There is more to retail in-store marketing than meets the eye. In fact, effective in-store marketing should be multifaceted yet subtle enough to establish a subconscious emotional connection between your customers and your brand. This is how brand loyalty and recognition is ascertained. Many companies have the misconception that their primary target audience should solely consist of returning and new customers, but there are a few other key factors that are also involved.
Investing in Your Employees
While it is always important to maintain customer satisfaction, the first step to cementing customer loyalty and return business is to treat your employees as if they are your valued customers. Employees are the face of your brand, and if they genuinely enjoy working for your company, they will be more compelled to encourage customers to exhibit brand loyalty as well. Brand loyalty is twofold:
1) the customer has to like your product;
2) employees must establish a professional yet friendly relationship with customers.
Customers will oftentimes not only keep purchasing products from the same brands, but they also have preferred store locations they want to support as a result of the excellent customer service they experienced. Of course, modular displays do still have a huge impact when it comes to facilitating sales yet not necessarily in the obvious manner.
Signage for in-store marketing campaigns is probably more helpful for employees than they are for customers. While they do attract customers to your store, they usually just give the signs a brief onceover, whereas they serve as guidelines for employees to comprehend and memorize current retail promotions in their store. Keeping your employees informed of sales through the use of print signage is a surefire way to support them and guarantee their personal success, which will ultimately contribute to the overall success of the brand.
Positive Customer Experiences
Knowledgeable, friendly, and enthusiastic employees are the essential for positive customer experiences. Keep in mind that not every store location is the same and that your store should celebrate and cater specifically to those factors that make it unique. Show your customers that you understand their needs and desires by enhancing their personal experiences in each store. Offer them specialized loyalty programs that adhere to your customers’ personal preferences or promote point-based rewards to keep them coming back for more. Effective in-store marketing entails in depth market research for what interests most customers in each specific store location. Make every customer’s visit to your store special by asking non-invasive probing questions to understand what it is they are looking for and then provide them with the best possible customer service based on the information they provided.
Eye-Catching Visual Merchandising
There is nothing quite as alluring as walking into your favourite store and being mesmerized by all of the delightful decorations, whether they are seasonal or a regular part of the store’s décor. Many customers are blissfully unaware that they are experiencing a clever, eye-catching visual merchandising and marketing campaign. Items are strategically placed at the front of the store or at the cashier so that customers are forced to see them as they walk in or as they are waiting to cash out. Part of providing excellent customer service is to keep your store tidy and organized so that customers can easily navigate through the sections and find the products they are looking for. If they happen to pick up a few extra items along the way, then that is the result of very clever product placement and it is a bonus for your store. This is where signage for in-store marketing campaigns is very important in order that customers can swiftly locate the products they need.
Interactive Campaigns
Interactive campaigns will engage customers in your business. They create a fun, lighthearted, and enjoyable atmosphere that will compel your customers to give their business to you willingly. You can use modular displays to push retail promotions through easy and entertaining interactive games, colourful print signs, and even by handing out small incentive gifts with every purchase of a minimum dollar amount. All of these efforts make a big difference in enhancing and contributing to retail in-store marketing campaigns.
Resource Integrated Ltd. is a Richmond Hill-based, boutique-style production firm that specializes in printing, retail fixtures and displays, data-driven communications, as well as logistics and installation. For more information on how we can help your company create an effective in-store marketing campaign, please contact us at (905) 771-3773.
