Subject: We Need Promotion Tips Author: Katrin
(Note - This is an updated post. Katrin originally posted her concerns about 15 years ago.)
Hi,
We are selling street wear fashion aimed at the younger public, ages between 15-35. we will be stocking clothes like Paul Frank, En Core, Triple Five, Stussy and similar. If you are not familiar with these brands it is similar to Diesel for example.
Our shop is located off the main shopping street, but still central.
If you could give us any ideas or tips on how to promote this type of shop, we would really appreciate that.
Thanks for your time.
Kind Regards,
Katrin
Hi Katrin,
Something to remember: You can benefit from promotions by selling & learning what you can from results. So, promotions shouldn't be one-shot efforts. You should evaluate results & determine what to do next.
There are more issues than those below, so please consider my suggestions to be a starting platform.
Optimal retailing extends to making stores fit into consumers' lives.
The basic message of too many ads is this - "BUY FROM ME NOW!"
Advertising should be more like "Excuse me, your shoe is untied." As much as practical, there should be value in your messages, not just in things to be sold. Your messages should be focused on helping people live better more than just helping you sell more.
Yes, I know adding information adds to the length of advertising. More length adds cost. More information & compelling content can bring you more sales.
For clothing, you can help people notice how their choices affect their daily results. What kind of fabrics should they choose based on heat & humidity?
If they plan to keep their clothes for years, what should they be aware of?
If they discard their clothing when styles change, what should they choose?
Based on the issues you present in your advertising, how can you help people make optimal choices?
Help Consumers Live Better Before They Buy From You
How can you fit into their activities?
How can you make their buying & post-purchase behaviors easier?
How can you make each shopping trip worthwhile for them?
Considering their benefits instead of only yours, how can you help them avoid delaying purchases?
If they have to delay a purchase, they might buy from another store or not buy at all.
If they don't buy, they don't get benefits. If they buy from somebody else, what would they gain & lose?
When they buy from anybody else instead of you, if they don't lose anything - why are in you business?
How do you plan to stay in business without unique value your niche members can gain or lose?
Retailers should consider what consumers need to do before, during & after shopping trips.
What do your prospects do before & after school or working? Where do they go during lunch breaks?
Even if they buy a solution or decide to make a purchase, they take on other problems -
What will they do with products until they get home? How will they get products home? They may have to learn how to use products/service results.
When will they schedule services?
Though they have those responsibilities, you should try to help them make decisions.
What kind of options can you offer? Can they buy from you, then return to pick things up quickly? Will you have things delivered?
Do you have instructions to streamline their learning about products?
If they shop in multiple stores, how can you help them with products they buy during a shopping trip?
It can be inconvenient for them to wait at home for deliveries from multiple stores. They might dread trying to arrange for somebody else to wait for deliveries.
Do they use public transportation or car pools? Transportation options can lead to scheduling conflicts. They might struggle to get bags into & out of vehicles.
Their means of transportation can be a determining factor in what & when they buy & how much.
They might shop during breaks via web sites or in stores. After work/school, they might buy products after they've had time to think about purchases & when they have more time for transactions.
If they buy anything, would they have to carry products with them or put purchases into their cars?
Would they purchase things & pick them up later or have them shipped?
Consumers' Activities Before Shopping
How can you reach them with your messages?
How spontaneous are your niche members? Do they usually plan to shop? What are they usually doing before shopping? Where are they when they start heading to a store?
During breaks, before & after work/school, they might go to a park or a building & use public WiFi.
When are they more apt to be receptive to your messages?
Example - If there's a restaurant where your prospects go for lunch & supper, you may be able to reach them at lunch.
Why? Maybe they'd wear one type of clothing at work & something else after work. You could sell them something they could wear later during a dinner date.
Do they have multiple jobs & different dress codes? Which situation(s) can you help them dress for?
If a nearby restaurant serves lunch & supper, but doesn't attract the lunch crowd back for supper, you can try a joint promotion. To some extent, it would depend on what attracts people during lunch breaks compared to what's attractive for them after work.
How much time & energy do they have after school/work?
Would they choose better food, if they didn't have to cook it while they're exhausted?
Do they eat lunch in groups of co-workers, but spend time with lovers or family members after work?
Are they apt to ask co-workers for shopping advice or get input from other friends?
Develop A Message & Deliver It
For this example, you'd need to have point-of-purchase signs &/or small flyers to introduce some offers.
You could get consumers to stay or return to the area for a meal & shopping.
For example, after people buy from you, you could give them a coupon (with the restaurant owner/manager's permission) for a free beverage with the purchase of a meal. It could be promoted as a low stress, high nutrition meal.
It could be valid between 5:00 & 8:00 PM, or whenever it would work out for the restaurant.
You could offer to pay for the printing as long as the restaurant pays for the beverage. Getting a beverage would encourage people to spend a little more time in the area. In a case like this, the restaurant would get low cost advertising for the cost of fulfilling an offer. Some beverages are relatively inexpensive compared to the cost of an ad in a newspaper or other medium.
How effective could this be for you? It would depend on various factors (more factors than I space for here). Those factors are specific to people's experiences & perceptions. Your promotions should be based on people's experiences & developed to influence their perceptions.
Here are potential positive & negative things to consider:
How do niche members perceive the value of your offers? Do they have enough time to shop that day?
They might get a drink then drive away - but feel they should reciprocate in the future. They might soon forget the experience if it isn't unique. They might possibly stay to finish the drink & buy from before they leave the area.
It'd be your choice whether to have people buy something from you to get the coupon as a bonus or just use it to get people to come into your store & look at your merchandise.
Now a caution - Too many business owners try something, it doesn't seem to work, then they give up. Before starting any promotion, you should determine how many sales you'd need to offset your costs (break-even). If you sell enough to break-even, you might be able to regain your niche members' attention for your next promotion.
Something like this would call for an appealing offer & some compelling sales copy to make it work.
Something that may grab people's attention is a note from a wait staff member -
"Thank you for allowing me to serve you.
"Here's my tip for you - Many people want to have a dinner date, but they don't know what to wear. Katrin at XYZ Clothing can help you pick the clothes that are most flattering for you to wear in many situations, including dinner dates. You can meet her at ___________ between __ AM & __ PM for a free, no obligation clothing consultation. If you show her this note, she'll even give you a gift."
That gift could be the coupon I described above.
You could offer consultations about what they own, so you could help them more. It'd give a you a chance to learn more about them for your future efforts. Your consultations should be based on your unique knowledge set & could include factors I wrote above.
Consultations can be relatively short & productive.
Consultations could consist of you asking & answering questions, then you can give people information to read based on what they tell you.
You could offer to give the coupons to your (non-restaurant) customers to promote the restaurant.
This could be adapted for hair stylists & other business owners.
If I haven't explained this clearly, please ask me for a clarification.
Copyright 2016 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.
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