March, 2017 | International TCG Summit

Choose and apply for nominations (you can apply to one, two or all three awards)

Category Specialist Award Technology Innovation Award Sustainability Award

Category Specialist Award

During the past year dominated by the pandemic, have you, as a Category Specialist*, impressed your retail partners through outstanding cooperation or performance? How would you describe this extraordinary achievement?

This could be share increase within the respective category, margin achievement, on time delivery and in full despite the challenges of the pandemic, professional collaborative forecasting, jointly aligned activities across all sales channels (online/in-store/social media), product innovation, or sales growth, etc.

*We define Category Specialists as brands which are typically active only in one specific category (i.e. not across multiple categories) or even only in a subcategory. Appliances (MDA, SDA) or CE (TV, Audio, Photo) are considered as one category. Category Specialists can often be trendsetters.

Technology Innovation Award

Over the past year, which of your brand’s innovations enabled your retail partner to demonstrate a new technology to shoppers in a way that really excited them?

This could be any innovation: a feature, a product, new product design or the creation of a whole new category. It could also be the reinvention or shifting of a whole category, e.g. creating higher value for the whole category.

Sustainability Award

The TCG retail industry is increasingly conscious of its environmental responsibilities. It is clear that consumer and legislative pressures are also building and are encouraging or even forcing businesses and manufacturers to take dramatic steps to improve sustainability. This category focuses on cutting-edge innovations and strategic solutions that are starting to deliver positive and significant environmental improvements and/or social benefits.

Over the past two years, has your company started or implemented a game-changing innovation or initiative? Can you demonstrate leading environmental improvements in areas such as emissions, consumption of natural resources, waste and recycling or people benefits along the value chain?

Retailer Award

In a year dominated by the pandemic, shutdowns and strong consumer behaviour shifts, can you as a retailer* demonstrate real use cases of innovation? In which ways did you successfully adapt your business model?

Examples:

Shift to a mobile-first strategy. Store network became extended arm to online (‘One Retail’)
Real-time video call feature with a sales associate who is physically in a store
Possibility of in-store appointment (app-based)
Drive-In (contactless curbside pickup of online orders)
Fast product delivery (stores partly used as DCs)
Punctual delivery to customers (precise delivery window)
Switch to paperless documentation (warranties, invoices, contracts etc.)
Any other meaningful innovation along the customer journey or value chain

*Tech retailer: click & brick retailer, pure player or pure player physical stores for both brand and service purposes

Cart

John Coulter, Group Trading Director, AO.com

Application for:

Category Specialist Award

Technology Innovation Award

Sustainability Award

Retailer Award