The growth of e-commerce stores continues to rise, but does that mean that brick-and-mortar outlets should simply fold up their tents? By no means. Clearly, there are a lot of tactics that can get people into a brick-and-mortar location––couponing, FSIs, TV commercials, social media ads, etc. But I’d like to focus on how to leverage in-store marketing to help motivate your prospects once they are inside your store.
A recent study from Point of Purchase Advertising International (POPAI) reveals that in-store purchase decisions are at an all-time high: 76 percent. Here are some things that seem to be driving the in-store decision:
1) Digital Relaxation
Immerse your customers in a relaxing digital environment as much as possible. Create a comfortable sitting area with wi-fi access and a digital theater. Create an in-store babysitting area with fun digital apps. Retail stores that have invested in this technology are reporting an overall 32 percent upswing in sales volume and a 33 percent increase for in-store traffic, according to a report from Info Trends. Check out how the Microsoft Store at your local mall is using live Xbox games to attract people into the store.
2) Upsell Opportunism
Upsell is particularly easy in a restaurant. The waiter can talk up the margaritas. The dessert tray can look tantalizing. The menu photography can feature mouth-watering pictures of delicious appetizers. People come in for a salad and leave satiated with a belly full of upsell. But what about the bar area? This is a big opportunity for upselling customers. And everything is wide open. Take the drink coasters: this is prime real estate to advertise ladies’ nights, happy hours or just promote the fun of drinking, like these TGI FridaysTM coasters do.
3) Mobile Interaction
According to a new report from InReality, 75 percent of customers use their mobile devices when shopping a brick-and-mortar store. Most of this mobile activity is for price comparison purposes. So rather than lose customers to a competitor with a better price, consider instituting a meet-it-or-beat-it policy. Also, make sure you sign up every customer to receive your online coupons and deals.
If you need help maximizing your in-store marketing opportunities, we would love to help. Contact Agency Creative at 972.488.1660.
We are a Dallas advertising agency with expertise in branding.
