POP Display Success Story: How Rhino Global Solutions Helped Carnivore Meat Company Generate New Sales and Land More Customers

A chance meeting between Jerry Smith of Rhino Global Solutions and executives at Carnivore Meat Company led to the company generating new sales and landing additional retailers for their Vital Essentials Raw Bar line of dog snacks.

Thanks to the collaborative work put in by Rhino and Carnivore to re-imagine and completely re-design its POP displays, the Raw Bar line of products has become a dominant force for the company and set a new standard of expectation for the industry.

According to Nick Ebert, Chief Commercial Offer at Carnivore Meat Company, the Vital Essentials Raw Bar line of products is a key differentiator in their overall product offering and sets Carnivore apart from the industry and what quality looks like in treats and snacks for pet.

How It All Began

The Rhino team stumbled upon Carnivore Meat Company at a trade show and saw the first-generation free-standing display rack it had at its booth. Taking a quick look at it, they pointed out some design improvements that could be made, which were opportunities Carnivore had internally identified as needing to be fixed.

Since the Rhino team is quite "tenacious" as Nick pointed out, they kept coming back to take measurements and look at different angles of the company's current display. "They really went way over and above, in terms of trying to get a real sense of the use of the product and the function design of the POP display, understanding what type of square footage we have to work with in a retailing space," he said.

That display rack at the trade show worked in terms of design, but had some stability opportunities. It also didn't rotate as well as Carnivore wanted it to, which served as a deterrent for customers in stores.

Time to Get to Work

Within three weeks of the trade show, Rhino came back to Carnivore with design recommendations and even had schematics drawn up. They took it to the next level, Nick said, making a prototype from the design and then getting it into final production.

He was especially impressed with the team Rhino Global Solutions works with in China for its materials. "The group Rhino works with in China is just awesome," he said. "They take a look at every angle, and take every measurement so you know what you're really working with."

Carnivore ultimately chose to switch their POP display to Rhino's design , and they're currently on the third iteration of the display.

The Results

Nick and the team at Carnivore are extremely pleased with the results of the POP display Rhino created for them. "I've been at trade shows where we have customers who have come up to us and tell us it's the most functional and profitable display they've put in their store,” he said.

Stores that had Carnivore's first-generation display and saw Rhino's version were so impressed that they decided to keep both. Today, the Vital Essentials Raw Bar display is so popular that Carnivore uses it as a selling point for new retailers.

Nick points out that across the company's entire database of retailers, about 50% to 60% have the in store today and most have transitioned to the design that Rhino created. Every month, the company is placing about 30% of all new net stores with Vital Essentials Raw Bar racks, which equates to about 30 to 50 new accounts per month.

Beyond just the new retailers they are bringing on board, the current Vital Essentials Raw Bar racks also carry more products. The basket sizes were increased in the latest iterations of the POP display, allowing Carnivore to almost double the holding capacity of the display.

Why the Rhino Raw Bar Racks Work

Nick says there are many reasons why the Vital Essentials Raw Bar racks that Rhino designed for them work.

One of the top factors is the space they take up. The latest version only takes up about 20 square inches. This means retailers don't have to dedicate significant linear space for the rack, which is a problem they were running into with earlier versions.

In addition, the compact design also allows the Raw Bar rack to be placed anywhere in the store -- from the end of a checkout counter, to the center of an aisle, to an open space in front of the store. That's a huge advantage not only for Carnivore in terms of getting into new retailers but also in selling more products once the rack is placed.

The 360 design of the Raw Bar rack wasn't unique in terms of retail POP displays, but it was for pet retail, Nick added.

It also created a sensory experience for pets who came into stores with their owners. Because of the lower level of the Vital Essentials Raw Bar rack, a lot of larger dogs can sniff the products out right away.

Many pet owners have told Carnivore that their dogs go right to that lower level. And once the owner sees how interested the pet is in the product, "they're more apt to pick it up, put it in the car, take it home and try it," Nick said.

Why Working with Rhino Was a Great Fit for Carnivore

The Rhino team certainly doesn't rest on their laurels. They constantly check in with the team at Carnivore to make sure everything's going well. They've been good advocates in making sure Carnivore understands the price side of things, helping to navigate them through some of the logistics of it.

Nick adds that the Rhino team is also very transparent with them, making sure there are no hidden fees or surprises along the way. "What we haven't seen, what you see with a lot of vendors, is Rhino doesn't just come back for the PO," he said. "More than anything else, it's the follow-through that we have with our account executive that's been consistent."

The Rhino team is always working to fix any problems that Carnivore might have with a specific POP display, its delivery or design, and they're always enthusiastic about generating new ideas. This speaks to the integrity of Rhino Global Solutions, Nick says, since they work hard to make things right.

What the Future Holds for Carnivore

The Vital Essentials Raw Bar POP displays truly helped define rapid growth for Carnivore Meat Company, Nick said. Now, the company is using the racks to get full linear placements in stores.

As for future plans, the company is always looking for new and different products to put in the Raw Bar, looking at higher-end items and looking to integrate them into packaged items for sale at independent pet retail stores. It's important, Nick said, for the team to always be innovating.

"The longer you stay in the slow lane or neutral, the faster people pass you," he said. "That's not really part of our corporate culture at Carnivore.”

To learn more about Carnivore Meat Company, visit carnivoremeat.com .