10 Effective In-Store Marketing Strategies You Need

It’s the new year, and now is the perfect time to focus on improving your retail store experience for the year ahead. If you feel stuck with your current marketing direction, try reflecting on some of these 10 effective in-store marketing strategies you need to know. These strategies cover everything from new promotions to store displays and everything in between, so you’ll find a tip for improving any type of store.

In-Store Promotions

Offering in-store promotions is a terrific way to attract new and returning customers alike. Try to be selective in which promotions you choose. Several business studies have found that consumers prefer percentage off and flat discounts the most, followed by flash sales and free gifts. Try incorporating a flash sale into your promotional lineup every so often. Limited-time flash sales are a great way to build a feeling of urgency, which encourages customers to either shop with your store or miss a great deal.

Loyalty and Rewards Programs

For large and medium-sized businesses (and even some popular small businesses), it’s difficult to make connections with every customer and make sure they feel appreciated. Help your customers know how thankful you are that they shop with your store by starting a loyalty or rewards program. If you don’t already have one, invest in a POS (point of sale) system that keeps track of customer profiles and monitors purchases. Choose rewards that will get customers to keep coming back, such as free gifts or discounts on future purchases. It’s a win-win for both parties—you’ll have returning customers, and your shoppers will get an extra discount.

Incorporate Eye-Catching Signage

Is your store utilizing signage to its fullest extent? Signage is one of the best and most direct ways to communicate with your customers during their in-person shopping experiences. You won’t always have a store associate ready to answer a customer’s every question, so incorporate store signs in high-traffic areas to answer frequently asked questions or promote a new sale. You’ll find store signage in a variety of sizes, forms, and applications. For example, a pedestal sign holder stand would be perfect to place next to a product or display to provide more information on price, a product description, and more.

In-Store Displays

In-store displays are one of the best traditional methods of promoting your store. Window displays and décor add a lot of appeal to your store and catch the eyes of potential customers passing by. And once your customers are through the store, in-store displays help draw their attention to a certain product or section of your store. If you want to sell more of a specific product, try setting up a store display that features that product and some information about it. Remember the target audience you want to appeal to overall and for a specific product when setting up a display.

Offer Samples

Offering samples is another traditional marketing method that has been tried and true over the years. It’s not always possible to offer samples for all types of stores, such as clothing or other retail stores, but this method is extremely effective for grocery, nutrition, and specialty stores. Even beauty and cosmetics stores can offer free samples or small gifts. If a customer loves the sample when they first try it, they’re more likely to go back for more and purchase said item.

Offer Free Wi-Fi in Your Store

More stores are incorporating recent technology into their retail stores, one technology example being Wi-Fi access. Offering free Wi-Fi connection in your store is a great way to get customers through your door, even if it’s just to stop in and take advantage of the free Wi-Fi while they browse your products. Doing so gets more eyes on your products, and you can increase customer interest and brand recognition by familiarizing more customers with your store.

Incorporate New Technologies

Along with adding Wi-Fi, you should also consider other types of retail technology your store might be missing. More retail stores are starting to incorporate technology like augmented reality, digital signage, and even VR experiences into their stores. Even something as simple as creating a QR code with your business’s recent newsletter or product additions is a smart way to incorporate this modern technology.

Evaluate Your Customer Service

Every business should pay close attention to its customer experience at every step of the shopping process. Customer service plays an important role in the customer experience and has a significant impact on your customers’ opinions of your store. When we shop at a retail store, customer service at checkout is one of the last things we experience in any given store. Take a moment to evaluate your customer service training to see if it’s up to par. Do you adequately train and hire the best customer service representatives to give customers a good shopping experience and meet their needs? Pay attention to customer reviews of your store online—resources like these are a great way to gauge the effectiveness of your customer service.

Improve Your Checkout Process

While customer service plays a key role in the quality of your checkout process, speed is another reigning factor. If your checkout lines are constantly getting backed up and you notice long lines, you should consider hiring extra help for the registers or even installing more checkout stations. This extra help will keep wait times down, leading to happier customers.

Host In-Store Events

In-store events are a fantastic opportunity to communicate and connect with your target audience and the overall community. In-store events could include anything from hosting a local celebrity in your industry to having a tent sale. Events like these draw people from all over your community and beyond. They also spread the word to those who may have never even heard of your business. Just make sure to put some extra time into marketing your store event. Social media, traditional signage and print media, and word of mouth are all important marketing techniques to bolster your event turnout.

Now that the new business year is here, it’s the perfect time to incorporate new business strategies for your store. Remember these 10 effective in-store marketing strategies you need to improve your retail experience this year.

If you want to tackle these strategies and give your store a fresh look with new signage, shop from a variety of sign options here at The Global Display Solutions.