Like Oberalp, Schöffel has decided to hold its first virtual sales meeting because of the coronavirus outbreak. The family-owned German company quickly created an extensive program with product presentations, video contributions, webinars, discussions and live broadcasts across national and continental borders. The venue for the digital sales meeting, which was held in German and English, was the Textile and Industrial Museum of Augsburg, a city not far from Munich. A total of around 100 participants from 12 countries took part in the event. Schöffel’s products were the central focus. Digital “working sessions” were held with the participants to communicate the brand idea, areas of application and unique selling points. Schöffel provided photo and video material produced prior to the event in the Austrian Salzkammergut region. Participants were able to discuss the products in individual sessions after the presentation. In the past, a classic fashion show had always been an important part of Schöffel’s sales meetings, so the company built a 7-meter long “white box” especially for this purpose.Schöffel sees several advantages in digital sales meetings, including a higher quality of contents and presentation as well as greater control over program sequences. The material produced has a modular structure and is designed to support physical and online retailing both in the sell-in and sell-out phases. In addition, a digital meeting can bring together all participants – including designers in various European countries and employees in Asia – in a flexible and ultimately sustainable way. A video in German is available on the website of our Outdoor Industry Compass.
