Jingle Bells Chime for Retail Marketing Boom

The holiday season is fast approaching, and with it comes the inevitable traffic surge and selling boom. Shoppers will be out there filling their carts with the latest and greatest from everyone’s wishlist and getting foodstuffs stocked for that holiday party or big family dinner, and retailers, while feeling the added pressure, are the ones to reap the benefits.  

Here are our tips for smart retail marketing to get you prepped for the busiest season of the year. Sure, some of them may seem pretty simple, but it never hurts to get back to the basics.

Tip #1: Keep shelves stocked. This may mean reiterating to employees the importance of ensuring shelves remain full, implementing a strategy that sees them refilled throughout the day, or hiring extra staff to manage the stockroom. If customers don’t see what they are looking for on the shelf, they may just head somewhere else!

Tip #2: Stay social. We all know how important social media can be in the retail world, so make sure that you are maintaining yours. Update statuses and posts regarding sales or promotions. Manage complaints to help boost customer loyalty and brand recognition.

Tip #3: Keep floors well staffed. With the traffic comes extra-long line ups, which no one likes. Make sure that you have enough staff on hand to cover surges throughout the day as well as to be around the store to help assist customers.

Tip #4: Make the most of visual merchandising. We are not saying throw up some holiday decorations at random. Instead, use the season to pull at people’s emotions and guide their purchases by putting together displays that make connections they make not have thought about.

Tip #5: Keep the store clean. Ok, we don’t just mean ensuring janitorial duties are completed each night. During the holiday season you have to be extra diligent about keeping stock organized and in place. Holiday shoppers tend to be less, let’s just say, cognizant, of their actions, so staff members need to be sure to try and keep the store in tip-top shape throughout the day.

The holidays can be the perfect time to cement your brand image and ramp up customer loyalty. How you manage your retail marketing over this period can bode well for the entire year, so let your actions speak for your reputation.

Want some extra back-up for your holiday retail marketing campaign? Storesupport has you covered. Contact us today by calling 1-877-421-5081.

Financial Post: How Bricks and Mortar Shops Compete

In today’s online world, competing with online sellers can be really tough for bricks and mortar shops. The ability to jump online and make a purchase instantly can be really enticing for individuals, and sales reflect this.  

Want some stats? We’ve got them. According to a recent article in the Financial Post, “a study by Boston Consulting Group noted that in 2010 only 3.4% of all retail sales in Canada were made online, but that is projected to rise to 5.3% by 2016.” The article went on to say that of the $454 billion the entire Canadian retail sector made in 2010, only $18 billion came from online sales – but it is predicted that this will increase with the sale of tablets and smartphones.

So are bricks and mortar stores on their way out? The article says no way. Whether you own a unique mom and pop shop or a multi-location franchise, many people still crave that one-on-one human interaction when shopping. They also like to be able to see and feel and try on and test the merchandise before they purchase – and this isn’t going to change. What will change is the expected level of customer service and overall customer experience that consumers are looking for upon entry.

Really? Does this really influence an individual’s choice to shop at a particular location or store? Absolutely! Ramping up customer service can mean huge ROI. Making sure that your employees are knowledgeable and fluent in the language of your brand, that your store is well staffed, and that product is available and on the floor have a major impact when people shop.

Can bricks and mortar stores ignore the internet outright? Sure, if you just want to rely on traditional forms of advertising and word of mouth. But the Financial Post warns that those organizations choosing to do so will find themselves at the back of the pack. Try balancing your in-store presence with one online through social media.

If you own a bricks and mortar retail location, make sure that you are taking into account the impact of online sales on your bottom line. Make sure that your customer experience levels are on par with your brand image and the service you want to provide.

For more information about how bricks and mortar stores can compete with online retailers, please contact Storesupport today by calling 1-877-421-5081 or visit us online at www.storesupport.ca.

 

Not-So-Scary Halloween Retail Merchandising Tactics

Trick or Treat! Have big plans to take advantage of all of the opportunities the Halloween season represents? Sure, any savvy retailer knows that going with the seasonal flow is crucial to attract attention and get shoppers through the door – but are you an expert at actually executing this experiment?

Here is our list of the top 5 not-so-scary Halloween retail merchandising tactics: 

1.      Scary Static Displays. Keeping the same in-store displays month after month means no excitement for your customer. If the window displays or displays on the floor don’t change, your customers notice. Use Halloween as a chance to spruce up that signage or exhibit featured products with a creative window display. People like change – draw on that. 

2.      Sell Add-Ons – but be smart about it. Sure, a no-brainer, but you would be amazed at how many retailers skip this or make attempts that are not so savvy. Just lumping a bunch of products together in a display can actually get negative attention, especially if the connections are not being made. Be creative, but at the same time, be smart about it. Think hard about how things fit together – if they don’t, don’t force them. 

3.      Creepy Coverage. Does your store look like a ghost town when it comes to employees? Keep shelves stocked and don’t make customers hunt for help. If a customer gets frustrated by a lack of assistance, chances are usually pretty good that they will leave your store and head to a competitor’s.  Don’t have extra staff on hand to handle extra flow? Get short-notice people support from a retail merchandising company.  

4.      Dirt Devil in Action. No matter what time of year it is, no one likes to shop in a dirty store, so make sure that decorations (if you choose to put them up) don’t make the store look messy or cluttered. Make sure that employees are cognizant of clean up.  

5.      Start Early. Ok, it is now October, so you should have these things rolled out – but if you don’t, take the time to get them up, and soon. Don’t let your competitors get a leg up. Need a hand implementing those changes (window displays, signage, Halloween planograms, etc.)? Get in touch with a company that can handle it all for you. 

Sure Halloween is a fleeting holiday that is quickly replaced by the excitement over the upcoming holiday season, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t reap the benefits. Get your Halloween retail merchandising plan in place with these handy tips.

For more tips and tricks, please contact Storesupport today by calling 1-877-421-5081.

Powerful In-Store Marketing Doesn’t Have to Be Difficult

One of the biggest hurdles for retailers is developing and maintaining a strong in-store marketing campaign. Taking the time to develop a smart in-store marketing strategy can be costly, especially if you have no prior experience. The time and resources needed to execute it can take away from other important aspects of your business (ex. staff). Instead of dealing with the worry of difficult in-store marketing, let a retail merchandising company help your harness its power easily and effectively.

How can a retail merchandising company help you overcome this challenge? In a number of ways. The role of a retail merchandising company is to help you get a plan in place, no matter what that is, and execute it.

Planogram set-up and signage: if planograms or signage is a part of your in-store marketing, a retail merchandising company can bring in the people to set it up, according to your exact specifications, ensuring that product is correctly labeled and displaced properly. Coupons are included here – in order for them to be profitable they need to be located in the correct space. Signage location should also be considered strategically, and making use of the experience of a retail merchandising company can help alleviate some of the pressure.

Experiential marketing and promotional events: although in-store signage and displays are a major part of any campaign, experiential marketing and promotional events should be as well. Whether you are highlighting a new product or promoting an old one, an experiential marketing campaign is an effective way to achieve this. But it can’t just be thrown together. A retail merchandising company that specializes in experiential marketing can work with you to develop a smart and engaging event that hits all of your targets, as well as provide you with the individuals with the skills and talents to make the event a success.

Remember that any successful in-store marketing campaign can’t remain static. Keeping things up-to-date is all part of the process, and if you fail to keep things current the plan will lose its luster. Make sure that you are constantly updating your strategy to make use of the power of in-store marketing. Again, rely on a retail merchandising company to accomplish this for you.

A professional retail merchandising company that can offer you a hands-free solution to your in-store merchandising woes is the best way to ensure a high level of engagement and customer experience. Don’t stress about it – let someone else take over and make sure that everything is done the way that it should be.

For more information about in-store marketing and the benefits of employing the services of a retail merchandising company, please contact Storesupport today by calling 1-877-421-5081. 

Sales Staggering? Might be Time to Consider Experiential Marketing

In the CPG industry, experiential marketing is not a foreign term. The concept of letting a customer try before they buy is not new, and brands across the country are taking advantage of the benefits that an experiential marketing campaign can bring to a merchandising plan. But why does experiential marketing work? How is it that giving your customers the chance to test a product in-store actually leads to profit and what impact do these campaigns have long term?

When a customer enters a store with a shopping list, chances are good that they will add additional items if prompted. This is one of the main reasons that experiential marketing works. This works especially well when products are featured together. For example, if you are promoting a new pasta sauce, make sure to serve it with another product offered by your brand (pasta, spices, etc.). 

Experiential marketing is great for brand and customer loyalty. The emotional relationship that is formed through a taste sampling works to keep customers coming back for the same product. There is a lot to be said for memory, and when a customer can link a positive experience (the experiential marketing event) with a product, they will continue to purchase that product.

When combined with a promotion (ie. a coupon or a sale), experiential marketing becomes even more effective. Everyone loves a sale, and so being able to try a product and then purchase it at a discount is incredibly appealing.

A good experiential marketing campaign gets people talking. A regular trip to the grocery store doesn’t often stir up much excitement. Instead, leveraging an event that catches peoples’ attention can lead to word-of-mouth advertising. And they are not just talking about the event – they are talking about the product.

Another key benefit of experiential marketing is the research potential it represents. With the right staff, you can easily identify your target market through a campaign. Asking customers what they think about a product after a demonstration or tasting can garner valuable feedback to be used in the future.

Experiential marketing doesn’t have to be difficult, but it does have to be right. Individuals staffing the event need to be knowledgeable about the product, as well as energetic and outgoing enough to get customers to stop. Location is important, as is timing. The right merchandising company, one that specializes in experiential marketing campaigns, is a smart place to start to get your campaign up and running. They can handle everything and you can be sure that the campaign is used to its greatest potential.

For more information about why experiential marketing works, or to get a campaign going, please contact Storesupport by calling 1-877-421-5081 or visit us online at www.storesupport.ca.

Retail Marketing Trends - Can You Keep Up?

The retail industry, especially the CPG industry, has never been a place where the phrase “set it and forget it” applies. Continuous change requires strategy in order to keep up. We are more than halfway through 2013 and in order to keep you up-to-date we thought it time to give you some advice on how to stay current.

Here is our list of the top retail marketing trends as we continue into the latter part of 2013.

Power of a physical presence – just as online shopping has had an impact on bricks and mortar locations, many online-only retailers are recognizing the power of a physical presence and setting up shop as a result. This necessitates the demand for retailers to maintain a high level of customer service in-store and well as the need for innovative customer attention-grabbing maneuvers.

Generational marketing – retailers need to be cognizant of the gaps that exist between generations. As baby boomers, society’s largest group, age, their needs change, and so too does the need to market to them specifically. Don’t rely solely on things like social media or mobile marketing – these tactics are often lost on this group. (But don’t ignore them either – they are critical!)

Cost-cutting measures – employee cutbacks are no longer the most intelligent business practice as far as cutting costs. Retailers looking to bring overhead down need to appreciate the impact that getting rid of employees can have on the bottom line. Too few employees in-store can mean shelves are not being stocked efficiently, line ups are far too long, and customers are not getting the assistance they need/want. Instead of hiring and firing as the market dictates, consider working with a merchandising company that can offer staffing support only when needed and avoid the additional costs that accompany this seasonal output.

Print is here to stay – printed advertisements and displays still remain a very powerful vehicle on the road to customer attraction. But remember, if a display is static, regulars will forget it, and it loses its power altogether.  Constant change with regard to displays and planograms is critical in order to stay in the game.

So how can you achieve your goals by employing these trends to your advantage without having to increase greatly the time spent on them? Find a merchandising company that offers a suite of services which includes the things outlined here. That way you can be sure that trends are being followed correctly.

For more information about retail marketing trends for 2013 or to find out how a merchandising company can help you harness their power please contact Storesupport by calling 1-877-421-5081.

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A FLEXIBLE PART TIME RETAIL JOB?

Storesupport canada is offering a fantastic opportunity to work inside some of Canada’s largest retailers.

Become a Storesupport General Retail Consultant!

There are limited positions that must be filled immediately.

If you are a self-motivated, highly efficient & independent person please apply for one of these positions that are located in Mississauga, Aurora, Oakville, Port Perry, Campbellford and Woodbridge.

Main Responsibilities include:

 

1. Retail Merchandising and shelf stock integrity

2. General work with a retail store environment

3. Maintaining a professional demeanor with the public and store personnel when performing your duties

Position Requirements include:
1.   High School Diploma/GED required
2.   WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Info System) – If you are not currently certified you will be required to obtain WHMIS certification through Storesupport Canada before you start.
3.   You may be required to lift 15lbs and occasionally up to 50lbs

Please email your resume to bonnie.yhip@storesupport.ca