The Supply Side: Product Connections helps brands bridge in-store, online

Located in Bentonville, Product Connections is a stone’s throw from Walmart’s new corporate campus, which is under construction. There, the full-service marketing firm uses technology to create in-store promotions, demo displays that also link back to online product pages, video and photo content and a suite of services for retailers and brands.

Nathan Stout, senior vice president of client services, heads up the local Product Connections office with over two decades of retail experience at Sam’s Club. Owned by Texas-based WIS International, the agency also has more than 14,000 “brand ambassadors” running in-store demonstrations.

From helping a local coffee brand startup get initial market exposure to creating in-store promotional marketing for a niche snack brand to helping emerging adult beverage brands grow sales and market share, Product Connections works with companies of all sizes.

The Bentonville office is full of displays and marketing materials for dozens of brands that sell to retailers. The company also works with 23 retailers, including Target, Sam’s Club and regional grocery chains like HEB and Harris Teeter, with marketing and in-store product demonstrations. The agency can create in-house branded promotional campaigns that bridge in-store with online campaigns delivered in a week on average.

Stout said the quick turnaround is imperative for seasonal brands. The company website cites a diverse client list from giants like Unilever, General Mills, Procter & Gamble and Tyson Foods to niche brands like McBride Sisters Wine and JoyHouse Coffee of Cave Springs — sold in 11 Walmart stores in Northwest Arkansas and Fort Smith.

A niche snack brand working to grow sales and brand awareness during the Independence Day and summer season sought Product Connections to develop in-store marketing props that linked back to unique digital content for recipes and memorabilia sales. Stout said the brand was working with five companies who could each do one facet of the job, void of a single vision.

“We are a turnkey agency from concept to physical and digital delivery,” Stout said. Our team works with 23 different retailers and understands the differences between selling to each one. That allows us to develop a big-picture view for our clients and provide services that include marketing and promotional materials, digital and video content, brand storybooks, promotional packaging, and in-store demonstrations.”

One large mass retailer sought out Product Connections to help drive more adult beverage sales through curbside grocery pickup. Stout said the retailer had just 2% of category sales in the curbside pickup, which was much higher in-store. Product Connections created a digital marketing campaign linking to the retailer’s website. The team also developed a promotional burlap bag that included product booklets with QR codes linked to videos. The bag and promotional booklets were handed to customers using curbside pickup. According to Stout, the campaign helped the retailer grow category sales for adult beverages through the pickup channel.

“Our sweet spot is that we do everything in-house and can provide a quick turnaround to clients,” Stout said. We have worked with some of the largest consumer packaged goods brands selling into retail on various projects, like designing and making promotional gift boxes for special occasions like back-to-school or holidays. But we are just as excited to help niche players and new brands grow and compete for market share.”

He said Product Connections’ goal is to recognize the skills gap and know how to bridge it with marketing that comes to life inside of stores. Stout said that using digital marketing, virtual engagements and experimental media, Product Connections aims to create awareness of a product before it hits stores, then raise the product profile significantly in-store to convince consumers to purchase.

Scott Benedict, an affiliate partner with retail consultant McMillanDoolittle in Chicago, said retail is omnichannel, and bridging store and online marketing is critical for brands who want to be seen by the most shoppers. He said retailers like Walmart and Ulta had prioritized omnichannel because they know most discretionary in-store purchases start online with consumers browsing, checking prices and comparing their options.

“Brand marketing also has to be omnichannel; retailers are starting to expect it, and that is not going to change based on what I saw and heard at the Consumer Electronics Show [in January] in Las Vegas,” Benedict said.

Stout and three partners started the agency in 2017 with a tiny office in Bentonville. The agency has morphed into part of the larger privately-held WIS International, based in Dallas. Stout oversaw in-club product demonstrations at Sam’s Club for Shopper Events for almost five years. He spent a year at Crossmark as the vice president of the Sam’s Club team. WIS International acquired the business in early 2020, where Stout served as vice president of sales and client services. In 2021, the company became Product Connections, and he became senior vice president, a position he still holds.

Stout said the local agency employs about 10 people in marketing, video, and photography roles, with a few others in Chicago. He said the company plans to bring everyone in the marketing arm under one roof in Bentonville. WIS International also employs 25 shopping marketing groups that work inside retail stores. Other services WIS International offers include retail inventory, in-store merchandising, space planning for remodels and new stores and sales analytics.

Editor’s note: The Supply Side section of Talk Business & Politics focuses on the companies, organizations, issues and individuals engaged in providing products and services to retailers. The Supply Side is managed by Talk Business & Politics and sponsored by Firebend.