Visual Merchandising: Mass Merchants Need Displays

When it comes to visual merchandising, we all know that having a plan in place is important – but how important is it? Do customers really pay that much attention? Can a visually striking display actually garner that much attention and increase sales? According to the 2014 Mass Merchant Study by Point of Purchase Advertising International (POPAI), yes, they can!

Discussing the Mass Merchant Study, an article on RetailWire made some important points. The study revealed some really interesting results as far as visual merchandising, and keeping these in mind the next time you sit down to re-establish or fine-tune your marketing strategy is probably a really smart idea.

Perhaps the most notable finding was that 82% of purchase decisions are made in-store. What does this mean for you? The article had this to say: “Consumers who shop at mass merchandisers make a lot of decisions about what they're going to buy at the shelf. Getting them to buy more has a lot to do with retailers' in-store media and display strategies and tactics.”

Additionally, according to the article, the study found that 34% of shoppers don’t rely on a shopping list. Again, this means far more opportunities for you to entice and attract.

Check out the full article here: http://www.retailwire.com/discussion/17334/mass-merchants-need-displays.

So, how can you take these stats and turn them into ROI? By implementing various strategies into your visual merchandising plan that yield real results. For more about how to get your in-store visual merchandising strategy up-to-snuff, please contact Storesupport today by calling 1-877-421-5081.

Creating Connections: Sensory Technology in Retail Merchandising

The retail CPG industry is as competitive as ever today, and with the continued rise of online shopping (even in the CPG market), competing is as tough as ever. Utilizing intelligent retail merchandising tactics remains one of the best ways to attract attention and build customer loyalty. And one of the newest trends when it comes to this is sensory technology and increased consumer engagement.

What is sensory technology? We have all seen it – those retail displays that entice consumers through the use of interactive displays and screens. The use of visual images that shift or flow, rather than remaining static, have proven to be far more effective at grabbing attention. Furthermore, the use of touch and sound, rather than just sight, works wonders as far as bringing customers in and driving sales.

Why use this newer form of retail merchandising? Studies have shown that it goes a long way as far as influencing in-store purchasing. Those spur-of-the-moment purchasing decisions made on the store floor are often a result of really effective merchandising, and sensory technology seems to be at the top of the list. Just as last minute purchasing choices are made at the cash register, sensory technology can be very influential down an aisle.

Creating connections through the use of sensory technology is also key here. The relationship you build with your client depends largely on that client, and so knowing your key target demographic is essential. When you have determined this, using specific colours, themes, even specific sounds can not only create a one-time sale, it can build a memory that that customer will continue to return to time and again. The ability to interact, often by providing more information to a customer which they can access on their own, increases the level of awareness and is equivalent to having a brand ambassador standing by your product at all times.

Although not typically considered sensory technology, experiential marketing can also mean big gains when it comes to creating that connection through a taste testing or a free trial. Developing a campaign that fits the season (for example, a BBQ party in the summer) can mean huge gains when it comes to both attracting new customers and maintaining loyalty with existing customers.

For more about sensory technology, creating a higher level engagement with your brand, or for other effective retail merchandising techniques, please contact Storesupport today by calling 1-877-421-5081 or visit us online at www.storesupport.ca. 

RetailWire: The Gen Gap and Consumer Behaviour

Generational differences in the CPG retail market have become a common pain point for many marketers when it comes to targeting. Knowing how to market to the different wants and needs of the different generations is crucial – but how do you determine those differences and what marketing strategies work best when it comes to consumer behaviour?

A recent RetailWire article, “Millennials depend on word-of-mouth more than Boomers,” which looks at a study done by Radius Global Marketing Research, gave some key insight into this consumer behaviour. As evidenced by the article’s title, millennials (those aged 18-32) are more heavily influenced by word-of-mouth than Baby Boomers (those aged 49-67). 

In the study, those surveyed were asked what factors played into their decisions to purchase, and for Millennials, word-of-mouth emerged as the leading purchase influence. In comparison, for Baby Boomers, word-of-mouth ranked as the 3^rd highest influencer behind recommendations from sales reps and advertising. 

So what does this mean for you? Evidently, with such a vast difference between what is prompting individuals to purchase, a one-size-fits-all approach will not even begin to reach all of your target consumers. It might be time to rethink that strategy to get it more in line with consumer behaviour.

For more on how consumer behaviour can influence your retail merchandising strategy, please contact Storesupport today by calling 1-877-421-5081 or visit us online at www.storesupport.ca. 

 

Retail Trends: A New Way to Sell Groceries

We came across a really interesting article the other day and thought we’d share it with you. Canadian Grocer’s “Just Driving Through: ANew Way to Sell Groceries?” looks at the rise of the ‘click and collect’ drive-through supermarket – a location where online shoppers can make their purchases and then just drive to a kiosk and pick them all up.

It is common knowledge that online shopping has not impacted the CPG industry the same way it has other retailers – it seems that shoppers just are not as keen to make those food purchase online the same way they would books or clothing. However, as the article suggests, the drive-through shopping experience may be on the up and up as a result of the growth of online shopping. It has really remained an emerging trend only in Europe and the US, but the article mentions that it may be in Canada sooner rather than later.

So is the drive-through grocery the way of the future, something we need to worry about in the short term? Probably only to a certain extent, but it does highlight the need to expand and rethink our retail strategies in order to ensure the latest retail trends are given the serious consideration each one merits. That being said, things like excellent customer service, effective visual merchandising, and strategic retail marketing need to remain key elements of your plan for success.

For more about retail trends in the CPG industry, please contact Storesupport today by calling 1-877-421-5081.

Food for Thought: Retail Merchandising in the CPG Industry

The CPG industry is unique (those of us who work within it know this) and as a result requires unique retail merchandising techniques. And using one tactic nowadays is often not nearly as effective as employing a range of techniques that cover a number of different bases.

In an effort to help you brush up on the most effective trends in tactics in the retail merchandising world, here is a list of the top ways to keep people buying.

1.      Experiential Marketing. Brands: one of the best ways to get customers purchasing is to have them try your product. Sometimes just seeing your product on the shelf won’t be enough to influence someone to buy – especially if the product is new – but offer the chance to test the product and the results will be inevitable.  

2.      Recognizing Generational Difference. Brands and retailers: this is one of the most important things when it comes to targeting and reaching all of those in your market. In the past, many brands and retailers alike have chosen to focus their attention on a one-size-fits-all approach, without recognizing the differences and how to target each group. Instead, make use of the vast amount of research that has been done on generational differences in the CPG industry and incorporate those learnings into your retail merchandising campaign.  

3.      Retail Intelligence: Brands: keeping on top of what’s going on at retail is crucial for your bottom line, and one of the best ways to do this is by keeping an eye on how retailers are handling your product. Retail intelligence through mystery shopping, planogram compliance and promotional execution can give you a leg up and help you maintain control. This means ensuring employees can answer questions that shelves are stocked correctly with your products, and that special promotions are in the right location.

This also means paying attention to planogram compliance. If you have spent the time developing a planogram based on your research, don’t just trust that it is being executed properly – take advantage of a company with experience with ensuring planogram compliance to maintain control.

4.      Social Media. Brands and retailers: we continue to stress the importance of taking advantage of social media, and for good reason. Social media has become an important avenue when it comes to bringing in sales, both through the ability to influence sales and to improve in store (customer service). Make sure that you are staying in tune with customer expectations, and responding when necessary.

Don’t fall prey to the assumption that one-size-fits-all, or that using one method to attract attention is going to work for all shoppers in all situations. For more about retail merchandising that works, please contact Storesupport today by calling 1-877-421-5081.

Canadian Grocer: Customer Service Tips

In the CPG industry, especially with the rise of e-commerce and mobile shopping, customer service and providing the best possible customer experience has become paramount. Yet the solution continues to elude many of us dealing with the multitude of other daily tasks that comes with running the business.

From time to time we like to share interesting articles we find, and this week we found a great one from Canadian Grocer that can help you simplify yet achieve that often challenging task of providing great customer service. The article, “How to be Great at Customer Service,” gives some great customer service tips that you can actually take to the bank!

According to the article, these are the four key elements required to achieving great customer service!

• Listen - Ask for feedback and listen to concerns and comments.
• Identify - Show customers that products and services are more than that - identify your targets and make connections.
• Help - Don't promise great service only to fall short on delivery.
• Take the extra step - Provide more than expected.

So how can you easily accomplish these tasks without a major change in overall strategy? It might mean something as simple as extra people support around the holidays or high peak times or creating a better connection with your customer, but whatever the solution, ensuring these four elements are followed can mean big year-end gains. After all, a happy customer is a loyal customer.

Check out the full article here: http://www.canadiangrocer.com/blog/how-to-be-great-at-customer-service-38100.

For more valuable customer service tips and strategies, please contact Storesupport today by calling 1-877-421-5081.

Go Big or Go Home the Way to Go? Managing Your Rightsizing Needs

Store closing, or as we like to call it store “rightsizing,” seems to be a common phrase in the retail world (it always has been), but recently this phrase tends to refer more to big box stores and well known retailers. Thanks in part to the numerous impacts of online shopping, many stores on the ground have made the decision to re-evaluate the number of stores and/or physical footprint of their stores in an effort to reduce overhead while continuing to compete. If this is where your head is at right now, these thoughts are likely accompanied by a few others – so how can you ensure a store rightsizing project, closing or downsizing doesn’t negatively impact your brand?

Arguably the most important thing to keep in mind when it comes to rightsizing a store or downsizing is maintaining a high level of customer service throughout the entire process. If you are a major brand and just closing one location, or if you are just rightsizing to a smaller location, you are going to continue to rely on consumer purchasing for your bread and butter. This means that you absolutely cannot let customer service take a backseat during this transitional period.

Things tend to become, if not managed properly, quite disjointed during these periods, so make sure that you are well organized and deal with any problems that arise as soon as you are made aware of them. One of the most difficult things to gauge here is people support; how many employees are required during this time? Will their tasks remain the same? Who will ensure that the store remains clean and tidy and the shelves stocked as best as possible? So, should you keep those current employees just in case? Hire new employees for the short term? Consider speaking with a company that can provide you with additional, experienced staff members on short notice – they can make all the difference when it comes to ensuring high levels of customer service.

Retail merchandising should also be a crucial consideration, especially once the new store is being set up – making sure that displays are constructed properly, according to their planograms, will also ensure that issues are avoided once the new location is open and ready for business. It also saves as far as having to delegate this task to an existing employee – outsource it to a company with retail merchandising expertise and the task will be done far more quickly, and to the exact specifications of the planogram.

Don’t let a store rightsizing project ruin your reputation – customers remember! Contact Storesupport today for more about how to keep things running smoothly throughout the entire process. Call us at 1-877-421-5081.