QI've two big promotions in my store next week and have just had shippers, signage, extra product and shelf-edge labelling delivered. Is it necessary to follow promotion instructions to the letter? I don't have the time or manpower to keep promotional shippers filled and the signage looks messy. It feels like I'll be going to a lot of trouble without seeing any more return than if I put the promotional packs onto the usual fixture.
AThere was a time when a promotion was just a way of shifting product volume at a discount to the shopper and to the detriment of a rival brand.
More savvy brand owners know that promotion is no longer just about how much they can sell. They are using sophisticated 'shopper marketing' at a local store level to drive sales and profits.
Big in-store promotions are now more likely to be strategically planned and aimed at your shoppers rather than your outlet. Focusing on anything from targeting non-deal buyers to driving frequency of purchase, or trial and awareness of new products, they help drive overall category value and provide mutual benefits to manufacturer and retailer. However, they also require local shopper and outlet knowledge and in-store activity tailored to shoppers' needs if they're to be successful.
Marketing depends on brands understanding not only the shopping, purchase and consumption needs of their consumers, but also the challenges they face. For example, research for a major oral hygiene brand found that mums were battling to get their kids to brush their teeth. The brand worked with Wal-Mart Asda on promotional in-store signage telling parents that kids would brush 38% longer with its battery-powered product compared with an ordinary tooth brush. This helped shoppers, and traded them up to a more premium product.
Insight and creativity will have gone into developing shippers, signage and shelf-edge material. If you omit a piece of the jigsaw, you could dilute the message - and miss out on sales uplift. In fact, many brands now spend more on 'in-store activation' than traditional advertising - or 'demand investment' and the percentage of volume sold on deal now exceeds 60% of total sales.
If brands have done their homework properly, these promotions will not only offer shoppers a good deal, they will also create the perception that your store can help them to solve problems - meeting their needs and those of their family.
Steve Hildebrand is head of consumer and shopper marketing at Glendinning Management Consultants
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