Weber makes barbecuing better with PORTICA

Ingelheim / Kempen. Weber-Stephen is igniting barbecue fans’ passion: the inventor of the original kettle barbecue is providing fan packages and barbecue books for customers who buy certain products this season – and PORTICA is helping. The full service provider for IT, logistics and finance has successfully implemented a large-scale sales promotion for Weber with 40,000 participants.

In order to increase sales of barbecue briquettes, Weber is sending a special-edition barbecue book to every customer in Germany and Austria who purchases two bags of Weber Long Lasting Premium Briquettes by the end of August 2014. To claim the book, customers send their receipt and the two charcoal bags it references, together with the participation certificate available in stores, to a dedicated postal box operated by PORTICA. There, the data is captured by the online management system PORTICA wcm (WebCampaignManager). This solution then produces labels and – working together with PORTICA erp – starts the shipping process. PORTICA has stocked its cutting-edge warehouse with 50,000 copies of the books, so that they can be sent to participants right away.

Employees can also use a dedicated hotline to PORTICA wcm, which stores participants’ data in a central location and provides support for customers who call the hotline with queries about the processing state of the documents they have sent in, or about the promotion itself. “This means our employees are able to provide information with just a few clicks of the mouse”, explained Marcus Dassen, head of sales promotions at PORTICA. An extensive range of reporting functions make detailed evaluations possible.

PORTICA also scored points for flexibility. Although Weber originally planned just one campaign, the full service provider was also able to smoothly implement a second related promotion using the same system. In this promotion, Weber gave a fan package to all customers who bought a branded barbecue on a specific day, including a guide to the World Cup, a football and a Weber football shirt. PORTICA stored the fan packages and sent them to customers who sent in the purchase receipt together with a participation card.

All of this means that this season, Weber was able to promote sales of both briquettes and barbecues. Customers received suitable grilling accessories, and PORTICA is very pleased to have supported one of the leading barbecue brands in forging lasting customer relationships for the 2014 barbecue season.

About Weber-Stephen:
The USA-based company Weber-Stephen Products LLC (based in Palatine, Illinois) produces high-quality charcoal, gas and electric barbecues and barbecue accessories. In 1952, George Stephen revolutionised the age of barbecuing by inventing the Weber kettle grill. 60 years later, this family-owned company and its products have long held cult status and are always looking for new ways to improve high-end gourmet barbecuing. Excellent barbecuing accessories and outdoor equipment, as well as high-quality charcoal, complete the company’s product range for professional grilling. Weber’s products are represented in specialist outlets, furniture shops, DIY stores and department stores worldwide. A diverse programme of seminars – held at many attractive locations around Germany – with high and still-rising visitor numbers: The “Weber® Grillakademie Original”, the first grilling academy for end-users in Germany, is a real success story. Weber® grilling masters offer a variety of courses containing tips and tricks for the perfect barbecue experience. For information, and to register, visit www.weber-grillakademie.com. For more information: www.weber.com.

About PORTICA GmbH Marketing Support:
PORTICA is one of the German market’s leading B2B and B2C process service providers, optimising IT, logistical and financial processes for over 40 years. The company serves clients in many industries and handles hundreds of projects each year for e-commerce, advertising media logistics, sales promotion and business process outsourcing. The company’s focus is on the efficient handling of processes using a combination of logistics, information and finance management. PORTICA is part of te Neues group together with the IT service provider GEDAK and the printing company te Neues. PORTICA is a member of the Deutscher Dialogmarketing Verband (the German Dialog Marketing Association) and a member of the Bundesverband E-Commerce und Versandhandel (the Federal Association for E-Commerce and Mail Order Selling). For more information please visit the websites: http://www.portica.de and http://www.ecommerceservices.de

Editorial Contacts:
PORTICA GmbH Marketing Support
Markus Ramirez
Von-Galen-Str. 35
47906 Kempen, Germany
Phone: + 49 2152 915-192
Fax: +49 2152 915-100
mramirez@portica.de

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Bianka Boock
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23617 Stockelsdorf, Germany
Phone: +49 451 88199-21
Fax: +49 451 88199-29
Bianka@goodnews.de