While online marketing gets all the attention, 80% of customer shopping still takes place in stores. It’s important for retailers to understand how to use in store marketing to their advantage.
Using in store promotions and merchandising techniques to increase sales is a time-honored retail tactic. The most successful strategies are those that provide customers with a memorable experience. For example, providing product samples or holding a demonstration helps consumers to connect with your products in a way that goes beyond just selling them. This kind of marketing is also effective at generating social media engagement.
Another common in-store strategy is to promote special prices or bundled services. This is especially effective at capturing impulse buys near checkout. For example, a well-placed poster or product display promoting the latest winter coat or a discounted service that includes an oil change and tire rotation will grab the attention of customers with their proximity to the cashier.
The four Ps of marketing – price, place, promotion and product – are essential to the success of any business, but retail marketers need to be sure that they work together to generate customer trust and brand loyalty. In addition to ensuring that a business is competitive in price, it’s also important for them to show that they are reliable and trustworthy – with a clean, well-organised store and slick EPOS process, for example.
In addition, it’s important for businesses to use localised in-store marketing – for example, adding the name of a local town or city to a product display – to create a sense of relevance to the consumer. Moreover, it’s vital to keep the lines of communication open between head office and in-store teams to make sure that the business is on the right track with their marketing strategies.