How can Burt’s Bees react to COVID-19?

ROLE: I worked on a team of 5 as part of the ANA x Clorox Company case competition. We were given a prompt that asked us to pitch a new product release designed to meet a consumer need that arose during COVID-19. My role was researching and planning the sales strategy, as well as potential liability concerns.

PROBLEM: Traditional CPG sales formats of B2B2C may be impacted by the pandemic and the uncertainty regarding long term changes means that there isn’t a clear sales strategy for a new product

TASK: Conduct qualitative research to unearth key insights in regards to how COVID will affect consumer behaviour, and how Burt’s Bees should sell a new product.

RESEARCH:

  • U.S. retail and food services sales declined by 16.4% in April 2020, while online CPG shopping has increased by 58% since the start of the crisis

  • 42% of people are doing in-person shopping at drugstores to avoid big retail stores

  • 49% more people are expecting to make purchases of household supplies, groceries, and personal care products online post COVID-19

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STRATEGY: In person shopping has taken a hit that it might not fully come back from. Burt’s Bees should focus their efforts towards online retail and establishing a bigger presence on Amazon, as well as Wal-Mart and Target’s websites. I also felt that there was an opportunity to move Burt’s Bees towards a Direct To Consumer brand and step out on it’s own considering the lifestyle aspect of their products.

CONCLUSION: My team came up with a spray that addresses the maskne problem many people, especially in healthcare have faced. We had a successful pitch and while we didn’t win the competition, the opportunity to work with a great team was a great experience and I grew a lot by stepping out of my comfort zone and taking on the sales strategy component of the project.

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