Case Study: Eyüp Sabri Tuncer
The challenges in 2020 brings tradition back!
With the confirmation of the 19th Coronavirus case in Turkey on March 5, 2020, there was a swift and unprecidented increase in demand for disinfectants, soap, and medical facemasks throughout the country - this reflecting what was happening around the world. However, something very unique and authentic to the Turkish culture was also taking place: the spike in demand for cologne.
Eau de Cologne - or the Turkish “Kolonya” - has an alcohol content of 60% or more. The use of this liquid for the purposes of personal sanitation has proved to be an excellent preventative measure in the spread of COVID-19, and has truly been the Turkish superstar of the year!
Long queues were commonplace in front of Eyüp Sabri Tuncer stores, the monobrand retailer of the most well known cologne manufacturer.
Social media was buzzing with playful remarks about the success of the company, musing that the Eyüp Sabri Tuncer Brand would buy Apple, or offering to exchange an iPhone 11 Pro for one bottle of cologne. The humour was indeed a reflection of the increasing seriousness of the pandemic, and in turn, the skyrocketing demand for the product.
As in other areas of the world, a lockdown soon followed limiting social contact and signalling the start of the move to home-office. As people stayed inside, online ordering sites of almost all cologne suppliers were soon out of stock, and those with product could simply not keep up with consumer demand, receiving order volumes 10 times over a typical daily average!
A page out of history
A deep-seated Turkish cultural tradition involves the daily use of cologne for the purpose of handwashing or simply to freshen up. In modern times this tradition lost much of its initial purpose of sanitation and became more of a conscious aromatic choice; producers provided a wide selection of newer, more modern perfumes using a wider fragrance range.
Who is the Brand Eyüp Sabri Tuncer?
Mr. Eyüp Sabri Tuncer opened a retail shop in Ankara in 1923 shortly after the first World War. On a trip to Istanbul he learned how to make cologne and began production in 1930. In the 1960s, after the death of his father, Sabahattin Tuncer went abroad to research perfume production. He went on to develop a unique lemon-scented cologne formula and began with its manufacture.
The Eyüp Sabri Tuncer Brand was the first Brand to bring their own unique cologne formula to the market using raw materials from Turkey.
The Brand now boasts more than 600 different products with a wide range of scents including citrus, lavender, amber, jasmine, and ocean.
In 1994, Engin Tuncer, the son of Sabahattin Tuncer, assumed management of the company. The Brand made a wise decision during the COVID-19 pandemic keeping their prices fixed - which has been highly appreciated and rewarded by their Turkish customers again and again.
All products are currently produced using the latest technology, and the product range is growing outside of cologne, including new sub-brands aimed to position the company as a true Turkish cultural gem. Online sales began in 2007 on their own website, and EST was one of the first cosmetic brands to offer online shopping in Turkey.
The wide product range - including cologne, perfume, personal care, home cosmetics, textile, and spa products - is now also sold in many foreign markets from the EU to the United States, also including Cyprus, Australia, Russia, Dubai, Iraq, Jordan, Bahrain, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Canada. Over 650 different products are currently available.
10 Days to Launch!
Arvato Supply Chain Solutions in Turkey received a call for help on March 12th. It was the perfect situation to implement the flexible plug&play IT system and find a solution for Eyüp Sabri Tuncer as quickly as possible.
A site visit was arranged and Arvato also met with management on March 13th. On March 23rd, Arvato shipped the first orders for Eyüp Sabri Tuncer. All meetings and the entire range of testing was completed via Skype. All physical contact and business travel was avoided due to the preventative measures needed for COVID-19.
Both Arvato and Eyüp Sabri Tuncer believed that this project was a cooperation to support the health of the entire nation. Every person involved made an extra effort to ensure success - particularly those who got the packages out the door, those who sourced materials, received inbounds, completed pick & pack and quality checks, and got boxes shipped. Turkish customers began to place all of their orders on this web shop where they could rely on receiving product in a timely fashion. Arvato continues to manage the supply chain end-to-end from order fulfillment through to last-mile delivery.
Open questions? Please reach out to us!
Michael Schröder
Business Development Manager