Mark Cox, CEO of Coop Channel Islands said: “Graystone Strategy has been pivotal to the success of Coop Mobile. The team’s industry knowledge was invaluable in the complex wholesale commercial negotiations, and the design of a robust business case and operating model. Without their skills we would not have delivered such a disruptive brand in market.” David McGrath, Chief marketing and membership officer for Coop Channel Islands adds: “We set out to create a mobile brand that is significantly different and gives our members even greater value. Graystone’s team uncovered critical insights that shaped our proposition around a simple, digital experience and rewarding members for their loyalty. There’s no doubt their expertise helped us select the right partners, and make the right commercial decisions needed to launch a successful challenger brand.”
Mark Cox, CEO of Coop Channel Islands & David McGrath, Chief marketing and membership officer
The Channel Islands Coop is a pan-island cooperative society and retailer serving the communities of Jersey and Guernsey. As it is a cooperative, the society is owned by its 125,000 members. The Channel Island Coop operates 45 retail premises across the Channel Islands including large format supermarkets, convenience stores, filling stations and pharmacies.
Business Challenge
Having successfully bid for a mobile licence in the Channel Islands, Coop Channel Islands was ready to move into the ‘build’ phase of Coop Mobile. It’s goal; to launch a challenger MVNO in a duopoly market with the aim of driving competition and creating customer choice.
Specific criteria would form the core of the proposition development. It needed to be
- significantly different to what was already on offer in the market
- easy for customers to understand why Coop was a good alternative to the incumbents
- easy for customers to join and overcome inertia
- easy to sell in a fast-moving supermarket environment
- reinforce the Coop’s values
Following Graystone Strategy’s involvement in securing the licence and wholesale deal, it was reappointed to support Coop in the design and launch of the new Coop Mobile proposition and create a go to market strategy that would maximise the opportunity and deliver the technical elements that would differentiate Coop Mobile in the market.
The Solution
Graystone Strategy deployed a multi-disciplinary team across commercial, proposition, project management, technical and go to market. After initial analysis it was clear the market was ripe for disruption.
There was also plenty to build on, from using the retail network for sales, through using membership perks as a ‘pull’, to creating a fully digital journey that could be used to activate a SIM and manage an account.
Further market analysis and customer research was conducted, which uncovered some valuable insights. People didn’t feel their loyalty was rewarded, long contracts annoyed them, and they didn’t like paying for things they didn’t use, like roaming.
This insight was used to shape the Coop Mobile offer, which is like nothing else in the Channel Islands. Coop Mobile customers subscribe to a monthly plan with no obligation to stay. There are four plans to choose from, each offering a different amount of data, and all include unlimited text and calls as standard. Customer can auto-renew their plan and change their plan if they want to. Roaming is something customers can add when they need it. And if they want more data then they can buy that too.
But the biggest stand out reason to become a Coop Mobile customer is a 10% discount on shopping each month, valid when a Coop membership number is linked to a mobile account. Altogether, this makes Coop Mobile affordable, flexible and rewarding.
Graystone managed the project end to end, including delivery of all the wholesale mobile contracts with Sure, the commercial pricing and business case, and all the technical telecoms elements. The team worked closely with internal Coop teams on technical integration and customer experience and marketing.
A best-in-class OSS/BSS provider was appointed to develop the simple subscription offer, with Graystone overseeing development to ensure it had an intuitive digital journey that makes it easy to get a SIM, activate a SIM, and manage the account.
Graystone also managed the introduction of a handset proposition with a partner who specialised in refurbished handsets. This not only helped Coop leverage its sustainability credentials but made handsets more affordable to families managing a budget.
Alongside this, Coop and Graystone developed an additional travel eSIM solution to give better value to Coop customers who travel abroad more frequently.
Outcomes
Coop Mobile launched to great fanfare with island-wide outdoor and print advertising, online and social media advertising, radio partnerships and press coverage. Several stores now boast Coop Mobile concessions and customers love the personalised service they receive. Customers also love how easy it is to join and manage their monthly spend and link their membership card.
The early sales figures are testament to the detailed analysis done to shape a proposition people want. Coop Mobile is now rated as the ‘best buy’ for mobile by Jersey comparison sites.
Graystone strategy will continue to support Coop Mobile as its brand evolves, driving campaigns and high levels of customer satisfaction.