You can watch the interview in full here.
Yooji, a baby food brand based in France, is transforming the industry with its small-portion, frozen, and organic, ready-to-cook meals inspired by homemade recipes. Marine Sallenave, Category Manager at Yooji, shares insights into how the brand scaled its operations, particularly in the French Drive circuit, and how Wiser became an essential tool in their growth. For readers in the U.S., similar brands include Once Upon a Farm and Little Spoon, which also emphasize organic, fresh baby food options and serve the needs of busy parents looking for healthy, convenient food options for their children.
Why the Drive Circuit Is Key for Yooji
“We cater primarily to ‘Parenials,’ Millennials who have become parents. They’re very digital and ultra-connected, which aligns perfectly with our brand’s DNA,” says Marine Sallenave. Yooji sells through various online channels, including their website (yooji.fr), home delivery, and the Drive circuit.
For those unfamiliar, the Drive circuit in France functions similarly to Walmart’s curbside pickup or Kroger’s ClickList in the U.S. Customers order groceries online and pick them up at a local supermarket without leaving their car. The service has become particularly popular among young parents, and companies like E. Leclerc dominate the Drive market in France. Drive sales account for over 5% of grocery sales in the country, and it has become a key channel for Yooji’s baby food products.
Sallenave explains why the Drive circuit is crucial for their category: “The infant food category is particularly suited to this channel, with one in four baby food sales made via Drive or home delivery. As a frozen baby product, Drive allows us to be present in three key departments: baby, organic-baby, and frozen.”
Pre-Wiser Challenges
Before adopting Wiser’s solution, managing Yooji’s presence across thousands of Drive locations was a manual, time-consuming process. Sallenave recalls: “Before Wiser, we had to visit each Drive location where we were listed and manually check product availability, pricing, and stock levels. It was a tedious process that took up a significant amount of time.”
Wiser’s store-level price and product availability intelligence offered Yooji a more efficient way to monitor their growing footprint. As their distribution expanded from a few dozen Drive locations to over 2,000 points of sale, they needed a more scalable solution.
Why Yooji Chose Wiser
“When our expansion into the Drive circuit really took off, we evaluated several tools on the market,” says Sallenave. “Wiser stood out because it met our needs and offered a strong return on investment. We were confident that it would help us stay ahead of the curve during a critical growth phase.” Wiser’s solution provided the intelligence Yooji needed to track store-level product availability, pricing, and stock status across their expanding distribution network.
Day-to-Day Use of Wiser
Yooji uses Wiser not just for resolving immediate issues but also for identifying trends and making informed decisions. Sallenave explains: “With Wiser, we can spot gaps in availability or discrepancies in pricing in real-time. For example, at Auchan, one of the largest grocery chains in France, I know we’re supposed to have 15 products available at specific Drive locations. If I see only 12 listed, Wiser helps us pinpoint what’s missing so we can take immediate action.”
This information is invaluable for both internal teams and field reps, who use it to ensure product availability across locations. Additionally, the external data from Wiser lends credibility when communicating with retailers, as it offers an unbiased view of the situation.
Essential During Promotion Periods and Beyond
Sallenave highlights that Wiser is especially critical during promotions: “Wiser helps us track stock levels in Drive locations during and after promotions. If a promotion sells quickly, we can act fast to prevent stockouts. On the other hand, if a promotion underperforms, we can quickly refocus our sales efforts elsewhere.” This flexibility allows Yooji to adjust its field strategy in real time, ensuring that sales reps focus on the most pressing issues.
Beyond immediate problem-solving, Yooji uses Wiser to define longer-term strategies: “We rely on Wiser to make accurate sales forecasts, which in turn help us plan production at the factory level. This level of foresight is crucial as we continue to scale.”
A Favorite Feature: Ease of Access and Category Intelligence
One of Sallenave’s favorite aspects of Wiser is how easily it provides insights into product availability and pricing across Drive locations: “In just one click, I can see where our products are available, what price they’re listed at, and whether any gaps could negatively impact our performance. This kind of real-time category intelligence is a game-changer for us.”
The Impact on Yooji’s Growth
Thanks to Wiser, Yooji has maintained double-digit growth in the Drive circuit. According to Sallenave, the efficiency gained through Wiser has allowed Yooji to remain a leader in this distribution channel, staying ahead of competitors and continuing to grow their brand presence.
The most significant impact Wiser has had, according to Sallenave, is on their overall business management: “We’re better equipped to manage new product listings, monitor prices, and handle stock shortages. Wiser also improves our field execution, helping us prioritize the efforts of our sales reps based on real-time data.”
Sallenave also notes the importance of Wiser’s support: “The Key Account Managers are very responsive. If there’s specific data I can’t pull from existing reports, they’re always willing to help. The level of expertise they bring is invaluable.”
Conclusion
Yooji’s success in the Drive circuit is a testament to the brand’s commitment to innovation, efficiency, and growth. With Wiser’s help, they’ve transformed manual processes into strategic, data-driven actions that continue to drive their success. As Yooji scales, tools like Wiser will remain an essential part of their journey, helping them meet the needs of digital-savvy parents and grow their presence in key distribution channels.
