At the campaign launch, Grubby sent four field agents out to speak with commuters at Waterloo and Liverpool Street Stations in London as well as a small residential area to talk face-to-face with the residents. A few months later, 80 agents were working across the UK, and the campaign’s best week brought in 1,553 sales.
It was an unusual move for a young subscription brand that had just raised more than £920,000 on Crowdcube. Most consumer brands chasing growth put more money into ads, influencers and email. Grubby, the UK’s first 100% plant-based recipe kit, took its acquisition face to face instead, through Credico UK’s network of independently owned field sales businesses.
Below, we look at how the channel was tested, why the offer worked so well in short conversations, how productivity held up as the team grew twentyfold, and what other consumer brands can take from it.
The Challenge: A New Brand Needed Scale, Fast
Grubby launched in 2019 into a meal-kit market that was already getting crowded. Its fully plant-based offer set it apart, and by May 2021 the business had raised more than £920,000 through Crowdcube, beating its £720,000 target.
The funding was an important milestone, but it also created pressure to grow. Grubby needed more subscribers and visibility beyond the customers who already knew the brand.
Digital advertising could help, but reaching people was only part of the challenge. A relatively new subscription brand also had to explain what made it different and give customers enough confidence to sign up. That’s hard to do with a banner ad.
The Solution: Testing Face-to-Face Field Sales
Grubby decided to test face-to-face customer acquisition alongside its existing digital activity.
The first campaign combined door-to-door conversations with teams at busy London commuter stations, including Waterloo and Liverpool Street. New customers were offered 25% off their first four orders.
Instead of launching a large national campaign straight away, Grubby started with 4 agents from Credico UK’s partner network in May 2021. The test had to show that in-person conversations could bring in subscribers consistently, that results could be measured, and that the model would hold up as the team grew.
The early results gave Grubby the confidence to keep expanding.
The Offer Behind the Numbers
The offer did more work than it might seem. For a subscription business, getting someone to place one discounted order is only part of the job. The long-term value comes from customers who keep ordering after that first box.
Spreading the discount across four deliveries gave new customers several weeks to get to know the service before paying full price. That’s far more useful than a one-off discount that attracts people for a single box.
The offer was also easy to explain, which matters when a field agent may only have a few seconds with someone walking through a train station. “25% off your first four orders” is understood almost immediately.
From 4 Agents to a Nationwide Operation
The four-person test grew into a campaign that ran for more than two years, through to 2023. At its peak, the figures looked like this:
- Team growth: from 4 agents to a peak of 80
- Peak weekly sales: 1,553 sales in the best week
- Daily productivity: 2.8 to 3.0 sales per agent, per day, held consistently
- Geographic reach: from two London commuter hubs to nationwide UK coverage
The productivity figure is the more telling number. A small pilot often performs well because the team is tightly managed and everyone is focused on proving the idea. Holding 2.8 to 3.0 sales per agent per day after growing the team twentyfold is much harder, because recruitment, training, coaching and quality control all have to keep pace.
Grubby’s productivity held steady as the programme moved from a small London test to a national operation.
The Results: Sales and Awareness at the Same Time
Putting people in the field did more than bring in subscriptions. Every doorstep and station conversation also introduced someone new to Grubby. Even people who didn’t sign up met the brand in a more memorable way than scrolling past an advert.
The field campaign also held its own against Grubby’s digital acquisition. In strong periods, it matched or exceeded the volume coming through online funnels.
Grubby didn’t have to choose between the two. Online channels gave it reach and the ability to engage large audiences quickly. Field teams added a real conversation, the chance to answer questions and a more personal introduction to the product. The campaign showed the two channels doing different jobs within the same growth strategy.
Wider research backs up the value of field selling. SPOTIO’s 2026 State of Field Sales report found that 73% of field sales teams had grown revenue over the previous year, and one in three field sales managers said more than 70% of their team was consistently hitting quota.
Why Face-to-Face Worked for Grubby
Three things made Grubby a good fit for face-to-face sales.
First, it was still an unfamiliar brand. Customers were being asked to commit to a recurring purchase from a company they might not have heard of.
Second, the product benefited from explanation. “100% plant-based recipe kit” gives the basic idea, but a conversation lets an agent explain how the service works, what arrives in the box and why someone might choose Grubby over another meal-kit company.
Third, the audience was easy to reach in person. Busy commuter stations gave agents access to large numbers of potential customers in predictable places at predictable times, and door-to-door work opened another route into relevant households.
Not every direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand will get the same results, and face-to-face sales won’t suit every proposition. But brands selling something that needs a little explanation, relies on repeat purchases or benefits from personal trust may have more reason to test the channel than they think.
How the Scale-Up Was Managed
Going from 4 agents to 80 takes much more than finding another 76 people. A national field campaign needs recruitment, onboarding, coaching, supervision and quality control, and that structure has to grow at the same pace as the sales team. For a growing company like Grubby, building all of that internally would have been a major undertaking.
Instead, the campaign ran through Credico UK’s national network of sales partners. These businesses already have experience recruiting and managing field sales teams, so Grubby could increase activity without building the infrastructure itself. Its own team stayed focused on the product, customer experience and fulfilment while the field operation grew around it.
This is how the outsourced sales and marketing model works. A brand doesn’t have to become a specialist field sales employer to test field sales, because the infrastructure comes from businesses that already work in that space. Campaigns can then grow when the numbers justify it, without the brand committing to a large permanent team from the start.
Key Takeaways for High-Growth Consumer Brands
- Start small, then scale. Testing with four agents let Grubby prove the channel before committing to a larger rollout, and productivity held as the team grew to 80.
- Face-to-face suits considered purchases. Conversations are especially valuable when customers are being asked to sign up to something recurring.
- Field and digital work together. One campaign delivered measurable sales and brand awareness, alongside Grubby’s online acquisition.
See More Results From Our Network
Grubby’s campaign is one example of how brands have used Credico UK’s partner network to grow customer acquisition. You can find more examples across a range of sectors on our case studies page.
Considering a Field Sales Trial for Your Brand?
If you’re wondering whether face-to-face acquisition could work alongside your existing marketing, our partnerships page explains the outsourced sales and marketing services available through Credico UK’s partner network. Or get in touch directly to talk through what a trial campaign could look like for your business.
FAQs
How long did the Grubby field sales campaign run?
The campaign launched in May 2021 with 4 agents and ran for more than two years, through to 2023. In that time it grew to a peak of 80 agents and moved from a London trial to nationwide UK activity.
What made face-to-face sales effective for a DTC subscription brand like Grubby?
Grubby was asking customers to sign up to an ongoing service, not make a one-off purchase. That gave agents the chance to explain the product, answer questions and build confidence before someone committed. The campaign also ran in places where large numbers of potential customers could be reached directly.
Is field sales only useful for brand awareness, or does it drive conversions?
Grubby’s campaign did both. Its best week generated 1,553 sales, and the wider field activity introduced the brand to thousands of people through doorstep and station conversations.
Could a similar field sales trial work for other consumer brands?
It’s especially relevant for brands offering a recurring or considered purchase, products that benefit from explanation, or propositions where talking to someone helps a customer decide. Credico UK can assess your proposition and advise whether a field sales trial makes sense before a larger campaign is considered
