Generational Brand Loyalty: Reaching the Millennial Market

Brand Loyalty; that ever-elusive, continually changing concept that always seems difficult to pin down, let alone achieve, has yet again reared its (ugly? Guess it depends on how you look at it) head. It seems that with each year, new ideas surrounding how brand loyalty can be garnered are developed – some utter drivel, and others quite useful. And with each generation gap, this advice becomes even more important! After all, you aim to target a specific group, or groups, and if you can’t identify the members or their wants/needs, you might find yourself out in left field.

Check out this great infographic from Direct Marketing News, aptly title “Talkin’ ‘bout My Generation.” According to the image and accompanied report, there are some highly significant stats that should be considered. According to a recent study regarding brand loyalty among Millennials (those aged 18-33), the often accepted view that this age cohort is not brand loyal at all may not actually be all that accurate. In fact, the study found that 43% of respondents stated that they use the same brands as their parents, while 40% said that they feel the same level of brand loyalty as their parents, while a further 24% believed they actually held more brand loyalty than their parents. Check it out to find out what else the study found!

When it comes to brand loyalty and generational differences, don’t just blindly accept that those younger generations are not focused on the traditions of their forbearers. In order to harness the power of each generation, the knowledge regarding what they want needs to be harnessed first.

For more about utilizing generational brand loyalty please contact Storesupport by calling 1-877-421-5081.

Retail Merchandising Top 5 List for Simple Success

As a retailer, retail merchandising is one of the most critical factors in the success of your brand. How you merchandise in store plays a major role in the customer perception of your brand, and can seriously impact consumer behaviour. When done correctly, retail merchandising can mean a big boost for your bottom line, but if the potential is ignored, the adverse is often the result.

With this in mind, here is our list of the top 5 simple solutions that can have huge impacts.

1.      Minimize sale signs. If you have sale signs all over the store, the effect can often be the opposite of what you are trying to achieve. If sale signs are plastered everywhere, shoppers can become desensitized and the power of a sale can get lost in the shuffle. And, if you seem to have sale signs up all over the place, all of the time, one is inevitably going to start to question whether they are actually getting a deal. 

2.      Create space. If a customer can’t move freely through the aisles because of oversized displays or signage, the result may be a shifting of loyalty. Make sure that stands are always out of the way, but still visible, to ensure that carts can make their way through the isle without issue.  

3.      Coordinate colour. Over the last few years the power of colour has really started to receive some much overdue attention – and for good reason. The psychology of colour can play a big part in consumer behaviour, so just thinking about what looks good on the display, rather than the science behind it, may not get you the results you want. 

4.      Take advantage of the season. Many of you likely already do this – but to what extent, and how often? We are not just talking about the major seasonal periods (Christmas, back to school), but even the lesser ones. Any time you can pull on those heartstrings, create interest, or just get people thinking is great. Create displays that catch the attention of shoppers and draw them in.  

5.      Keep things changing on a regular basis. Keeping customers’ attention with creative and innovative signage and displays takes work, and sometimes it is easy to just continue with the same visual retail merchandising for a period of time. However, if a customer sees the same stagnant signs/displays week after week, those signs/displays severely lose their power. If things are not fresh and new, people will eventually come to ignore them.

Retail merchandising does take work, but sometimes keeping it simple is the best way to create interest, encourage purchasing decisions and keep customers coming back. Use these tips to ensure that your merchandising garners the attention that you want.

For more retail merchandising tips or for assistance with a campaign that takes into consideration all of the factors that make it successful, please contact Storesupport today by calling 1-877-421-5081.

Retail Trends 2014: Toronto Star Provides Outlook

Keeping up with retail trends is just one part of the pie when it comes to keeping up with the goings-on in the retail industry. No matter the sector you currently reside in, changes can come quickly and have major impacts - and so maintaining a strong hold on those changes is crucial in order to keep a leg up on the competition.

A recent article from the Toronto Star shed some important light on the current retail trends 2014 has seen thus far. “November is the NewDecember in Canadian Retail” illustrates just how much Black Friday has impacted the Canadian market. According to the article, in an attempt to contend with the continuously popular trend to shop south of the border, Canadian retailers are fighting back, offering more deals to try and stem the steady flow of traffic to the U.S.

Additionally, the article speaks to the most recent reports regarding sales thus far in 2014, highlighting the fact that sales were steady in January and February – never a bad omen for the things to come.

So, knowing that November is likely to bring with it a surge in sales as a result of these changes, what can you do to deal? The best plan is to have a plan. Getting things ready now rather than getting slaughtered at the first sign of attacking shopper-hordes is not only smart, it is also essential in maintaining brand loyalty and keeping the competition in check.

For more about the retail trends 2014 has brought with it, or for tips on how to beat back the competition, please contact Storesupport today by calling 1-877-421-5081.

Avoiding Customer Service Slumps and Setbacks

Service, service, service. In the retail industry, this is something we hear on a regular basis, so much so that it sometimes becomes a broken record, one that we are almost too willing to tune out. Sometimes customer service takes a backseat in exchange for other, seemingly more pertinent, issues – but this really shouldn’t ever be the case. Avoiding customer service slumps and setbacks should be a top priority, always.

Here are some tips to take to the bank. Perhaps it is time to rethink those all too common conceptions and change your perspective.

-        Slow things down. What?  Yes, stop rushing. Dealing with customer service sometimes leads to rushing things along, but sometimes taking the slower route is actually more effective. Speedy service might be important, but so is good service – and sometimes the two can’t be delivered simultaneously. In this case, a happy customer is always better served than one who is unhappily rushed out the front door.  

-        Take customer feedback seriously. Again, more common sense, but sometimes this is easily lost in the shuffle of the day-to-day grind. Even when a customer receives service that they are unsatisfied with, they may not complain, and so if they do, you should take the time to act accordingly. If the complaint is serious, rather than a disgruntled individual complaining about something irrelevant, think about how you can remedy the problem and then take the steps to remedy it. Customer feedback is valuable when utilized correctly – so take advantage of it. 

-        Find a balance – know when to be present and when to get out of the way. We all know how annoying it can be to have someone hover around waiting to be needed, asking if any help is required. However, we also know how frustrating it can be to need help only to have to search all over the store to find it. Make sure that you have enough staff on hand to handle customer queries, to ensure shelves are stocked, and to ring people through, but also make sure that employees know that hovering is often highly unwanted.  

-        Invest in your employees. No matter what you do, you will always have those employees that are not really all that concerned with how a customer is treated – and they need to be rooted out as soon as possible. But sometimes other employees just need a little boost and some encouragement. Utilize training methods that are effective yet engaging, and encourage motivation and high levels of service through recognition. After all, your levels of customer service will only ever be a good as those providing it.

Keep customer services levels high at all times – the benefits are undeniable. For more tips on how to easily keep customer service at the top of your priority list, all the time, please contact Storesupport today by calling 1-877-421-5081.

Shrinking Your Store – Some Considerations for Retail Downsizing (or ‘Rightsizing’)

The impacts of online shopping are not news to the retail industry. Over the last few years, many stores have had to make significant overall changes brought on by web-savvy shoppers and their hunt for the best deal with just the click of a button. Retail downsizing, or rightsizing as we like to call it, has become a much more normal occurrence, especially for smaller bricks and mortar locations looking to stay relevant and deal with the onslaught of online competition.

Check out this recent release from Bloomberg Businessweek – “The Smart Way to Shrink Your Retail Store” - http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-05-09/the-smart-way-to-shrink-your-retail-store. In it, the author references the recent trend of retail downsizing: “Retail space isn’t what it used to be. More people are browsing and buying online. Stores can get products faster from manufacturers, so they don’t need as much space to warehouse inventory. Small businesses are thus moving to smaller storefronts to lower costs.” And the main piece of advice offer: have a plan!

Even in the CPG industry, where the competition is a bit less stifling, there has still been a push to deal with those big box franchises. And yes, retail downsizing has made its way here too. So, if changes in the online marketplace have necessitated a change in location, or rather a rightsizing of your current location, the best thing to do is develop a plan to ensure that the impact this transition has is as positive as possible.

How? Enlist the services of a company that can help you carry out this change without a hitch – one with the knowledge and experience to conduct a shift seamlessly, as well as the additional people support to maintain high levels of customer service during the move and avoid any pitfalls along the way.

For more about conducting a retail downsizing that won’t have any adverse effects, please contact Storesupport today by calling 1-877-421-5081.

Retailers: Getting Ready for Back to School Shopping

Yes, it’s that time of year again. Summer camps are in full swing, the beaches are jammed on weekends, and the warm weather has most people spending as much time outside as possible. For most, July isn’t typically the time to start thinking about backto school shopping. However, if you are in the retail industry, it is exactly what you are (or at least should be) thinking about.

Here are some tips to help get you started:

Start early. Like now. Getting caught too late out of the gate can have you dealing with major issues when it comes time to beat the crowds. Make sure that you have considered all of the factors that contribute to a successful back to school shopping campaign, and have implemented them accordingly. Being well prepared can help you avoid any customer service pitfalls and keep customer satisfaction high.

Have the right people support. Some retailers choose to attempt to handle the crowds with their existing staff pool. Others go on a hiring spree just before the rush and bring on a temporary crew to handle any crushes that arise. Both of these can offer the support you need, but at what cost? Perhaps a smarter idea is to consider working with a company that can offer highly trained, experienced people support available on short notice, and only when you need it. That way, you don’t have to worry about scheduling issues or hiring and training a new group of employees only to have them work for a short period of time.

What about in-store merchandising? Do you plan to have any campaigns running during the back to school blitz? If not, think about taking advantage of the opportunities this time of year represents with a merchandising campaign to target the kids and their parents. Better yet, get in touch with a merchandising company that can handle it all for you, from development to set-up. This way you don’t have to worry about taking time or employees away from regular tasks, and can ensure that the job is done right, the first time.

Don’t get stuck dealing with the rush, during the rush. That will only cause stress and won’t do anything to boost sales.

Start preparing for back to school shopping now. Storesupport has everything you need to ensure that your campaign goes off without a hitch. Contact us today by calling 1-877-421-5081.

Too Soon? Your Back to School Retail Strategy

We know that it is only June, and with the school year just ending, most people are not even thinking about September and heading back to the classroom. But, when it comes to merchandising, even with summer displays out, you really need to be thinking ahead. Don’t leave your back-to-school retail strategy to the last minute.

Here are our top tips for ramping up your retail merchandising for August:

·        Create connections. A smart back-to-school retail strategy is one that creates connections, not only with your customer, but in the customer’s mind as far as product connections. Draw customers in by playing on their emotions (example: moms who care about healthy snacks or the idea of ‘brain food’).

·        Set up an experiential marketing campaign to get parents thinking about healthy snack and lunch options. Play on the desire to pack items that are both nutritious and fun, that kids will like. Parents want to know about the options they have for packing healthy food for their children, so give them ideas that lead to more sales.

·        Use sensory technology to create engagement. Displays that are interactive give customers the chance to find out about the nutritional benefits of certain products, or the advantages some products have. Having an interactive display gives them the chance to take in this information, while at the same time getting their attention in a way that static displays cannot.

When it comes time to implement those visual merchandising tactics, keep on top of customer service. Back to school shopping can wreak havoc on your shelves – make sure that you have the staff on hand to ensure that shelves remain well stocked and tidy. If customers can’t find what they are looking for, they can’t buy. Also, ensure that line-ups don’t get out of control – this can be hazardous to your customer loyalty levels, and thus your bottom line. Make sure that you have enough staff to handle peak periods and increased traffic.

People support should be a big part of your merchandising strategy. Ensuring that crowds don’t have an impact is critical. This year, instead of going through the process of hiring for temporary positions and having to train new employees, why not work with a company that can provide you with the staff at very short notice, individuals who are already trained, trustworthy, and experienced. That way, you save yourself the time and money!

For more about getting your retail strategy for the back-to-school shopping season in place please contact Storesupport 1-877-421-5081.