Yes, people love e-commerce, but most consumers still enjoy the brick-and-mortar shopping experience.
There may be some products, or some life circumstances, that prompt them to order online or choose click-and-collect delivery, but even with all the conveniences modern shopping offers, people still value the experience of being around people, browsing the aisles, and taking in the sights, sounds, and other environmental cues of the in-person retail experience.
That said, it’s more important than ever that CPG brands engage with consumers in the store aisle, whether that’s through in-store mobile technology, or more traditional in-store advertising and specials. Here are some ways CPG brands are improving their in-store engagement with shoppers.
In-Store Beacon Technology
Brands or retailers with mobile apps that allow in-store beacon technology help turn the shopping experience into something more stimulating and engaging. The key to doing it effectively is gathering critical data on app users. For example, your in-store beacon technology must “learn” how to match the ad to the app user. The young, single man buying supplies for a tailgate party, for example, probably won’t care much about your in-store beacon ad for diapers or baby food.
Subscription Services
On e-commerce sites, you can “subscribe” to products you use regularly, like laundry detergent or paper towels, and usually gain a slight discount for it. But a subscription service that works in the store is possible too. If it’s been four weeks since the last purchase (or whatever the user has designated as the time it takes to run out of a product), a CPG app could automatically deliver a discount offer to the user’s app when they enter the store and encounter the CPG brand’s in-store beacon.
Working in Partnership with Retailers
When retailers and CPG brands work together for special promotions, both benefit. The partnership can be as simple as working with the retailer to ensure that they carry enough product during a promotion so that they don’t run out. Sometimes retailers and CPG brands work together in their traditional advertising, as convenience store 7-11 and brand Mondelez did when they created a joint in-store and online marketing campaign to promote Sour Patch Kids candies. The possibilities are nearly endless with this type of partnership.
Aligning All Marketing Channels
It’s important that brands align their efforts across all their marketing channels, even though the specifics of each ad must be tailored to the platform. An in-store ad delivered by beacon technology that reflects ads used on social media or on television are likelier to have automatic familiarity to the shopper, strengthening your brand recognition. If different channels’ ads are too different from one another, it can be confusing to shoppers who may wonder if they’re remembering the correct brand or not.
Measuring and Analyzing Results
The most successful CPG marketing requires both gathering of data and analyzing it to get at its meaning. You may have a hunch about a campaign being successful, but the fact is, you won’t know until you crunch the numbers. Data analytics can tell you objectively what is working well, and what could stand to improve. Collect the data and analyze the numbers, and you won’t spend one moment longer than necessary pouring marketing resources into campaigns that don’t deliver.
In-store engagement means something different for today’s shoppers than it did for their grandparents. Technology allows CPG brands to try things that were impossible or unimaginable before. Creating a smart strategy, implementing it with care, and collecting performance data are keys to ensuring that in-store engagement efforts pay off. PKG Brand Design is always on the forefront of new CPG branding and packaging initiatives; please subscribe to our blog for the latest package design industry news!
