A Great Marketing Success - T&T Supermarket

Credit: T&T Supermarket

There are numerous stories and case studies about successes in business.  The story of T&T Supermarket should be included.  For the past 10 years, my wife and I have regularly taken a two-hour drive from our Seattle suburb in Lynnwood to Richmond, B.C., to enjoy excellent Chinese cuisine and to shop at T&T Supermarket.   Since first learning about this successful supermarket in Canada, we hoped that it would one day be in the Seattle area. 

Today, this is a reality, and what a statement they have made in the community.  Their first store opened in the bustling town of Bellevue on the east side of Lake Washington in November 2024.   It had hour-long waiting lines of shoppers every day for over 3 months.   Their second store opened on November 13, 2025, in our Lynnwood neighborhood.   As I reflect on their success in the Seattle market, it is worthwhile to highlight some basic sales and marketing principles that led to this day.

EXCELLENT and EFFECTIVE Public Relations:   I vividly remember the opening of their first store in Bellevue.   Like us, many Seattleites were already familiar with this brand from visiting Richmond, B.C., and thus, when news of their impending opening was announced, it was received with great excitement and anticipation.   The PR campaign began many months ahead of opening, and T&T became the talking point within the community, especially with Chinese and Asians.   The powerful impact of their PR was immensely enhanced by the strong word of mouth from those who were familiar with the brand.  It was incredible to hear highly animated conversations about T&T in restaurants, malls, and anywhere people gathered.  The anticipation was riveting.  If it wasn’t a household name, it quickly became one.  Everyone was talking about T&T.   They overwhelmingly proved the power in word-of-mouth publicity.  It was a positive third-party endorsement.

Advertising:  There was an advertising campaign in print and on social media.  However, it almost seemed as only supplemental because of the enormous success through the very genuine publicity already generated.

Find a Need:  People buy because they have a NEED.   Over their years of history, T&T found the needs of their customers and continued to find new ones.  Whether it was a Peking duck, their signature mango cake, or any of the other specialties in their food court, fresh produce, or frozen items, these were the needs of their audience.   Having found their needs, they sourced or created products that fill those needs.  That is  basic sales 101: “give them what they need and they will buy.”

Perception of a Need:  People also buy because they have the perception of a need.    For the hundreds that stood in line just to get into the supermarket, they may not have had a need, but they had a perception of a need that motivated them to be there and to buy.   They entered and came out with a full shopping cart. Now they are a customer.  Perception is powerful.

T&T did an excellent job pre-opening to promote their brand, build desire, demand, loyalty, and an urgency to buy.   From already loyal patrons who knew T&T, they developed new patrons with equally strong loyalty to the brand, all of which created a sense of urgency to buy.   For over three months since the opening, the Bellevue store has executed much-needed crowd control measures to support the shoppers as well as the store.   How many supermarkets do you know that have hour-long waiting lines for shoppers to enter and require crowd control?

T&T did not disappoint its faithful followers, and its base continues to grow larger and stronger by the day.  It is not surprising that this strategy was repeated for the second store in Lynnwood, and the results are equally as promising.  There is no doubt that as they expand in America (with Multiple stores in California set to open soon), they will employ this proven strategy to enter the market and succeed.

It is marvelous to see a business gain such prominence in the market in such a short time.  They understand their customers and the market.  Their communications are targeted and effective.  Their PR is sensational.  They should be recognized for their marketing and management prowess.

How are you marketing your product and yourself?