Attribute shelf tags help increase retail sales
How do you assist shoppers to easily find products categories or attributes that match their dietary needs? Do you have aisle signs, category shelf talkers, how about product attributes shelf tags? Our industry is all about meeting the needs of those with special diets and I strongly believe that through category and attribute signage that retailers can improve the shopping experience for their customers.
I recently had to go on a soy-free, dairy-free, gluten-free diet and went shopping at one of my favorite natural food stores. I wasn’t in my normal mood of reading all the great labels as if gathering information to share with others… but this time I was shopping for me. I was tired and hungry and now had to find foods that met my new dietary considerations.
I went into the cereal aisle and oh my, I was overwhelmed. The good news was that found items that had gluten-free on the label, but now I had to read each of those items to see if they offered the other attributes that I was searching for. I only had 15 minutes to shop and I left the store feeling disappointed and a bit frustrated – with much less in my shopping basket than I was prepared to shop for. In reality it wasn’t the store’s fault, it was that I needed more assistance. I’m sure that I wasn’t the first customer to walk away from a shopping trip with less in the basket and a heavy heart.
But there is an opportunity and solution here that I want to share.
I recently had to go on a soy-free, dairy-free, gluten-free diet and went shopping at one of my favorite natural food stores. I wasn’t in my normal mood of reading all the great labels as if gathering information to share with others… but this time I was shopping for me. I was tired and hungry and now had to find foods that met my new dietary considerations.
I went into the cereal aisle and oh my, I was overwhelmed. The good news was that found items that had gluten-free on the label, but now I had to read each of those items to see if they offered the other attributes that I was searching for. I only had 15 minutes to shop and I left the store feeling disappointed and a bit frustrated – with much less in my shopping basket than I was prepared to shop for. In reality it wasn’t the store’s fault, it was that I needed more assistance. I’m sure that I wasn’t the first customer to walk away from a shopping trip with less in the basket and a heavy heart.
But there is an opportunity and solution here that I want to share.
I can’t tell you how much greater my “signage” message has intensified over the past couple of months. Years ago most natural foods stores had creative ways of using little colored dots, highlighters etc., to feature attributes such as sugar free, soy free, vegan and so on. As our industry grew and we began adding more products, POS systems, and we got busier and busier letting some of our attribute signage drift away. Truth: The mass stores let product packaging and discounts sell their products.
Where I see renewed opportunity is for the natural product retailer to revamp their signage and add shelf talkers and attribute tags that can make shopping so much easier for their customers to find items on their shopping lists. With the wonderful world of desktop publishing and the askDebby.com’s Shelf Talker Library retailers can easily download and print professional signs laminate them, and keep a library on hand to easily highlight attributes on new items, too.
I encourage you to walk your aisles and consider searching for a specific attribute and see if there isn’t a golden opportunity just waiting for you to embrace! Be sure to educate your staff and customers about what to look for or how to read the new attribute signs like the template I made in the image above.
NOTE: some POS systems have fields for adding attributes making it possible to print out a list of items that you carry matching attribute requests from your customers… kind of a shopping list plus a positive marketing (and sales) opportunity!
Until next time, here's wishing you a great day!
Debby
l askDebby.com l About Debby Swoboda l Consulting with Debby by the hour or by the visit l Branding Toppers Co-op Labels l FREE Shelf Talker Library l Retailer Forum l Become a Facebook Fan l
Where I see renewed opportunity is for the natural product retailer to revamp their signage and add shelf talkers and attribute tags that can make shopping so much easier for their customers to find items on their shopping lists. With the wonderful world of desktop publishing and the askDebby.com’s Shelf Talker Library retailers can easily download and print professional signs laminate them, and keep a library on hand to easily highlight attributes on new items, too.
I encourage you to walk your aisles and consider searching for a specific attribute and see if there isn’t a golden opportunity just waiting for you to embrace! Be sure to educate your staff and customers about what to look for or how to read the new attribute signs like the template I made in the image above.
NOTE: some POS systems have fields for adding attributes making it possible to print out a list of items that you carry matching attribute requests from your customers… kind of a shopping list plus a positive marketing (and sales) opportunity!
Until next time, here's wishing you a great day!
Debby
l askDebby.com l About Debby Swoboda l Consulting with Debby by the hour or by the visit l Branding Toppers Co-op Labels l FREE Shelf Talker Library l Retailer Forum l Become a Facebook Fan l
Posted by Debby Swoboda at 6/23/2010 10:09 AM 
Categories: employee education,trends,retail signage,merchandising ideas,Gluten Free,quality standards,marketing ideas
Tags: shelf talkers customer retention cross merchandising attribute shelf tags in-store signage consumer marketing campaign staff education
Categories: employee education,trends,retail signage,merchandising ideas,Gluten Free,quality standards,marketing ideas
Tags: shelf talkers customer retention cross merchandising attribute shelf tags in-store signage consumer marketing campaign staff education
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