In-Store Advertising: 12 Best Practices to Implement Today
Challenge
Execution
Results
The right in-store advertising strategy is crucial to retailer success. Even in today’s digital world, around 83.7% of US retail sales still happen in-store.
Around 31.5% of all customers immediately purchase in-store when they’re presented with the right marketing materials and information.
An effective approach to in-store advertising can help you take advantage of impulse-driven purchasing decisions, strengthen connections with your target audience, and enhance your brand’s reputation. So, how do you make sure you’re designing marketing campaigns that work?
Here are 12 best practice tips to take your in-store promotions to the next level.
12 Best Practices for Better Instore Advertising
Great in-store advertising requires a combination of creativity, strategy, technology, and skill. It can take time and a lot of experimentation to determine which marketing strategies have the biggest impact on your audience and your profits.
If you follow the right strategy and implement the tips below, the results can be astronomical. Great in-store advertising can improve the ROI of your entire marketing and sales strategy. Up to 58% of customers say their positive experiences with a company in-store have convinced them to purchase products online.
Here are the best practices you should be implementing today.
- Conduct Extensive Research
Great advertising campaigns start with thorough planning. Before you create window displays or gamified experiences for your audience, you should learn everything there is to know about them. Then, using competitor analysis, focus groups, and insights from your website and other marketing campaigns, create buyer personas for your target audience.
Find out what kind of customers usually shop for products in-store and what matters most to them when making purchasing decisions. Ask yourself, how do your customers evaluate products? What kind of colors, images, and statements will have the biggest impact on their conversion rate?
- Tailor Your Instore Advertising to Specific Audience Groups
Once you’ve identified your buyer personas, begin tailoring your advertising experiences to specific groups within your audience. For instance, when advertising products intended for a younger audience, you might use brighter colors or more images in your campaigns.
Your advertising strategies might even change from one store location to the next. For instance, in regions where customers have more disposable income, you might focus on promoting your luxury and “premium” products more aggressively.
In areas where customers have less spending power, you might make your cheaper products the focus of your displays and campaigns.
- Prioritize the Mobile Journey
Mobile devices are responsible for around 80% of online store visits, and around 70% of ecommerce orders. Even if your customers visit your store in person, there’s a good chance they’ll still rely on their phones throughout their purchasing journey.
Ensuring your customers get a unique “mobile” experience when they visit your store can significantly boost your chances of conversions. You can use a platform like GENESISX to create highly personalized and branded mobile experiences for each stage of the customer journey, before, during, and after they visit your store. Companies like Walmart have used these platforms to create immersive narratives and mobile guides for customers, generating massive increases in sales.
- Consider Advertising Placements Carefully
Next, map the journey customers take throughout your store. Where will they be most likely to make purchasing decisions? End caps can be an excellent place to draw attention to sales and promotions, but the items you highlight need to be relevant to the products placed nearby.
Promoting complementary items next to your main products can be an excellent way to increase sales. For instance, if you have an aisle dedicated to ice cream and summer treats, you might promote toppings and sauces in the end cap.
- Create Interactive Experiences
25% of in-store shoppers want to physically interact with products before buying them. Explore ways of giving hands-on experiences to your customers. You could give away free samples of new products or host product demonstrations and workshops like the Apple store does for new tech.
Interactive kiosks are another excellent option. They allow customers to look up products, check item availability, find sizing information, and even sign up for newsletters and memberships. These kiosks can even be designed to offer product recommendations based on customers' search phrases.
- Align Instore Advertising and Digital Advertising
Customers now have multiple ways to research and interact with brands. Finding ways to connect with customers across every channel consistently with omnichannel marketing can boost your sales. Companies with a strong omnichannel approach can increase annual revenue by 9.5%.
Look for ways to align your online and instore advertising methods. Add QR codes to shelves so customers can scan products in-store and learn about them online. Alternatively, ask customers to sign up for email newsletters in-store or follow your social media accounts.
- Use Eye-Catching Displays
Displays aren’t just a way to make your store more visually appealing; they can provide customers with useful product information and increase conversion rates. Displays using screens are a great way to supply customers with valuable information.
You can use them to display user-generated content, such as images shared by customers on social media or reviews and testimonials. You might even showcase product videos and “how-to” guides.
- Experiment with Cutting-Edge Technology
Advanced technology is an excellent way to differentiate your in-store advertising strategies from the competition. One particularly compelling option is to experiment with extended reality, allowing customers to try on items in virtual or augmented reality.
You could also experiment with IoT sensors, which capture information about customers as they move around your store and allow you to send relevant push notifications straight to their phones.
- Drive Revenue with Loyalty Programs
Loyalty program members can generate 12-18% more consistent revenue growth each year than your other customers. Encourage customers to sign up for loyalty programs at your store's checkout, introducing them to benefits like exclusive discounts and rewards.
The more customers join your loyalty programs, the more leads you’ll have to nurture with email marketing campaigns, which will help you increase in-store and online traffic.
- Work with the Experts
Mastering in-store advertising can be tricky for beginners. Sometimes, the best option is to work with experts with years of experience in your industry. Advertising, visual merchandising, and design companies can help you create more compelling advertisements for your store.
They can map your customer journey, help you build powerful window and product displays, and even assist you in gathering data about your customers.
- Be Creative with Marketing Events
As mentioned above, building the best instore advertising campaigns often requires some experimentation. Don’t be afraid to explore unique ideas and trending concepts like:
- Hosting surprise events or promotions
- Adding gamification to instore experiences with contests and scavenger hunts
- Running limited-time “deal of the day” promotions
- Hosting holiday and seasonal campaigns
The more unique your instore advertising strategies are, the more you’ll differentiate yourself from the competition and become memorable to your target audience.
- Gather Feedback and Insights
Finally, whether you’re investing in online or in-store advertising, it’s crucial to collect data about the impact of campaigns. Leverage technology to track in-store foot traffic and conversion rates. Look for ways to collect feedback from customers, either by asking for reviews or using social listening tools to track testimonials.
Use the information you gather to make informed, data-driven decisions about which future campaigns to implement.
Optimize Your Instore Advertising Campaigns
Even in an increasingly digital world, a strong instore marketing strategy greatly impacts your brand development and growth. With the right campaign, you can increase sales, separate yourself from the competition, and increase your marketing ROI.
Reach out to GENESISX today, to learn how our platform can help you transform the instore experience, with mobile-first, intuitive, and personalized advertising.
