Procter & Gamble detergent brand Tide has extended its reach beyond the traditional whole-sale retail model by launching a laundry service.
Tide Cleaners has installed pick-up and drop-off lockers in apartment buildings, offices and stores across eight US cities. Customers can pre-pay through the Tide Cleaners app and then place their laundry in a pick-up locker. Tide representatives will then clean their laundry using special product formulations and the customer will receive a message when their clothes are ready to pick up from the lockers of their choosing.
Customers pay $1.59 per pound of laundry, but this reduces to $1.24 with a monthly plan.
The launch repositions Tide in consumers’ eyes, and it also means that the brand now directly owns the relationships with its customers. This, alongside the added value the service offers the customer, is a clear attempt to avoid becoming commoditised; to offer something that own-brand laundry detergents can’t. If traditional advertising for FMCG brands loses its impact with customers, initiatives like this will be a crucial new tool for them to stay front-of-mind.
A spokeswomen for P&G said: “As people are looking to outsource everyday things, there’s an opportunity to bring Tide’s experience into this space.”
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