Sushi Shop, the communication secrets of Europe's leading sushi delivery company!

Sushi Shop's success can be attributed to communication focused on the exceptionality of its products and an optimal customer experience.With 202 million in sales in 2018, Sushi Shop has established itself as the leader in sushi in Europe, despite strong competition competition.

Founded in 1998 by Grégory Marciano, Hervé Louis and Adrien de Schompré, the sushi restaurant chain is the European leader in its field, with over 160 stores in 12 countries, and sales of 202 million euros, more than half of which comes from online orders delivered to customers. In 2018, the sushi restaurant chain was acquired 100% of its shares by the AmRest group, head of more than 1,650 restaurants (KFC, Pizza Hut and Starbucks), for 240 million euros. This acquisition enabled the brand to grow through a variety of channels, including its online presence. Its marketing has gradually developed towards greater personalization, with a particular focus on customer service. At the same time, Sushi Shop has strengthened its brand message, focusing on quality and exceptionality. Here's a look back at a 100% premium communications strategy.

The perfect customer experience

One of the reasons for Sushi Shop's success is its focused, personalized customer experience. At the sushi leader, the customer is pampered.

The success of the Come In loyalty program

To maintain top-notch customer service, the brand has developed a loyalty program called Come Inloyalty program, which already had 45,000 member customers when it was launched in 2015 and accounted for 15% of takeaway orders. This entirely dematerialized program (a membership number is given by the cashier on the first visit to the customer, who then activates his or her account) operates on two levels: a 5% prize pool and personalized offers (birthday, new card preview evening, Box London offered to VIP customers, etc.). The development of this loyalty program has greatly helped Sushi Shop to build customer loyalty and limit losses due to growing competition in the sushi market. The group has thus been able to maintain its sales. Loyalty program members will naturally prefer your brand to those of competitors with no loyalty program, or with a less attractive program. This is a wise choice for Sushi Shop, all the more so as building customer loyalty through a loyalty program effectively develops word-of-mouth. Loyal customers who are attached to your brand are more likely to tell others about you.

Targeted marketing campaigns

Another advantage of this program is that it has enabled Sushi Shop to gather information on its customers and enrich its CRM ("Customer Relationship Management", i.e. all the marketing and support measures and operations aimed at optimizing the quality of customer relations, building loyalty and maximizing sales or margin per customer). By using the program registration form and linking it to purchases made, Sushi Shop has been able to move more towards a segmentation strategy and thus better target its promotional offers and marketing campaigns. To create and maintain a bond with its customers, the group uses a pop-up window on its website to send promotional alerts directly to their computer or tablet. In addition, an e-mailing is sent out no more than twice a month. What's on the agenda? Promotional offers accompanied by invitations to quality events, such as free tickets to exhibitions at the Petit Palais, one of the brand's partners. Sushi Shop's strength? To offer an experience that goes beyond the taste buds, and to create exceptional moments.

A complete local service

The other pillar of its exceptional customer experience is local service. Delivery is undoubtedly its greatest asset. Free of charge, with a promise of delivery in less than 30 minutes, it has won over the hearts of its customers. This proximity has been complemented by the new Click & Collect service, which allows customers to choose the time at which they wish to collect their box. With a boom of 51%, this distribution channel is taking over from delivery, according to a study by NPD Group. No wonder Sushi Shop has opened its Click & Collect service!

Efficient online support

In other words, flexibility and time savings are Sushi Shop's watchwords. These services wouldn't be possible without well-honed online support. The site is regularly updated to offer customers the smoothest possible user experience. In the after-sales service section, the site directly anticipates customer requests. If the customer is looking for information, he won't have to follow an endless path to find it.

Exceptional collaborations

Sushi Shop's brand message is characterized by two strong principles: quality and authenticity. The product is enhanced by the brand's collaborative campaigns throughout the year.

Boxes designed by chefs

To defend the superior quality of its sushi, the brand has teamed up with the great names of French gastronomy, including Joël Robuchon, Jean-François Piège, Thierry Marx and Cyril Lignac. The concept? To offer a box of original recipes created by renowned chefs. In this new year of 2020, it's the turn of Frenchie's Michelin-starred chef, Grégory Marchand, to sign the new Sushi Shop menu. This new collaboration showcases 5 regions of the world. From the Mediterranean to Scandinavia and Asia, Grégory Marchand renews the classic sushi!

Packaging designed by artists

Sushi Shop goes beyond taste, offering an aesthetic created in close collaboration with trendy artists such as Kenzo, Lenny Kravitz, Kate Moss and Crain & Kar. The sushi boxes are co-branded with the artists. Sushi is presented as an objet d'art, and enters the category of exceptional products. Most recently, a very colorful campaign was imagined with the artist Monsieur BrainWash.

In addition to the brand message, Sushi Shop can take advantage of the notoriety of the artists and chefs with whom it collaborates. It's an excellent way of raising brand awareness and visibility. In the restaurant sector, Sushi Shop is a true pioneer of Influence Marketing.

A strong aesthetic

A coherent graphic universe

Over the years, Sushi Shop has developed its graphic signature. Today, its DNA is automatically recognizable. Its graphic identity is based on clean, elegant visuals. The logo is a perfect example: the lines of the fish are as clean as possible, and the two predominant colors are black and beige. This graphic identity is reflected in all its non-consumable materials. From the kraft paper bag to the store front, everything is branded " made in Sushi Shop". The brand offers a coherent graphic universe, enabling it to become firmly rooted in consumers' consciousness. In addition, Sushi Shop does not hesitate to call on graphic agencies to promote its new collaborations. The latest campaign with chef Mauro Colagreco was promoted by delicate, poetic graphic creations imagined by the Ruche&Pollen agency.

This graphic approach allows Sushi Shop to present itself more as a quality restaurant than a sales and delivery outlet. In fact, many of Sushi Shop's graphic creations have now been turned into videos. In the latter, the focus is on kitchen gestures. Not an insignificant choice. Sushi Shop is developing an image as an accomplished sushi master. A final advantage of Sushi Shop's graphic creations is that they are perfectly suited to being shared on social media, particularly on Instagram, where graphic quality is paramount.

social media, showcasing premium Sushi Shop quality

On both Facebook and Instagram, the unique gastronomic experiences offered by Sushi Shop are enhanced by a meticulous graphic and editorial universe, conducive to sublimating the refinement and quality of the products. This strategy is proving extremely effective, with Sushi Shop's Instagram profile now boasting 45.2K followers, and its Facebook following no less than 202K. This strategy takes the opposite approach to that previously established. Before 2019, the tone was less formal, emphasizing moments of sharing around sushi (with friends, at home in front of the TV, as lovers, etc.). The photos were of lesser quality, but generated excellent engagement rates. This change of strategy testifies to Sushi Shop's dynamism and its desire to continually renew itself in order to arouse the interest of its community.[caption id="attachment_8672" align="alignnone" width="743"]

Instagram posts in 2018[/caption][caption id="attachment_8649" align="alignnone" width="945"]

Instagram posts in 2019[/caption]

Engaging with customers

To establish a close relationship with its customers, each statement is formulated in such a way as to build a genuine exchange. For example, the group recently highlighted the different profiles of its consumers with the veggie and Rock & Roll teams.Come as you are", sushi style!

Facebook, a strong local footprint

Finally, the brand is banking on Facebook to consolidate its local footprint. Each Sushi Shop boutique has its own establishment page in addition to the official one. These pages are useful directories for the Sushi Shop community, as they provide updates on store news. For the teams, Facebook can be used as an after-sales tool, as they can receive and process customer feedback quickly. In short, Sushi Shop places customer service at the heart of its marketing strategy. Every effort is made to ensure that its community enjoys a personalized and successful customer experience. This excellence is reflected in the brand identity, which the group continually reinforces through exceptional collaborations with chefs and artists. The result? Sushi Shop maintains its number-one position in the European sushi market. Did our Sushi Shop study inspire you? If you have any questions, or if you'd like some help with your restaurant's communications, please don't hesitate to contact our team. We look forward to hearing from you: O'tacos, Mob Hôtel, Burger King, Big Mamma.