Combine in-depth information about buying behavior with key insights into shopper psychology and decision making, and you have an effective shopper marketing strategy. This isn’t a new technique, but advancements in technology and the blend of in-store and online commerce makes it even more important and complex than in the past.
Innovations in shopper marketing align with the ever-increasing desires of more involved and savvier consumers. They focus on empowering the first product glance and nurturing the entire shopping experience until the ultimate decision to buy occurs.
Before diving into how marketing professionals in the retail industry can improve the buying process, take a moment to understand what shopper marketing is at its most basic.
What is shopper marketing?
Instead of focusing on individual sales, this marketing approach involves the entire customer journey and their experience with the brand in general. It starts with the first awareness of a company’s product or service and follows through all the way to a sale. It is highly specific to the individual’s shopping behaviors and buying decisions. In order to work well, the shopper marketing strategy must use a lot of collected and carefully analyzed data to drive decision-making and efforts.
This isn’t about approaching a shopper with a special offer, although that can be a part of an effective marketing model. Instead, it’s about analyzing behavior during the in-store or online shopping experiences and taking action that improves it to encourage more sales. It leverages collected data in ways that benefit everyone: the shopper, the store, and the stakeholders.
The top 10 tactics explained
Engage shoppers from the start, improve the overall customer experience, and influence purchasing decisions with these ten shopper marketing options.
1. Point of sale in-store materials
Signs and other display items associated with target products or special offers can enhance the shopping experience. Place them strategically near shelves, racks, at the entrance, or near the check-out area to catch attention and share important information. Point-of-sale materials affect the decision-making process at the end of the shopping cycle.
2. Product samples and demonstrations
This shopper marketing tactic invites browsers to interact with the items they might find valuable. Hands-on experiences and visual merchandising techniques often affect consumer behavior. Instead of ‘you touch it, you buy it’ heavy-handed techniques, create a sensory-rich environment that reveals the exact unique selling point of each item: delicious, luxurious, convenient, comfortable, or feature-rich.
3. Store design, ambience, and environment
The entire retail environment contributes to customer engagement and comfort levels with the brand itself. What kind of experience do you want them to have and, more importantly, what is the exact impression you want them to draw from your brand? A thoughtfully designed store guides customer flow, inspires their emotions, and makes them feel more valued and catered to. This includes everything from color choices to artwork, background music to scents wafting through the air.
4. Sales associate behavior
Shopper behavior often mirrors that of the associates who serve them. Friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive employees with proper training provide a more personalized experience and form closer attachments to the brand itself. This goes beyond the ability to upsell or cross-sell effectively. The human element becomes an important part of overall shopper marketing tactic as long as it’s unique to the individual and focused on value.
5. In-store promotions or contests
Keep shoppers interested with dynamic opportunities to get more from their visit than a potential new product. These work well in fun-spirited atmospheres, but also provide impetus to browse longer or buy in the most high-end locations. Target them to desired consumer behavior, and only offer them for a limited period of time.
6. Phygital displays and tech integration
The integration of tech and classic shopping experiences affects all types of marketing. Before and during the buying process, phygital—a combination of physical and digital—displays and systems boost engagement with the brand.
7. Omnichannel social media focus
Not only should your brand present a cohesive, engaging identity on social media, encouraging interaction from shoppers makes things more exciting. Word of mouth advertising can start as soon as a consumer gets interested in your products. Use as many marketing channels as makes sense for your target demographic. Make sure the people browsing with their phone in hand have the opportunity to interact with your brand positively both online and in-person.
8. Geo-targeted messages
This is simpler for physical stores because you may not have location information for ecommerce shoppers who first come in contact with your products or brands. As soon as they interact, you can gather IP address details or other data to help. Use displays, messages, or interactions specific to the location, points of interest, community events, or specific preferences.
9. Chatbots or live chat options
Shopper marketing eases and encourages the progression from noticing a product to buying it. People have questions, and a chatbot or live shopping assistant can answer them. Imagine the power of a virtual personal shopper in a luxury retail establishment. Today’s AI smart systems use individual shopper insights to make recommendations, too.
10. Augmented reality options
Virtual kiosks, touchscreen displays, or integrated apps that allow the shopper to try out clothing on their photo or new furniture in their home without leaving the store boost engagement in a big way. The ability to see how the product will affect their life specifically eases them along the path to a purchase. It also makes a great impression of the brand’s level of customer care.
Marketing strategies use key insights from the customer journey
None of these techniques will work if you don’t first know your shoppers’ interests, behaviors, and what fuels their decisions. All of this relies on the use of a powerful customer relationship management and data-tracking and analysis platform, like Clientbook. Not only does essential tech collect information along the entire customer journey, but it also gives smart recommendations that retailers can use to improve every aspect of that experience.
Shopper marketing campaigns get stronger, more personalized, and more effective. Shoppers online and in brick-and-mortar stores make faster, more enthusiastic purchases and a great appreciation and connection to the brand. No matter what methods you use from this list of top ten shopper marketing tactics, they will help you achieve the end goals that boost sales and brand reputation.
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