In-store Marketing

With growing awareness of social media and smartphone capabilities, as well as other innovative channels used to research, select, transact and collect products, retailers are rethinking their marketing plans, and rightfully so. Yet there remains a traditional form of marketing still affecting consumer shopping habits that doesn’t involve tech tutorials or search engine optimization (SEO) know-how. Innovative in-store marketing campaigns still provide retailers with the opportunity to present clear and direct messages to their target customers.

Presentation Part of Perception

It’s true that sometimes the merchandising display for a certain product can make or break a sale. Presentation plays a large percentage in perception. Are you doing all you can do to entice customers at the point of purchase? Although merchandising displays are important, in-store marketing is more than product setup. In-store promotion can have an interactive feel as well, including experts on-site to give advice, and staff presenting product demonstrations. Ads can also play an important role in any in-store campaign.

Dina Howell, pioneer in marketing and former VP of global media and brand operations at Proctor & Gamble, claims that the goal is to have an impact on a shopper’s, “First Moment of Truth.” Howell further explains that the First Moment of Truth is, “the first seconds when someone notices an item on a store shelf and makes their decision whether to buy or not.” The key is to approach it with a fresher face and a more proactive attitude. Take for instance, Vlasic, which has settled on reaching a customer’s First Moment of Truth in more than just the pickle aisle. As reported by The New York Times, Vlasic is partaking in a new in-store ad campaign by BBDO New York.

Not only will ads appear outside the pickle aisle and on carts, but these ad displays will dispense coupons and recipes. It gets more creative, as, “shoppers picking up ground beef, for example, encounter the (Vlasic) stork near the meat section, where a speech balloon near his beak says, ‘Pro tip: Serve your burgers with a Vlasic pickle. Amateur tip: Don’t.’” Your customers may walk out of the store forgetting the mustard and ketchup, but in-store marketing helps sell a jar of Vlasic pickles.