Shopper marketing or the art of turning buyers into customers

How do you convince shoppers at the point of sale? The inputs that the customer comes across before making the purchase decision at the point of sale are infinite: great variety of products, categories, models, sections,… as well as the points of sale themselves to choose from. Shopper marketing deals with taking into account all the stimuli and tactics used to capture the target audience in the shop, build the brand in his/her mind and influence the customer´s buying process.

The objective is to know the shopper´s DNA: to know at what moment the customer recognises that he/she has a need and is willing to make the purchase, in order to analyse his/her behaviour.

The objectives of shopper focused marketing

The world, society, customers… evolve and, as a consequence, sales strategies must consider the changing environment and new consumption models. Marketing has evolved considerably, from focusing on the product, to focusing on consumers and their intrinsic needs, to taking into account people´s values, needs and concerns.

Some of the objectives of shopper marketing at the point of sale are:

Provide added value to the consumer

Added value is that extra benefit that the consumer does not expect, and that therefore goes beyond his/her expectations. It has an important differentiating component, enabling the creation of a unique emotional bond. Its effects on the customer are very powerful, since they are made to feel special to have received that value that anticipated their needs or desires, while at the same time obtaining a differentiated product.

This is a creative strategy, prepared to stand out from the competition, which will lead to the customer choosing our product or service over any other. It is part of loyalty marketing, based on retaining the customer by responding to his/her needs, and working to ensure that repeat purchases are made from our business.

Did you know that 70% of purchase decisions are made at the point of sale?

Get to know new shoppers

New shoppers are digital shoppers, who autonomously live in an omnichannel world, and makes his/her own decisions. Knowing this new purchase perspective is essential when it comes to preparing the best sales strategy. It is no longer useful to capture the customer through different channels by focusing on the customer journey, but a 360º strategy is required where there are no limits regarding space or time.

By analysing the shopper, we can create more efficient strategies because we have more information about their behaviour at the point of sale.

Build a common strategy between retailer and manufacturer

Weaving common strategies is essential to forge ties between retailers and manufacturers, which both can benefit from. In this regard, there is, for example, the development of joint promotion actions, strategies to increase  demand.

The customer has the final say and has plenty of alternatives to ours that can be accessed immediately. It is important to design solutions that influence the cycle of behaviour in order to benefit both retailers and manufacturers.

Focus efforts on the shopper’s strategy

The big mistake is focusing on the brand or product. We have to create strategies focused on our shopper, analysing him/her, learning about their needs and desires, as well as knowing their social environment.

Focusing efforts on the consumer strategy will allow us to create personalised campaigns, aimed directly at the specific customer through certain channels, or considering the appropriate omnichannelity. This will allow us to work on our relationships with customers and promote loyalty.

Shopper marketing has become the centre of the entire marketing strategy.

What do shoppers want and need when shopping? By knowing this we can offer them exactly what they are looking for.

It is time to study a shopper´s purchasing process, to position our products or services effectively. Contact Evvo to reconsider your strategy in your point of sale.