Advantages of Marketing.
Utilize both direct and digital marketing channels to grab the attention of your audience and generate seasonal buzz in your store by:
- Intriguing shoppers to come into your store
- Inspiring them to purchase items they don’t typically buy
- Enticing customers to buy more
- Creating a sense of urgency because the offer won’t last longer than your seasonal promotion
- Introducing buyers to new and different products and services
By understanding seasonal shopping behaviors and buyer preferences, you can align promotional events with what’s top-of-mind for your customers and most beneficial for your bottom line.
Seasonal savings are a reason for shoppers to come to your store. Highlight seasonality by promoting peak-season produce instead of only giving emphasis to the convenience of having produce available year-round. Build your promotions around fresh, energizing foods and uplifting products, lighter meals, sports, easy sides and salads, etc. And more importantly, as you consider ways a spring-themed campaign would work in your store, be sure to keep your tactics aligned with the following some key overarching strategies.
Strategies for Campaign Success
Differentiate
In order to succeed in today’s crowded supermarket space, it’s critical that you know your audience and competitors well. Then you can align promotions to your customers buying habits and preferences where your competition isn’t.
Apply your strategy through products and events. For example, say you’re a large supermarket chain competing for a small independent grocery store’s organic product buyers. Consider creating a dual promotion for organic produce and natural cleaning products in time for the typical “spring cleaning.”
Make It Personal
Personalization, relevance and timeliness are all critical in today’s competitive environment. You can break through the clutter by connecting with your audience on a personal level with data-driven marketing that is not only creative, but relevant to your target. The more specific you make it, the better your results will be.
The 2016 U.S. Supermarket Experience Study conducted by the Manager’s Office revealed that creating engagement between shoppers and their supermarket is key to trip satisfaction, store shopping enjoyment and willingness to recommend. This can be leveraged through such encounters as a positive check-out experience, in-aisle engagement and active problem solving by employees.
In addition, the findings suggest that leveraging social media is an effective way to build and strengthen loyalty and shopper connections leading up to, between, and following grocery trips.
Placement
Be sure your offers and promotions are highly visible throughout the store to encourage shoppers to buy more. By expanding your in-store marketing efforts, you can encourage customers to spend more and try new products during their visit.
For instance, a customer may enter your store with the intent of just picking up some cereal and paper towels. Consider this an opportunity to spark interest in different categories and inspire the shopper to buy more, say, seasonal items from the deli department. Display signs in other parts of the store, create seasonal displays at end-caps, or have employees offer free samples to encourage shoppers to think seasonal or try new items.
Employ Multi-channel Integration
According to MarketTrack, providing a compelling social or digital component to your product marketing can be the unique point of differentiation that drives repeat purchase.
Running a radio ad for Mother’s Day promotions? Consider creating an email campaign or direct mailer with the same offer and messaging. Have your promotions run frequently throughout the season. With the seasons come holidays and shoppers are often busier than usual so you’ll want to be sure your messages break through. The more frequency you employ in your communications the more opportunity for greater lift in sales.
Think Local
According to Packaged Facts, locally grown and produced foods are experiencing surging consumer demand.
As farmers’ markets continue to grow in popularity, people are increasingly into experiencing the seasons through buying in-season produce and supporting local farmers. Here are a couple of ways you can capitalize on this to attract “locally grown” inspired customers:
Think local by expanding the selection of locally produced and grown food. Host a seasonal event such as a harvest festival or spring plant sale featuring local farmers. Add music, food and outdoor family-friendly activities to generate excitement around the season.
Consider partnering with or supporting a local business to generate some PR. For instance, if you’re donating a percentage of sales of a particular item to a local cause, it makes a great story for the local paper and community websites. Not only that, it makes locally stimulating content that supports local marketing and local search efforts.
Think Success.
So, if you’re thinking of ways to break-through a cluttered marketplace this spring, think seasonal. By leveraging your customers’ seasonal buying behaviors and incorporating seasonal marketing strategies into your marketing plan (now and throughout the year) you can differentiate your brand, stay ahead of the competition and generate positive impact to your bottom line.
Steps You Can Take Today
Are you looking for creative and strategic ways to increase purchase size and capitalize on relevant offerings at your store? We can help.
Manager’s Office
Marketing Dept