In retail, marketing is a three-step process: create or find interested leads, get them to your store by walking around, and convert them into paying customers. There is certainly no shortage of retail marketing campaign ideas. You will typically find that no single channel will deliver all the riches. It takes a multi-channel campaign carefully monitored and strategized.
Here is where we advise you to start marketing your retail location.
Ride the Seasonal Sales
Lots of brands launch sales during key holidays and seasonal changes. Shoppers will most likely purchase during specific periods, such as Black Friday, Christmas, and back-to-school. Maximize your marketing impact with campaigns created specifically for these occasions.
Hold a Grand Reopening Event
Have a one-day sale to move some big inventory with a grand reopening event or customer appreciation day. Invite customers to celebrate your store with 24-hour deals. As long as you’re prepared to offer the price cuts and invest in making this day feel special, this will create a lot of goodwill.
Digital Signage Campaigns
Digital signage is a form of in-store dynamic advertising that can showcase all sorts of interesting messaging to reach consumers. Use a digital signage player to manage the visuals. It can showcase multiple offers or promotions, showcase user-generated social media content, and tell your brand’s history. The possibilities are endless!
Product Launch Campaigns
You may want to tie in seasonal sales with product launch campaigns for new arrivals. Especially with products not found in many other places locally, an exclusive launch at your retail store can build anticipation and excitement and create interest.
Host a Social Media Giveaway
Host a giveaway or contest for customers who like, share, or subscribe to your brand. Define the terms and requirements yourself. Most of the time, it’s a sharing of content or a ‘tag a friend ‘-style contest.
Cross-promote with Other Stores
Find other retail businesses in your area that are not direct competitors and that do not sell the same products as you. See if you can cross-promote or cross-sell your products in their store and vice versa. Collaboration may be the best way to increase retail customer count.
Offer Gift Cards
Gift cards are a great way to increase sales and keep customers returning. When they redeem a gift card, people often spend more than its value, which boosts sales. Consider giving a small gift card for purchases over a set amount to encourage repeat visits and higher spending.
While a classic and somewhat non-inventive way to market, gift cards are surprisingly still highly effective at increasing sales. Multiple studies show that customers spend on average, 42% more when they have a gift card. Consider offering a gift card for a $5 in-store credit with every purchase.
Host Interactive Product Demonstrations
Host product demonstrations in-store or utilize digital signage to feature product demos. These tutorials can help sell a product based on its benefits and show customers how to get the most value from a given item.
Seeing a product in action helps customers understand its benefits, making it more likely they’ll buy it. Holding demos in-store or showing them on digital screens adds value. It makes customers feel informed and connected to the product, leading to more sales.
Customer Referral Programs
Encourage existing customers to advocate for your retail store to family and friends. A customer referral program offers rewards to customers who bring in other customers. This expands your customer base and rewards loyalty, utilizing word-of-mouth marketing to attract new customers.
Implement a Loyalty Program
A loyalty program rewards repeat customers with points or perks. It’s a way to increase customer lifetime value and overall sales while rewarding customers for being loyal to your retail store.
Limited-Time Sales
A 24-hour or two-day weekend sale that creates a sense of urgency can drive customer action in a major way. When you have additional inventory to clear out, don’t hesitate to tap into sales, discounts, and promotions, especially around seasonal specials and post-seasonal sales.
Use Scarcity Marketing
In addition to using time windows to stoke excitement, introduce scarcity in your marketing with limited-edition or limited-inventory sales. Be sure not to overuse this, but scarcity at the right moment encourages repeat purchases. It’s another way to build hype around your retail store, too.
Offer short-term sales to create a sense of urgency. Scarcity marketing emphasizes the fear of missing out, encouraging customers to act quickly. It can drive faster purchasing decisions and boost foot traffic to your store when used strategically.
Showcase Your Window Display
A window display can be one of your best marketing tools. Use this spot to feature popular products, seasonal items, or eye-catching designs that invite people into the store. With a striking display, you can leave a lasting impact on those passing by, turning window shoppers into paying customers.
With the right visual structure, your window display can get people paying attention to you. Showcase your best-sellers here in the environment they would normally be in, in seasonal or holiday-themed product displays, or through other creatively orchestrated visual layouts.
Free Product Samples
Offer free samples or access to products so customers can touch, feel, and interact with something they may buy. Numerous studies demonstrate that brands that offer free samples boast significantly higher purchase rates than those that do not.
Gamify Your Marketing
Get customers involved with fun marketing ideas, like reward points or contests in the store. Adding a bit of excitement and rewards to shopping makes people interact more. It turns a regular visit into a fun experience.
Consider ways to gamify your marketing, such as McDonald’s Monopoly game, which may be the most successful example. Have customers earn points or rewards by playing digital games on an app or website. This will organically increase engagement and interaction between customers and retailers.
Influencer Partnerships
Authentic partnerships with local micro-influencers can give your retail store credibility and reach it didn’t have previously. Especially if you’re targeting a niche market, collaborating with influencers and established brands can be key to creating awareness that you exist.
