Use store promotions to boost your retail sales
With such a high percentage of in-store purchases being unplanned and impulsive (up to 60% according to one U.S. study) it makes sense for retailers and brand marketers to try to influence consumers at the point-of-sale. Anyone who has spent time in a supermarket or department store knows there’s already an enormous amount of in-store marketing going on at any given time: product videos; public announcements; posters; banners; floor signs; and a whole lot more. The downside of these, however, is that they’re static and rely on the shopper to (a). take notice of them and (b). engage in an action that will lead to purchase.
That’s why using real people (promoters) to create an in-store promotion that engages with consumers in a positive way can be so successful.
Here are some key points to consider when planning in-store promotions:
- Every in-store promotion should have a clear objective, so ensure you know what you want to achieve before you start. Is the aim to boost sales of a particular product or brand – or is it to create awareness? Do you want customers to sample the product in-store or take something away with them? Maybe you’d like them to enter a competition and provide names and contact details so you can build a database? Or perhaps the idea is simply to create an atmosphere of fun and excitement in the store, with everything else being secondary to that?
- Ensure you clearly communicate these objectives to the staff involved in the promotion. If they need to sell product and can offer discounts in order to achieve this – tell them so. If the prime objective is to get customer contact details for later use – be sure they understand this too.
- Brief the in-store promoters thoroughly on the product or service they are promoting. If they need to have product knowledge, ensure they’re up to speed on the details and that they have access to brochures, ‘cheat sheets’ and other useful information at all times. Clueless promoters reflect badly on the store and on the product – and you certainly won’t achieve your stated objectives!
- Be aware that the benefits of in-store promotions are mainly short-term. You can boost sales or awareness during the life of the promotion, but this will fade away soon afterwards, unless it’s backed up by follow-on marketing activities.
- Offering discounted deals or other special incentives can damage the product/brand’s credibility and profitability in the long-term. If possible, rather try to generate interest/sales by sampling instead of giving discounts.
- Depending on the size and nature of the promotion, you may be able to reduce your costs and effort by involving other non-competing businesses. If you’re having a lawnmower promotion, for example, perhaps you can also involve manufacturers of weed-eaters, hedge trimmers and lawn products.
- Be aware that by promoting one product range or brand, you may be taking sales away from competing products/brands elsewhere in the store.
- Choose your in-store promotion location carefully. Obviously you need an area where there’s lots of foot traffic, but be sure there’s also sufficient space so as not to create a bottleneck which causes irritation rather than interest. Remember that some people may be self-conscious about holding up other shoppers and will simply walk past, even if they’re interested in what you’re offering.
- Have stocks of the product you’re promoting available elsewhere in the store as well. That way, customers who don’t want to feel pressured by your promoters can examine the product at their leisure, in a non-threatening and non-pressured environment.
- Analyse the results. After the store promotion ends, hold an immediate post-mortem with the promotions team while everything is still fresh in their minds. Get their feedback on customer comments and product impressions. Also ask team members how they think such promotions could be improved on in the future – those at the coal-face are frequently more in touch with the reality of the situation than management!
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