If you thought marketing ends when the customer walks into your retail store, then you are wrong. Poor marketing strategy at the point of sale can cost you a lot of sales. The majority of the marketing efforts aim at helping a potential buyer to understand solutions to different problems, evaluate the merchandise, service option before deciding whether to buy or not. The marketing methodology might vary between winning customer’s attention and earning it as part of your strategy to build a brand audience. However, the ultimate goals are the same, informing the customer, educating, and eventually persuading the buyer to purchase your merchandise.
However, point of sale marketing is somehow different; it’s a strategy of persuading customers who are already in your store to make more purchases. And it entails last-minute tricks of a retailer to influence a customer to shop. In many cases, the customer will window shop just to check how different business operates before they decide to buy any product. Having the right strategy you can tap in such buyers and improve your overall sales. There are various strategies that you can use to optimize the point of sale and make it more appealing to customers who get into your store.
Does of Point of Sale marketing work?
Yes, the point of sale marketing has proved to work for many retailers, and it’s actually one of the best marketing strategies you can employ in your business. First of all, the customers who are already inside your retail store have made their minds, and they are ready to buy something which makes it easy to convince them. You can as well take that as an advantage to convince them to purchase an additional product. On the other hand, the add-on can also be a reminder and trigger customers’ desire to buy the product.
You can also think of installing an attractive point of sale display that can easily attract the attention of the customer and trigger the desire to buy it. Many retailers have gone the extra mile to install television displays that are placed at the point of sale, and they play a significant role in influencing customers to make more purchases. Ensure that you have a beautiful display that customers can relate your products with as they window shop.
How to Optimize your Point of Sale?
There are different ways of optimizing your point of sale and make it effective enough to increase your sales. Depending on what you are selling, you will have to implement different POS optimizing strategies. Some of the standard POS optimizing marketing strategies include;
- POS displays
The POS terminals play a vital role in attracting customer attention as well as creating the desire to buy a product. The customer can just decide to buy something because of the beautiful display in the retail store. That explains why major retail companies invest a lot in product displays as they understand its effectiveness in enhancing sales. POS displays range from shelves, counter display, and even screen displays. However, consider the following factors when choosing the right POS display;
- Practicality
Always the space near the register is limited, and your POS display shouldn’t be a focal point in your store. Therefore, make sure any display you choose can fit as many products as possible and at the same time, be easily accessible to your customers. Make the display shopper-friendly, meaning it should be more of a product stock than just a visual display.
- Positioning
Typically, where you place your display can influence how the product will be bought. Thus, position the POS display where it can be quickly restocked, and also customers can have an easy time picking the products. The display design should ensure that it’s not space consuming and bulky. Let it not be a nuisance to those buyers waiting on the liner and also for the staff who is restocking it.
- Design
You should put in mind that you want to convince customers that are already on the line to buy an additional product. The display should be eye-catching with appropriate imagery that can be seen from a distance and draw the attention of the buyer without having any physical disturbance.
- Understand the products you want to display
The displays should always match with the products they are advertising. Think of where the products can fit, for instance, will it be better hanged or placed on a shelf or counter? Do all those evaluations before setting up the display.
- Sales floor samples
Another best way of optimizing your point of sale is to set up a station near the registry where customers can try out your products before they make a buying decision. This is mostly applicable when selling new snacks or soft beverages. It helps in eliminating customer doubts as well as influence them to buy the product. However, you should ensure that you don’t overcrowd the area as it might look untidy for some buyers. The sales floor gives the potential customers an opportunity to sample the products so that they can understand what they are about to purchase. This testing booths can be the best choice for new consumable products on the market.
- Dumb bins
You can also use the dumb containers to stock some of the small-packaged products such as candy bars and toiletries and other products that customers can quickly grab on their way to the registry. The dumb bins are always attractive and customized to look like the products being sold. They are free-standing and colorful to be seen by customers. Here, you can make many sales as they are mostly stocked with small products that the customer is likely to forget while shopping. The dumb bins trigger desire easily.
Point of sale marketing plays an essential role in boosting your overall sales and should be given priority at all times. It’s very easy for a customer to get into your retail store and fail to purchase anything despite doing a lot of marketing on social media, emails, or even on mainstream media. The displays you have in your retail will play a significant role in triggering the buyer’s desire to purchase your products. Your staff should also be trained to offer excellent customer service.
