DURHAM, N.C. & DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--To meet evolving consumer preferences for frozen products at the point-of-sale, Phononic, Inc., a global leader in solid-state cooling and heating technology, has partnered with Mars to deploy its innovative solid-state merchandising freezers at approximately 1,500 Circle K retail convenience stores in 14 regions across North America, kicking off the 2021 ice cream season.
Building off of a successful year-long pilot in the Southeast region that saw a significant increase in incremental year-over-year ice cream sales, U.S. consumers positively responded to the availability of their favorite frozen treats directly at the point-of-sale. With its stable of world-recognized brands, including M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, and TWIX®, Mars is now uniquely positioned to leverage Phononic’s sustainable solid-state technology to drive sales of their leading ice cream novelty brands by increasing visibility at check-out. Convenience stores are now able to better leverage valuable point-of-sale real estate because of solid-state advantages where traditional refrigeration was previously off limits due to the constraints of incumbent vapor compression technology – allowing retailers to more efficiently monetize their existing footprint.
“At Mars, we work tirelessly to understand our consumers’ evolving needs and adapt to them,” said Chantal Templeton, General Manager Ice Cream US at Mars. “We see this partnership with Phononic as an outstanding opportunity to showcase our premiere frozen novelty brands right in front of consumers in the most sustainable and disruptive merchandising platform available.”
With its compact countertop design and near-silent operation, Phononic’s solid-state F200 Merchandising Freezer is uniquely designed for frozen impulse products at point-of-sale, offering food brands a higher-profile impulse purchase and retailers the ability to maximize sales by revitalizing the most lucrative space in the store. Given evolving consumer habits, this prime location is now paramount.
According to the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), the average convenience store visit lasts only 3 to 4 minutes. Customers select their purchase of choice in just 71 seconds. Facing unparalleled speed of transaction averages in comparison to other food retailers, it’s unsurprising that the majority of merchandising and foodservice sales for c-stores are generated from items located at the front of the store, such as novelty ice cream and candy. The checkout counter is prime real estate – the more high-margin products retailers can offer on the countertop, the more opportunity for impulse buys and increased sales.
“Phononic could not be more excited to partner with Mars, a company that shares our desire to disrupt the status quo, witnessed by their innovative approach to rethinking point-of-sale,” says Keith Lewis, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Phononic. “A recent survey that we conducted of 1,000 U.S. consumers found that 67% purchase frozen groceries on impulse. Moving these items to the checkout counter has made these impulse purchases much more likely, and we expect consumers will respond with delight at seeing Mars’ premiere ice cream novelty products front and center.”
For more information on Phononic’s sustainable refrigeration technology, which uses just CO2 and water as a refrigerant instead of harmful hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and opportunities for licensing, visit: phononic.com/license-with-phononic.
About Phononic
Phononic, Inc. is an innovator of semiconductor cooling solutions that sustainably displace antiquated mechanical incumbents. The Company's thermoelectric chips and fully integrated products are used in micro cooling (5G/Optoelectronics/LiDAR applications); fulfillment (food storage, curbside pick-up and delivery); and licensed to leaders in the life sciences & healthcare, food & beverage and climate control sectors. Phononic’s innovations are revolutionizing the way people work and communicate, how retailers and grocers merchandize and deliver food, how life-saving vaccines and drugs are protected, and how houses and buildings are cooled – setting a new global standard of efficiency and sustainability. For additional Company and product information, please visit www.phononic.com.
About Mars, Incorporated
For more than a century, Mars, Incorporated has been driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. This idea is at the center of who we have always been as a global, family-owned business. Today, Mars is transforming, innovating and evolving in ways that affirm our commitment to making a positive impact on the world around us.
Across our diverse and expanding portfolio of confectionery, food, and petcare products and services, we employ 133,000 dedicated Associates who are all moving in the same direction: forward. With $40 billion in annual sales, we produce some of the world’s best-loved brands including DOVE®, EXTRA®, M&M’s®, MILKY WAY®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, ORBIT®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, SKITTLES®, BEN’S ORIGINAL™, WHISKAS®, COCOAVIA®, and 5™; and take care of half of the world’s pets through our pet health services AniCura, Banfield Pet Hospitals™, BluePearl®, Linnaeus, Pet Partners™, and VCA™.
We know we can only be truly successful if our partners and the communities in which we operate prosper as well. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire our Associates to take action every day to help create a world tomorrow in which the planet, its people and pets can thrive.
For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.
