to enjoy various different kinds of TYKU Sake and even recommendations on which food pairings are best with which sake, along with the right temperatures to serve them. An important message that really resonated well with health conscious shoppers was learning from the Virtual Sommelier that TYKU 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.

Benefit – 600% Sales Uplift

Before deploying the Tensator Virtual Sommelier, TYKU Sake sales were flat for six straight weeks. After the first week, TYKU and the leading retail pharmacy chain saw an incredible 500% increase in sales followed by a second week of 600% lift. The Tensator Virtual Assistant has paid for itself  and is continuing to educate and inform customers about TYKU’s delicious, and good for you Sake.