Marketing to customers who are already buying something at a POS might seem redundant. They are buying something already, after all — but the Harvard Business Review recently stated that point-of-sale and point-of-purchase marketing can be more effective than other types of marketing.
To maximize your marketing efforts, use your POS software to the fullest extent possible. Certain POS software, like Erply, include features and tools that you can use to target specific customers and more. Here are a few of the most effective ways to use your POS to meet your marketing initiatives.
Use Your POS to Gather Customer Data
If you use POS software like Erply’s tool, you can use it to collect relevant data about customers which can, in turn, be used for marketing efforts. This isn’t about collecting peoples emails and phone numbers and spamming them with deals and offers. Marketing at the POS is about providing a real benefit to the customers you target.
Erply has a built-in customer database — browse and study your audience, create groups and apply for sales promotions selectively, and above all, keep the focus on the benefit to the customer.
Should you display your new sunglasses at the point of purchase? Maybe you could see who’s been buying other beach-related products, like flip-flops. Which store do those customers visit?
Use All Point-of-Purchase Marketing Tactics
Pair your POS software marketing tactics with traditional retail marketing tactics. There’s a slew of techniques you can use, no matter what you sell, that will produce the results you’re looking for in your marketing. Here are some examples.
In-Store Samples
If you are a food retailer, in-store samples might be your bread and butter. You don’t have to sell food to use in-store samples as a marketing tactic, though. Demonstrations are much better suited for merchandisers of electronics, home goods, and hardware and tools.
Erply has a built-in demonstration mode that can be used for showcasing. Pair this with the detailed reporting ability Erply has, and you can track which displays are effective and which sampled products eventually become sales.
Product Placement in Retail Stores
Developing a planogram for your shelves is a good way to stay organized consistently. A planogram is a visual representation of the layout of your retail store — where the products go on the shelves, and where you will have displays, demonstrations, or in-store samples. When you design your planogram, keep in mind that the phrase “eye level is buying level” is backed by science.
An easy way to sell to your target customer is to place items they want to buy right in front of them. Use counter space by your registers as valuable opportunities for product placement.
Upselling and Cross-selling at the POP
An analysis performed by Bain & Company found that effective cross-selling techniques alone increased revenue from customers who bought additional products by 65% or more. If you can use the data gathered by your POS to appropriately cross-sell and upsell, you can see numbers like that, too.
Upselling is more about educating customers about why items that are priced higher are of higher quality, and about why that quality could matter to them. A shoe retailer, for example, might offer a better running shoe at a higher cost to a customer who could use and afford them. The benefit to the customer is obvious, and done well doesn’t come across as a sales tactic.
Treat cross-selling similarly, and offer related items to customers who can benefit from them. Identifying your customer’s needs by listening to why they are shopping with you is a good first step to effective upselling and cross-selling.
Set up a bracelet as a cross-selling product for a necklace, and Erply POS will prompt your sales associates to suggest it.
Must-Have Marketing Tools for Your Point-of-Sale Software
Maximizing your marketing efforts through your POS requires software that is designed to do the job. Here are a few must-haves that will make it easy to achieve your marketing goals:
- Customer loyalty. For example, Erply has a Loyalty Program feature that allows you to create rules and promotional incentives, as well as distribute loyalty cards that are searchable through each POS device.
- Store credit. Store credit options give customers the benefit of a higher return on their items, and you the benefit of keeping people in your store. You can also award customers with store credit during promotions or any other way you see fit.
- Search capabilities. Quickly searching for items that are in stock is another must-have feature of your POS system. Erply has a speedy search that can look up items by name and text code, and also has code scanning capabilities. Items searched can easily be added to a transaction.
By implementing POP marketing tactics that focus on the use of your POS, you can increase your bottom line see the return on your efforts. To grow you must be active with your marketing, and Erply can be the tool that opens that door for you.
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