Aim to increase sales with store marketing! Three practical methods and points for success
Digitalization has progressed, and customers can now use the Internet to gather information and purchase products. In order to improve store sales as points of contact with customers become more diverse and complex, it is necessary to provide a shopping experience that leverages the appeal and strengths unique to the real world.
An important initiative for this purpose is "store marketing." Some store managers and marketing department personnel may have questions such as, ``What is store marketing?'' and ``What kind of measures should I implement?''
In this article, we will explain the overview of store marketing, how to put it into practice, and the key points to making it successful.
In addition, this article explains how to increase customers' desire to purchase by creating a sales floor. Please also check.
Table of contents [hidden]
- 1.What is store marketing?
- 2.Three elements that make up store sales
- 3.How to implement store marketing
- 3.1.① Measures to increase the number of customers
- 3.2.② Measures to increase purchase rate
- 3.3.③Measures to increase average customer spending
- 4.Key points for successful store marketing
- 4.1.① Analyze the current issues and factors of the store
- 4.2.②Analyze customer purchasing behavior
- 4.3.③Measure the effect and make improvements
- 5.Summary_
What is store marketing?
Store marketing refers to a series of strategic activities undertaken to maximize store sales.
▼Example of store marketing activities
- Market research
- Product planning and development
- promotion
- Sales promotion activities, etc.
In recent years, the market is filled with all kinds of products, and competition with competitors is becoming fiercer. Even if you have an attractive product, it is becoming difficult to increase sales by simply selling it in stores.
In order to get customers to choose and purchase your products, marketing strategies such as ``What kind of experience value should you provide through shopping at your store?'' and ``How can you increase the desire of your target group to purchase?'' are essential. plug.
Three elements that make up store sales
When working on store marketing, you need to understand the three elements that make up store sales. Store sales are made up of the following equation: [Sales = Number of customers visiting the store x Purchasing rate x Average spend per customer].
▼ Components of store sales
Component |
overview |
1. Number of customers visiting the store |
Number of customers who visited the store |
2. Purchase rate |
Percentage of customers who actually purchased a product among customers who visited the store |
3.Average price per customer |
Average purchase amount per customer |
The number of customers visiting a store is an important factor that affects store sales. Even if you incorporate display methods that make shopping easier and displays that stimulate the desire to purchase, if the number of customers visiting the store is small, it will not lead to an increase in sales.
Also, even if there are a lot of customers visiting the store, if there are few customers who actually purchase, sales will not increase. It is necessary to create a mechanism to get more customers to purchase products and increase the average customer spending by encouraging "impulse buying" and "bundled buying."
How to implement store marketing
When undertaking store marketing, it is necessary to consider measures to increase sales based on three components: number of customers visiting the store, purchase rate, and average customer spending.
① Measures to increase the number of customers
In order to increase the number of customers visiting your store, it is important to implement different strategies for new and repeat customers.
▼Example of measures to increase new customers
- Disseminate information about stores and products by advertising on the web, flyers, DM (direct mail), and other media.
- Register your store information on a map on an internet search engine
- Put up signs and posters at store entrances, commercial facilities, train stations, etc.
▼Examples of measures to increase repeat customers
- Distribute coupons to customers who purchase products that can be used on their next visit.
- Disseminate store information through official applications and official SNS accounts
To increase new customers, you need to increase awareness of your company name and brand. It is effective to combine offline and online measures to approach the target audience who want to visit your store using methods and media that make it easy for them to make contact.
In addition, by establishing a system that allows you to maintain ongoing contact with customers who have visited your store once and by offering special benefits to encourage them to visit again, you can attract repeat customers.
This article explains in detail how to make an ad that stands out. Please also check.
② Measures to increase purchasing rate
In order to increase the purchase rate, it is necessary to create a sales floor that increases the opportunities for customers visiting the store to come into contact with the products and stimulate their interest and curiosity in wanting to buy them.
▼Examples of measures to increase purchase rate
- Sell products that match customer needs, seasons, events, etc.
- Sort and display products by category
- Create a smooth flow of traffic to look around the store
- Place recommended products and best-selling products in easy-to-see locations
- Creating displays that improve the product image through POP and decorations, etc.
A sales floor that is easy to navigate and where it is easy to see what products are located makes shopping comfortable and creates opportunities for customers to make purchases.
In addition, by highlighting the products you want to sell and incorporating displays that visually convey the appeal of the product, you can increase the customer's desire to purchase and encourage them to make a purchase.
Please also check out this article for more details on how to optimize your shelf layout.
③ Measures to increase average customer spend
There are two ways to increase average spend per customer: cross-selling and up-selling.
Cross-selling is a strategy to get customers to purchase more products at once. Upselling is a strategy to get customers to purchase more expensive products.
▼Example of cross-selling and up-selling measures
- Displaying products related to a particular product nearby
- Sales associates suggest related products to the products customers are purchasing
- Place POPs in display areas that explain the features of each product line and price range, etc.
By encouraging “additional purchases” or “combined purchases” and clearly promoting the value of high-priced products, we can expect to increase the number of items purchased and the purchase price per customer.
For more information on cross-merchandising, which can bring about a synergistic effect on product purchases, please see this article.
Key points for successful in-store marketing
For store marketing to be successful, it is important to identify current issues and their causes, analyze purchasing behavior, measure effectiveness, and make improvements.
① Analyze the store's current issues and factors
When considering store marketing measures, it is necessary to identify what issues you currently have with respect to the three elements that make up your sales.
For example, if sales are not increasing despite the number of customers visiting the store being good, the purchase rate may be an issue. By formulating a hypothesis as to why the purchase rate is low, it becomes easier to consider specific measures.
▼How to analyze issues using three components
Component |
Typical analysis methods |
overview |
Number of customers visiting the store |
Trade area analysis |
Based on the population of the area around the store, the family structure of the residents, and the status of competitors' stores, |
purchase rate |
ABC analysis |
Calculate the sales composition ratio of each product based on sales performance data to determine the high contribution to sales |
Average price per customer |
Basket Analysis |
Analyze what products customers purchase together based on POS data |
② Analyze customer purchasing behavior
When working on store marketing, it is necessary to analyze customer purchasing behavior and consider an approach from the customer's perspective.
It is effective to create a "customer journey map" that visualizes the path a customer takes from visiting a store to purchasing a product. By visualizing the needs, emotions, and behavioral patterns of customers at each stage of the purchasing process, you can consider ways to improve the customer experience.
▼Points when creating a customer journey map
- Create personas that precisely define who your target audience is
- Identifying customer behavior in each process of recognition, interest, comparison, and purchase
- Dig deeper into changes in customer thoughts and emotions at each stage of the process
③Measure effectiveness and make improvements
The key is to measure the effects and make improvements in order to understand what changes have occurred in store marketing measures.
Setting specific numerical targets before implementing a measure will allow you to judge its effectiveness from the measured data. Based on the results of the effectiveness measurement, you can analyze issues and make hypotheses for improvement measures, leading to a more effective approach.
summary
In this article, we've covered the following topics regarding in-store marketing:
- Store marketing overview
- How to implement store marketing
- Key points for successful in-store marketing
In order to improve store sales, it is important to think strategically from a marketing perspective, such as the experiential value provided to customers and the creation of mechanisms that increase their desire to purchase.
After organizing and analyzing current issues and purchasing behavior, you can improve sales by formulating measures based on three factors: number of customers visiting the store, purchasing rate, and average spend per customer. It is also important to measure the effectiveness of measures after implementing them so that improvements can be made.
However, analyzing purchasing behavior and measuring effectiveness requires specialized knowledge. One way to perform more efficient and accurate analysis is to use dedicated tools.
Konica Minolta's EX Kansei combines proprietary image analysis technology and kansei neuroscience to support analysis of issues and factors in store marketing. By performing simulations before implementing measures, you can quickly make improvements to become a store that sells.
For more information on EX Kansei, please click here.