Frontline Bathrooms has introduced its biggest retail customer incentive to date, an all-expenses paid trip to St Lucia

Yorkshire-based Frontline Bathrooms has frequently developed ideas to improve its customer service, acquisition and retention. And with over 5,000 stockists throughout the UK, they can rightly claim for them to have been successful. In recent years the company has introduced a 5pm cut off for next day delivery, Saturday opening, online 3D planner, extensive product offering and dedicated customer service. Now it has introduced its greatest initiative to date Aquaescapes – a reward scheme which offers its retail customers the opportunity to secure a 5* all-inclusive luxury holiday to St Lucia with one guest. Frontline’s sales and marketing director Michael Sammon explains: “Aquaescapes has been developed in order to reward our loyal customers and thank them for their ongoing support. We are always working hard to provide a fantastic offering for all our customers and have been recognised by the industry for our proactive approach to sales and service, but we wanted to go beyond this in order to create a scheme to give something back to our valued retailers and merchants.” He continues: “The current market is obviously unpredictable, especially with a snap general election and Brexit negotiations taking place, leading to currency fluctuations and a general feeling of unease. Therefore, we’ve launched the Aquaescapes scheme with the aim of improving sales and generating increased loyalty to the Frontline brand.”

Time to enter

Billed as once in a lifetime, the Aquaescapes promotion offers a range of activities which are free in the resort; from scuba-diving to golf and beach volleyball, in addition to fine dining restaurants and bars, which are all included in the package. Renowned for the trade winds, St Lucia is well-known for water sports such as paddle boarding, windsurfing and kayaking, while reefs which encourage marine life see snorkelling and scuba diving as popular activities. However, for customers who are more culture vultures, the island provides colonial-era architecture and brightly painted wooden storefronts, as well as the opportunity to sample local goods, from clothing and accessories to spices and the Caribbean’s famous export… rum!

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Michael Sammon adds: “We truly believe that this reward scheme is a unique package offering a once in a lifetime experience, and St Lucia is definitely proving to be a popular destination with an overwhelmingly positive response from customers in the first month alone. The holiday is worth over £10,000 per couple and the sales targets that have been set are the same across the board to ensure that they are fair, realistic and achievable. All targets are based on the previous year’s spend with Frontline and range from £50,000 for the all-inclusive break to £100,000 for an exclusive first-class experience. Plus, with no limit on the number of places, we guarantee to take every customer that manages to achieve their targeted spend.”

It’s not surprising the incentive scheme has already attracted over 50 new customers with a projected uplift in sales of approximately £1.5m. In fact the distributor reports it has already surpassed expectations with Aquaescapes having attracted more than 700 registrations. However, Frontline is keen to point out that it’s not too late for those who may be interested in the target-driven scheme as registrations can still be completed at www.frontline-aquaescapes.co.uk/lateregistrations

Down to details

So how does it work? Once accepted to the scheme, each entrant is allocated three separate tiers to reach by the end of 2017: VIP (£50,000 target), Platinum (£75,000) and Diamond Guest (£100,000). By hitting the initial target, entrants will qualify for the holiday as a VIP, which includes return flights with Virgin Atlantic and transfers to the Sandals Grande St Lucian resort, with a luxury double room on an all-inclusive board basis. The accommodation will feature a patio or balcony with views of beautiful Rodney Bay, the resort’s gardens or the pools, with the interior featuring a king-size bed, seating area and a flat screen TV.

But for retailers looking to up the ante with an even bigger challenge, the second tier of the incentive has the ability to grant Platinum Guest status, which includes all the benefits of a VIP Guest alongside some additional extras. The experience will begin with a flight upgrade to premium economy, where guests will be provided with a dedicated check-in, priority boarding and a pre-flight glass of bubbly. But the perks don’t stop there. On arrival at the hotel, guests will be offered a Club Level room, which includes a fully stocked bar and concierge service plus access to the private Club Sandals Lounge. What’s more, a complimentary bottle of champagne will welcome them on arrival, as well as $100 in spa vouchers.

However, to further up the ante retailers can aim to reach the highest target level to become a Diamond Guest. Customers will begin their experience in the exclusive Clubhouse Airport lounge before boarding the plane into their own suite, which transforms into a full bed accompanied with sleep suit with duvet and pillow. They will be able to use on-board WiFi to keep connected throughout the flight and offered a menu of hot and cold dishes with desserts, cheese board and port.

At the resort, Diamond Guests will be provided with a deluxe room with a private balcony, a fully stocked bar, Club Sandals concierge service, and access to the private Club Sandals Lounge. They will receive a complimentary bottle of champagne alongside $200 in spa vouchers and the opportunity for an excursion, such as a trip to one of the national parks covering the rainforest and waterfalls, the iconic Rodney Bay in the north or Soufrière in the south: a region of old plantations, hidden beaches and volcanic Pitons.

To check on their progress, from VIP to Diamond Guest, Frontline has provided every Aquaescapes trade customer with a log-in to a dedicated portal and personalised dashboard which tracks sales. It is updated daily to ensure the most accurate data is available. In addition, customers will also have access to special offers and continued support throughout the scheme, with the company’s continuing focus on consumer brochures and launch of a raft of new products.

Products support sales

One of Frontline’s hallmark ways of supporting the retailer has been brochures which are produced twice a year and promoted to the consumer to drive footfall to its stockists around the UK. Its latest brochure features 444 pages of products, including its first monochrome freestanding baths, complementary black designer shower enclosures and matching black brassware. But the company has looked to extend its offer beyond its traditional bathroom portfolio, and offer 360° interior design solutions. It has seen the recent introduction of a range of accessories, which includes shelves, hangers and benches and tiles in ceramic and porcelain. And mirroring the trend for bathroom lighting to be fashionable as well as functional, Frontline now also supplies a range of decorative bathroom lighting from boutique chandeliers to retro spotlights to complement both period and contemporary looks. But that’s not all. Frontline additionally supplies bathroom technology including 24” bathroom TVs and an Elite Music System for the higher end of the market.

Frontline believes its brochure support, latest product launches and expansion of its portfolio will all help retailers taking part in Aquaescapes to reach their targets. Could it be you that makes a great escape next spring?