Reigniting a Channel Network to Drive Market Share Growth

The challenges were significant and layered.

The business had undergone an ownership change while competitors were actively running their own incentive programs. Maintaining customer confidence and association with the program's established equity was critical.

The previous program had been highly successful, raising expectations for what came next. A six-month gap between programs also created a real risk of purchase drop-off that needed to be addressed strategically.

The customer base was highly varied, from large pool builders to small independent retailers, each with different purchasing cycles, seasonality considerations, and relationship structures with Astral Pool.

Designing a program that was fair, motivating, and commercially effective across all of them required genuine strategic thinking, not a one-size-fits-all approach.

There was also a reward challenge. Astral Pool wanted Chile as the headline destination, but the budget could not stretch to 80 trip places on a single long-haul journey. A creative solution was needed.

EVT developed a holistic channel incentive strategy under the theme Hot Sales, Cool Rewards, a name built around the two incentive destinations and carried through every element of the program's creative identity.

Two parallel programs ran simultaneously: one for independent customers and one for Poolwerx franchise partners, each with mechanics tailored to their specific relationship with Astral Pool.

Independent customers were segmented into volume-matched groups to ensure fair competition, with quarterly targets that accounted for the seasonality and project completion timelines of the pool industry.

The reward challenge was solved with a dual-destination structure. Chile was positioned as the top-tier aspirational reward for the highest achievers, while Thailand was equally well executed and communicated as a compelling second-tier trip.

A Trip Credit currency system drove behaviour across the full product range. Customers earned credits for all purchases and for hitting quarterly targets, with promotional product bonuses each quarter directing focus onto specific ranges.

A loyalty bonus structure was also implemented to maintain purchase momentum during the six-month gap between programs.

Communications were central to the strategy. EVT managed monthly personalised result letters to every participant alongside a series of destination teasers built around the program theme.

A standout creative element was a monthly chilli seed campaign, with actual seeds mailed to participants alongside cooking recipes, creating a talking point that kept the program front of mind in homes and businesses across the country.

A dedicated toll-free HQ number handled queries and reinforced the sense of an active, accessible program team.

Internal sales people were briefed monthly on how their customers were tracking, creating alignment between the field team and the program and driving performance culture from inside the business outward.

62% of participants achieved their targets, despite targets being set higher than anything previously achieved in the program.

Sales grew by 9.1% compared to the previous program period, above client expectations.

Poolwerx franchise customers achieved 35% growth throughout the program.

The program delivered a 138% return on investment, demonstrating that the program investment was significantly outweighed by the commercial returns it generated.

The program strengthened Astral Pool's position as an industry leader, deepened customer loyalty across the network, and cemented its reputation as the best incentive in the category.

The program continued to attract new customers to the Astral Pool network and led directly to the commissioning of a further program for the following year.