HARDISON’S TIPS – July 23, 2021 – RETAIL MARKETING TIPS
1. Create a card that asks the customers to give online reviews
This is a significant step as it would definitely improve your search engine performance. Google is nowadays, keeping a track of all the reviews and suggestions provided by customers about a particular brand through its algorithms. You can be very much assured that whenever a customer searches for a piece of info, Google does looks up for reviews posted related to that search and then shows up the search results.
As a real world example, an inquiring customer was helped by his consultant to get established on Google Places, TripAdvisor and some other related directories. Now, that client has his plans to introduce variations of this card to its own customers. Such an easy and profitable idea!
2. Create a combo of products which offers discount instead of buying them separately
One way of increasing the average transaction amount is to increase the overall revenue. Thus, you should offer your products in packs or combos, which would be liked by the customers and would start to be content with your brand. Hence, satisfied customers mean returning customers and your business would definitely start to flourish.
As an example, McDonald’s had to introduce the Happy Meal which worked wonders for them. Similarly, other retail fast food joints launched the idea offering combos of coffee and pastry, sandwich, chips and a beverage. Those in the women’s boutique business ensemble hats with handbags and saw their fortunes take an upward slide. So the moral of the story is to be creative!
3. Create a photo contest for customers
This is a very efficient tactic to help showcase the customers their talent and also your products. Many of your loyal customers would make pictures of your products and these pictures would be shared and reused on your website and maybe on your stores as well as on your marketing materials. After all, it isn’t said for nothing “a picture tells a thousand words”.
For example, a chain in San Francisco by the name of Pizza Orgasmic has a gallery of its customers on its website wearing the brand’s t-shirts and also hangs framed photos of some of its top customers. Another chain called George’s Music in Pennsylvania runs a photo contest via its Facebook page and asks its fans to post their pictures with their instrument onto the wall.
4. Announce your own Group on-like offer on your Facebook page
Your Facebook fans would most likely observe the offer and will bring in non-Facebook users in a group to your store. This process of introduction of new customers via existing customers is a win-win situation for everybody. For example, Tropic a Mexican restaurant in San Francisco actually offers free drinks to the customer who brings in 5 new ones. Thus, in my view if you run a restaurant chain or a pub, you must consider implementing an offer just like that or introduce a Happy Hour scheme, so as to get in more customers in the unoccupied hours.
5. Tweet or e-mail a special word that customers can share to cash a discount or a free gift
This is a new scheme introduced by many of the retail marketers especially through the social media platforms. In this, the marketer shares a specific word or a phrase that a customer can see on the company’s official twitter or Facebook page. They can then memorize or note down the word and share it at the cash counter of the company’s retail store to avail special discounts or in some cases a free gift for themselves.
For example, Domino’s’ Pizza very frequently shares a unique word or a code with its loyal customers on its twitter page or via e-mailing them which significantly reduces their order price or makes them eligible for a gift toy or something like that.
A conscious marketer always knows how difficult it is to draw in more and more customers and fulfill their wishes as well. Yes, this activity really involves a lot of time and effort and one has to overcome many a challenges in order to be a successful marketer.
