How to Increase Sales and Traffic: 8 Tips for Retail Advertising and Marketing

Every retailer thinks about driving more traffic and sales. But questions remain: how to attract customers and encourage them to buy more in your store? What ads to run? What triggers will motivate people to buy from you instead of your competitors? 

Whatever your goal as a retailer, here are simple advertising tips that will not only help drive sales, but help grow your business in the long run.

1. “Promotional” prices

You already know that product discounts help increase demand. But there is a fine line between an advertising campaign and a mere scarcity price.

It makes sense to stick to this point if you plan to attract a large number of people to your store - in the hope that customers will not only buy more because of the deals, but will also come back again and again because of the excellent service.

That's why if you're planning to advertise prices, you need to make sure your store has something that will make people stay, buy and come back.

Promotional pricing also has a strong psychological impact on consumers. A simple red or yellow sales tag on a product leads customers to assume that the product has a better deal than they could get anywhere else. And ending the price with a "9" actually increases sales - even if the two prices in question are, for example, $39 and the lower price of $34.

And don't forget to run "free" promotions like "Buy one, get one - free!" or offering free shipping. This promotional gimmick is effective because the consumer feels like they are really getting something for free, when in reality it is the same as, for example, offering a "50% off" offer. The word "free" is widely known, while consumers often do not fully understand the meaning of percentage discounts. Do not understand what is us business directory database free, learn more by clicking on the link.

2. Store Special Events

It would be helpful to give people a good reason to visit your store, and having good products is often not enough. These days, people can order anything online, so what will make them go to you?

Encourage shoppers to come to the store for a free brand event where they will be surrounded not only by enticing limited edition and “in-store only” merchandise, but also by things like product demonstrations and services.

If you want to attract online shoppers to your location, offer coupons that can only be used in-store. Once you get them through your doors, give them personalized service and make sure the prospect is having a good time at your place. People always go back to where they were happy.

3. Promotional displays for point-of-purchase

Research has shown that over 60% of all purchasing decisions are made when people are shopping while in a store, with over 50% of these decisions considered impulse purchases. This suggests that point-of-purchase (POP) displays are an effective marketing tool. But first you need to think about how to use them correctly and find out their best location.

Just imagine how to get a customer to walk through the checkout at the grocery store and see all the magazines, candy, and other cheaper items just waiting to be tossed into your cart? The consumer did not plan to buy them, but since they are available and at a reasonable price, he will think: “Why not?”. Strategically place your own POP displays throughout the store and along the checkout path to encourage those impulse purchases.

4. Take advantage of social media

Do you have a digital advertising budget? Consider the social network Facebook. In addition to a whopping user base (i.e. 2 billion monthly active users), studies have shown that 29% of online shoppers are likely to follow a brand on Facebook.

Facebook Insights allows you to target your ads to specific groups of people in specific locations and create targeted audience segments.

If you have a talent for video, then you can upload your creativity to Facebook Live. This platform has over 8 billion video views per day. It's a lot and it's in your favor.

5. Loyalty program to the maximum!

It is well known that it costs at least five times more to acquire a new customer than to retain an old one, and that there is a 60-70% chance of selling to an existing customer, while a 5-20% chance of selling to a new customer. These numbers tell you that maximizing those relationships is one of your most important marketing tools. The easiest way to do this is  with a loyalty program .

The goal of the program is not only to retain these customers, but to make them feel like they are earning points and moving up to the next VIP level in an exciting and exclusive experience. Get creative with how customers can earn points, such as offering double rewards on their birthday for extra shopping motivation. Many people think about street directory, learn more about it.

6. Create a sense of urgency

Remember those impulse buys we talked about? Most of them are driven by a sense of urgency, such as "for a limited time!" or "while available". When you give urgency to your marketing messages, customers feel pressured and are more likely to buy on impulse.

Make sure customers feel they are limited in time and stock and if they don't buy now they won't have that option again in the future. As long as your brand has a clear message with a clear time frame, that urgency most often drives them to action. But you should not do this everywhere and always, as the client will think that you are just artificially trying to put pressure on the purchase.

7. Be locally relevant

Around 88% of consumers who search for a local business using a mobile device call or contact that business within 24 hours, which suggests that even if you run a predominantly online marketplace, you need to be accessible offline as well. People will feel more trust in you if you have a physical store that they can come to and buy what they need.

8. Use smart remarketing

So you've sold your products and services to customers and they've made a purchase, that's great! But not re-marketing your products and services to customers is just giving up additional revenue. In fact, 75% of consumers are more likely to purchase from a merchant who recognizes them by name, recommends options based on past purchases, or knows their purchase history.

Remarketing allows you to remind customers that they have bought your products before and that they should buy your products again. The problem is that people are busy and may forget how positive their experience with you was. So if you don't remind them, they may not remember. Think about the lifespan of your product and when that consumer runs out of stock and needs another one. If you're selling a cleanser, remind him of this two months after purchase. If you sell candles, wait about a month. It is not necessary to do this directly, but rather use the services of SMS informing.

It is also necessary to know which products complement each other and sell complementary products based on their past purchases. The customer who bought the candle might like a scented room spray or a bottle of face wash. Therefore, to begin with, consider which products can complement each other.

While these promotional tactics are good, they won't be effective if you don't track your efforts and analyze what works and what doesn't. In an ideal world of retail, your POS system should be able to assign tracking and discount codes to specific products. You can then simply create a report to see how well you've done since you first ran the campaign.

It's also important to set a timeline for your campaigns and efforts. This will help you see how efficiently your time and efforts are being used - after all, time is money.