Store Tours: Building Customer Traffic & Sales
In the 80s store tours were part of the marketing program for many "health food store" retailers. Natural products weren't available in as many outlets as today and it was an opportunity to educate not only about products but also share about the store and its services. Consumers during that era didn't have the Internet for "googling" information about products, services, and ingredients. NOTE: Googling is using the popular search engine Google.com to look something up.
In today's economy store tours are showing a comeback and offer retailers a unique marketing opportunity that engages customers and can create sales. Yesterday I was part of a panel and spoke about "commitment to education" to a group of retailers at the Tree of Life Customer Appreciation Weekend here in Dallas. I asked retailers if any currently offered store tours and not a hand was raised. Thus the reason for this morning's post.
I believe that store tours can become one of your most cost effective marketing sales campaigns ever imagined. Let me share a few tips to help you get started:
Plan:
• how often would you like to offer tours
• what tour themes would fit right for your store (seniors, gluten free, active lifestyles, stress busters, kids, healthy happy hour, etc.)
• who would you invite and how would you invite attendees (market the event such as in-store flyers and emails or direct invitations to groups and local businesses)
• who would be your tour guide(s) (someone with personalty that shares information well)
• know your audience and be prepared on the subject(s) that matter to them
• handouts designed to offer products features, recipes, and ways to drive customers back into your store
Items to highlight:
• choose items that fit the audience
• look for items that aren't offered by the competition - especially new items
• select items to sample that will be featured "sale items" during the tour
• request samples from vendors for the items that you will be highlighting (select items that are spread throughout the store to help spread out the sampling as you lead the tour through your aisles)
• look for item that have good "story-telling" features
Tour path:
• layout the walking path of the tour
• use signage (shelf talkers work great) strategically placed along the tour path can deliver "silent sales" messages during the event
During the tour:
• encourage customers to push shopping carts (or carry hand baskets)
• offer a today only gift with purchase or special tour-deal
• create tour-group participation (ask for volunteers: double dip police, napkin patrol, waste patrol, sanitation administrator)
• sample right from the aisle
• create WOM (word of mouth situations like munching on some PetGuard Mr. Barky's dog biscuits while explaining about by-products - believe me people react and love me stating "don't worry, I'm a vegetarian and what's good enough for me is good enough for your pets!" I hand out some to people that want to try them and take some home for their pooch.)
• talk about product attributes, your store's mission, your ingredient standards, etc.
• take a photo of the tour group (with permission) and gather any comments that they would like to share - use this in the marketing of your store tour program.
Follow up:
• send a thank you to the attendees (email or snail mail) and invite them back with either a coupon, event notifications, drawing, etc.
Want more tips?
If you still have questions or would like to hear even more store tour tips I would like invite you to my upcoming FREE askDebby.com/TeleTrainings. Just click on the date link to register: Thursday, August 20 at 4pm EDT.
I encourage to to try a store tour. Consider creating a gluten free tour and sign up current customers encouraging them to bring others from their gluten awareness community. Contact vendors for samples and use signage to help deliver messages and special savings. Talk about your store values, product ingredient standards, services, and what makes you different! It's worth trying... promise!
If you have any tips that you would like to share about store tours, please share them along with any questions. Love the feed back!
Until next time, here's wishing you a great day!
Debby
askDebby.com l about Debby Swoboda l Upcoming FREE TeleTrainings l Co-op Branding Labels
Free Shelf Talker Library l Retailer Forum l Read This l askME Campaign l Bowl of Cherries
In today's economy store tours are showing a comeback and offer retailers a unique marketing opportunity that engages customers and can create sales. Yesterday I was part of a panel and spoke about "commitment to education" to a group of retailers at the Tree of Life Customer Appreciation Weekend here in Dallas. I asked retailers if any currently offered store tours and not a hand was raised. Thus the reason for this morning's post.
I believe that store tours can become one of your most cost effective marketing sales campaigns ever imagined. Let me share a few tips to help you get started:
Plan:
• how often would you like to offer tours
• who would you invite and how would you invite attendees (market the event such as in-store flyers and emails or direct invitations to groups and local businesses)
• who would be your tour guide(s) (someone with personalty that shares information well)
• know your audience and be prepared on the subject(s) that matter to them
• handouts designed to offer products features, recipes, and ways to drive customers back into your store
Items to highlight:
• choose items that fit the audience
• look for items that aren't offered by the competition - especially new items
• select items to sample that will be featured "sale items" during the tour
• request samples from vendors for the items that you will be highlighting (select items that are spread throughout the store to help spread out the sampling as you lead the tour through your aisles)
• look for item that have good "story-telling" features
Tour path:
• layout the walking path of the tour
• use signage (shelf talkers work great) strategically placed along the tour path can deliver "silent sales" messages during the event
During the tour:
• encourage customers to push shopping carts (or carry hand baskets)
• offer a today only gift with purchase or special tour-deal
• create tour-group participation (ask for volunteers: double dip police, napkin patrol, waste patrol, sanitation administrator)
• sample right from the aisle
• create WOM (word of mouth situations like munching on some PetGuard Mr. Barky's dog biscuits while explaining about by-products - believe me people react and love me stating "don't worry, I'm a vegetarian and what's good enough for me is good enough for your pets!" I hand out some to people that want to try them and take some home for their pooch.)
• talk about product attributes, your store's mission, your ingredient standards, etc.
• take a photo of the tour group (with permission) and gather any comments that they would like to share - use this in the marketing of your store tour program.
Follow up:
• send a thank you to the attendees (email or snail mail) and invite them back with either a coupon, event notifications, drawing, etc.
Want more tips?
If you still have questions or would like to hear even more store tour tips I would like invite you to my upcoming FREE askDebby.com/TeleTrainings. Just click on the date link to register: Thursday, August 20 at 4pm EDT.
I encourage to to try a store tour. Consider creating a gluten free tour and sign up current customers encouraging them to bring others from their gluten awareness community. Contact vendors for samples and use signage to help deliver messages and special savings. Talk about your store values, product ingredient standards, services, and what makes you different! It's worth trying... promise!
If you have any tips that you would like to share about store tours, please share them along with any questions. Love the feed back!
Until next time, here's wishing you a great day!
Debby
askDebby.com l about Debby Swoboda l Upcoming FREE TeleTrainings l Co-op Branding Labels
Free Shelf Talker Library l Retailer Forum l Read This l askME Campaign l Bowl of Cherries
Posted by Debby Swoboda at 8/16/2009 5:59 AM 
Categories: consumer engagement, handshake marketing, instore events, marketing ideas, advanced planning
Tags: cross merchandising marketing tips customer retention Word of Mouth marketing retailer education customer engagement instore events
Categories: consumer engagement, handshake marketing, instore events, marketing ideas, advanced planning
Tags: cross merchandising marketing tips customer retention Word of Mouth marketing retailer education customer engagement instore events
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