Nathan Jones 15 April 2016

Categories B2C, Customer Experience, Ecommerce, Innovation & Trends, Mobile

The Abiding Importance of In Store Marketing

The internet and high street are inextricably linked and customers will often experience both channels before making a purchase. Jason explains the importance of great in store marketing in a digital world.

So, you’ve got your company Facebook page, you’ve got your Twitter feed, your Instagram account, you may even have a Buzz wall? In today’s world, social media is certainly at the forefront when it comes to marketing and customer engagement. But how are you going to engage with and influence your customers at store level? (Yes, you may still have to consider that).

According to time honoured research, 70-75% of buying decisions are made in store. This is a statistic that has been largely accepted in the industry for years, although it is difficult to identify the actual sources. I have to admit to being slightly sceptical about the accuracy of this figure in the internet age, but given that the shop or store environment is still the only one where the customer, the means of payment and the physical product all come together in the same space, it is likely that this is still where the majority of decisions to buy are made – even if it may not be quite as high as 75% anymore.

It has been said that in store Point of sale or point of purchase displays represent the last 3 feet of any marketing plan. And I think this is still largely true today, despite all the rumours of the death of the high street and the growing phenomenon of so called “Showrooming”. As human beings we are inherently tactile creatures, we like to explore and engage using as many of our 5 senses as possible.  Many people (myself included) don’t feel they can fully appreciate the value or suitability of something until they have held it in their hands. For this reason there will always be a place for the traditional shopping experience. Internet retailers have gone to great lengths to allow for this by making their returns process completely hassle free – even offering unlimited free return postage and this has no doubt been key to their success.

Whilst there is something uniquely satisfying about ordering a new pair of shoes from your phone whilst lying on the beach, for many people nothing really beats the experience of going to a shop to buy them. Interacting with real people. Being helped by sales professionals who know the product, trying them on and walking out of the shop knowing you have bought the right pair and let’s face it – people love to go shopping, for many it’s an enjoyable part of their leisure time.

Currently around 15% of all retail purchases are carried out online in the UK and although this share is growing steadily, internet shopping is not the be-all and end-all….Not yet anyway. This statistic means that for now and probably for the foreseeable future, a large majority of transactions will still be occurring in store.

So if you do have a physical product to sell it is crucial that the immediate environment where this process takes place is as inspiring for the shopper as possible. In marketing terms, 3D POS is the ideal platform to accommodate this in store. Not only does it do the important job of providing a bespoke selling space for your product, but it can create theatre, have stopping power and grab the shopper’s attention at the key moment. The opportunities it provides to build on and enhance your brand image to the “ready to buy” audience - are limited only by the imagination….And maybe the odd retailer guideline…