The most recent trends in retail marketing

Marketing has transformed dramatically in the last decade with a greater focus on digital technology and ethics. This has particularly been the case in the retail sector. A greater number of e-commerce companies has meant that physical retail outlets have had to become more creative in their promotional strategies. Here are just some of the most recent marketing trends that could be worth taking advantage of if you’re a retail company looking to boost business.

The rise of social media

Social media is no longer considered solely a place to connect with friends. Businesses of all kinds are now using at a powerful platform to connect to customers. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter all allow users to set up business pages/accounts, which can have perks over regular accounts such as being able to promote posts as ads and view engagement analytics.

The most basic way to use social media for marketing is to use it as a public noticeboard for advertising deals and events. Many consumers follow social media accounts for the purpose of keeping in the loop when it comes to such promotions and events. By boosting these posts, you can also increase their exposure so that non-followers can view them – allowing you to attract new customers.

Social media however can be used as more than simply a public noticeboard. It allows you to interact with customers and can be a fun way of building a community around your business. You may be able to ask customers to suggest new products they’d like to see – by running polls, you may be able to get an idea of what’s popular and appeal directly to your consumer base. You may also be able to run competitions on social media with gifts such free giveaways and discounts.

You can even use social media to cross-promote with other companies. You can promote their business, whilst they can promote yours. Obviously, you may not want to do this with a direct competitor, but there may be another local business that you think may appeal to your customers (it could make sense for a wedding dress store and a jeweller to cross promote).

If you’re not particularly social media savvy, there are plenty of social media marketing companies that you can get help from such as boucherco.com. Such companies may be able to help come up with creative marketing campaigns for your retail outlet and help you establish a voice for your brand. 

Marketing to mobiles           

Another one of the biggest changes in retail marketing is the growth of mobile marketing. Many of us have smartphones and spend hours on them – in fact, nowadays more people are likely to check their phone in a traffic jam that look at a billboard. It therefore makes sense to start using these devices as a marketing platform.

Apps are one of the biggest ways in which retail companies can market directly to smartphones. An app leaves a constant reminder of your brand on your customers’ phone – they’ll see the icon every time they open their phone. Of course, getting people to download your app requires building an app with a clear incentive and purpose. The best way to do this is to give app users privileges. An app could be used a digital loyalty card, which customers can scan to collect points to then put towards purchases. Alternatively, you could set up a fast-track queue specifically for app builders or allow app users to reserve products.

To design an app, you’re best using an app development company such as gravitywell.com. The cost of developing an app can vary depending on the complexity.

On top of apps, there may be other ways of integrating smartphone use into your marketing. SMS marketing involves using texts to keep customers in the loop when it comes to promotions and events – this involves having customers numbers and signing them up to a mailing list. You may also be able to use flyers and business cards with QR codes that lead directly to your company site – these are codes that when scanned with a phone camera open up a webpage of your choice.

It could also be worth making a few changes to your site to make it more mobile friendly. This could involve adding a call button that mobile users can click on rather than having to dial out your number manually. You may also be able to add a GPS map so that visitors can easily find your store. On top of this, it’s worth allowing users to download your app directly through your site.

Appealing to the senses

Whilst digital integration is key, consumers still visit physical retail stores so that they can have a physical experience. In fact, selling experiences should be equal to selling products.

To offer an experience that consumers can’t get online, you should try to appeal to all the senses. Creative lighting and music have long been ways to lure in customers, but you should also try appealing to customer’s sense of smell, taste and touch.

Tasters are important in food and drink retail. You may be able to set up a taster stations in your store or you may be able to run tasting events. There’s also been a growing number of retail outlets that have started selling coffee on their premises, allowing people to drink coffee as they browse (popular in vinyl stores and vintage clothes stores).

Perfumes, soaps and candles meanwhile can be ways of appealing to customers’ sense of smell – by giving the option to smell these products rather than keeping them in packaging, you can make it more exciting. You may also be able to use strong aromas to lure in customers.

As for appealing to consumer’s sense of touch, a number of retail outlets have started offering hand-on experiences. This could include hosting demos of products or even hosting classes (a food retail outlet could offer cooking classes for instance). These can be fun ways to engage customers and generate more buzz for your business.

A greener approach

A greater concern for environmental damage has also led to a greener style of marketing. Many customers are now attracted to eco-friendly products and are more appreciative of companies trying to lower their carbon footprint.

Many retail companies are now reducing their use of plastic when it comes to bags and promotional products. There are services as found at earthfriendlypromos.com.au that specialise in producing eco-friendly bags, straws, business cards and other promotional products. Refillable eco-friendly bottles are also becoming popular.

Packaging is also becoming eco-friendlier. Many companies are doing away with plastic containers in favour of cardboard. Black plastic in particular – which is less recyclable – is being dropped by many retailers.