retail | gekkofm

May 26 2016

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The main event

As we approach what promises to be another ‘Summer of Sport’, retailers should remember that John Lewis saw revenues increase 8.6 per cent in the quarter including the 2012 Olympics, thanks both to its own sponsorship of the event and increased sales of third-party brand products who were also sponsors.

Whether large or small, all retailers have an opportunity to use a major sporting event to drive shoppers into store and convert them into customers. Be creative.

Here, I would like to suggest five steps to ensure your store is ready to get the most from this year’s sporting festivities.

Prepare

Find out who the sponsors are and which of your product categories will be seeing a potential boost, helping you to prepare by prioritising your planning to focus around the key categories.
Although there will be a lot of above-the-line (ATL) campaigns running during the summer, 44 per cent of consumers are not convinced by ATL alone, preferring instead to buy tech and CE products they have seen advertised, in store.
Brainstorm ideas to think of innovative ways to engage shoppers, and potential in-store events. Engage your staff with this, as they will likely have some great ideas from their time already spent with customers.
Think about asking brands for extra staff in preparation for the busy summer period – will you need more people to run your in-store events and create the customer experience you desire?
It seems obvious, but make sure you have enough stock of your main items. None of the events you plan will mean anything without the right stock.
Get ahead of the game – rather than waiting for the events to begin, make sure you’re prepared in terms of p-o-s etc. If needed, ask for support from your suppliers who will be running promotions of their own.
Use your event sponsor brands logos in your local advertising as an eye-catching link to your promotions and in-store experience.

Train

Make sure your staff are knowledgeable on your key product ranges, which may see a boost around the event. With 87 per cent of shoppers commonly asking for assistance in-store, and 36 per cent regularly influenced by advice offered by a staff member, your promotions and product demonstrations will only be effective if your staff can confidently speak to customers about the products and how they meet their needs.
Just as you’ll be using demonstration models to engage with shoppers, let your staff have a play with the products, allowing them to understand the unique features and selling points first-hand.
Make sure your staff are trained to support all customers coming into your store, regardless of their interest in the sporting events. The last thing you want is for a non-sports fan to be put off by the football-centric sales pitch of your staff. A general approach with good product knowledge will assist sales across all demographics, and aim to sell through the range to match budgets and needs.

Set targets

Work out what return of investment you want and set your sales priorities accordingly. Putting on a variety of events and promotions is a great way to engage with shoppers, but most importantly it needs to make financial sense before committing any funds.
Make sure your staff know what target they should be aiming for. Without cooperation between the sales office and the shopfloor, you’re not going to see the results you’re aiming for. It’s a team effort.
An incentive for increasing sales may help to motivate staff. Perhaps a sales league or a prize for most attachment sales will encourage your staff to join in with the promotions. It’s not just about exciting your customers – get your staff involved to build team spirit and make your store a fun and engaging environment for consumers. Ask brands to support your incentives.

Promote

Make window displays and p-o-s visible and branded to reflect any brand ATL campaigns. Brands increase their use of outside advertisement around large sporting events. For example, it increased by 25 per cent during the Olympics in 2012, according to Media Week. This is especially the case for sponsors of large events, so use the brand recall created by these adverts to your advantage, especially if a large outdoor ad space is in sight of your store.
Vary the offers you’re running across a sporting event. If there’s an important stage of the competition, such as Super Saturday at the Olympics or a Home Nation match, tailor your promotions and p-o-s to reflect this, rather than just having a generic message. Some variety will help keep your promotions fresh and will continue to entice customers into your store.
Get involved on social media. Virtually all the big brands will be getting involved with the official hashtags and messages. Join in online to further engage with customers away from the shopfloor, quoting brand tweets with your store details and promotions. During the 2012 Uefa tournament, 61 per cent of all the social media engagement over the group stage was with the top three sponsors, including the mobile network Orange.This is a huge following that you can tap into. Likewise, although not a sponsor of the 2014 World Cup, Nike was still able to reach more consumers through its social media offerings than the official sponsor Adidas – mainly because of Nike’s smart strategy of jumping on the back of the official hashtags with their own clever campaigns. You can do the same, tweeting and using Facebook to join in with the official social media campaigns.

Customer experience

Create engaging demonstration areas to inspire the consumer and allow them to interact with your products. Almost three-quarters (74 per cent) of consumers like to shop in-store because it allows them to experience the product before buying – a service they cannot get online. This first-hand product experience allows consumers to imagine it in their home and converts them from interest shoppers into buyers.
Make your store part of the wider experience – make the customer a part of the action by involving them as much as possible, whether through demonstrations or competitions and the like. Having some relevant p-o-s isn’t enough to excite shoppers, but building on their excitement by creating an engaging shopping experience will complete the customer journey through from above-the-line adverts to the shopfloor.
Ensure that any demo units are fully working. Shoppers need to see how devices work to know if they’re right for them, so ensure they are web-enabled and linked to other products to provide a truly complete demo. With 70 per cent of consumers saying a demonstration could tempt them to spend up to a third more. This could mean the difference between an entry-level and higher-price-point sale.

For more please visit: http://ertonline.co.uk/opinion/the-main-event/

Tagged Field Marketing, Gekko, Olympics, retail, Summer of Sport, UEFA 2016

Apr 22 2016

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Let’s go surfin’ now, everybody’s learning how

This year we can get set for a summer of sport. The Uefa Euro 2016 is up next in June; then it’s the Olympics in Rio in August, punctuated by the annual tournaments such as Wimbledon. So, it’s understandable why so many fans are streaming content via a variety of devices in the home and on the go.

However, sport is not necessarily for all. With the launch of Sky Q, the opportunity for all members of the family to watch what they want, where they want, is an appealing prospect to many. Sky customers already watch 20 per cent of programmes on connected devices – Sky Q and its ‘fluid viewing’ will no doubt appeal to this group and begin to penetrate slowly the 11 million Sky subscribers in the UK.

For those not looking for a contract, there’s always the opportunity that a smart TV – in particular, a Freeview Play-enabled model – offers consumers. Viewing times for Rio 2016 will be unsociable and not necessarily feasible viewing for a wide audience, but catching up over breakfast via an app is an ideal way to keep up to date.

Fans want to see rather than read about those amazing feats that make a major sporting event, such as the Olympics, the spectacle it is, with an estimated 24.2m viewers in the UK and 3.6 billion globally. In 2012, there were 5,600 hours of footage, which aired globally, cross-platform and amassed the equivalent of 801m hours of watched media.

Similarly, the Euro 2012 tournament amassed an average global audience of 150m viewers per match, with 14.2m Brits watching the final.

It’s a fact that 47 per cent of broadband households have a smart TV in the UK and 93 per cent of smart TV owners connect their TVs to the internet (up from 78 per cent in 2013). Furthermore, 37 per cent of TV viewing time on smart TVs is spent watching on-demand content that is only going to grow, as by 2018 it is estimated that 87 per cent of all TVs sold will be smart. Streaming is now the norm and no longer a special feature.

On February 16, BBC Three, the first BBC digital channel, became an online-only channel, provoking a mixed reaction from fans. But is this surprising, when BBC iPlayer saw a 32 per cent year-on-year increase in users using a connected TV to access the service between December 21 and December 31 last year? This is a trend that is set to increase in popularity, making access to iPlayer no longer a luxury, but a necessity through the household TV.

For those avoiding the temptation of making a smart TV purchase or looking to update on a meagre budget, you can do so with a streaming device, such as Google Chromecast, allowing you to stream from your PC, Chromebook or tablet. This allows users to subscribe to Netflix, which now has almost five million recorded subscribers as of December 2015 and cast those box sets, movies, whatever directly to your TV without degrading the quality of picture or sound.

Other devices include the Amazon Fire TV stick and Now TV, with the option to pay for content, as almost 1.7 million people do already in the UK on both platforms. With 4K streaming available from Netflix and BT Sport averaging an extra £4 premium per month to standard HD streaming, competition is becoming fierce, with Amazon and YouTube streaming 4K content at no extra cost.

To some it may seem that content is currently limited, but it is expected to increase, as both studios and platforms commit to a broader 4K offering as an industry standard across streaming services and 4K Blu-ray in 2016.

It is estimated that in 2016 the global share of 4K TVs sold will be 23 per cent, up 35 per cent in the UK as Britons look to future-proof their viewing technology.

With 46 per cent of Brits streaming music, TV or video at least once a week, and online video accounting for 50 per cent of all mobile traffic, it’s no wonder that the popularity of streaming devices is also on the increase.

A UK study released in January identified that seven- to 16-year-olds spend an average of three hours online every day and 2.1 hours of that is watching TV, with 60 per cent watching TV using a device (phone, tablet, or laptop). Of those surveyed, 38 per cent stated that they did most of their viewing on demand.

For retail, there is a huge opportunity to upgrade customers who perhaps have relegated the old LCD to the play room and are looking to go bigger and smarter.

Streaming content is a growth industry and having the freedom to watch when you want is standard, not a luxury. Give customers what they want or haven’t realised they could achieve. Link in-store demos to wi-fi-enabled tablets or similar to bring the concept to life in-situ to complete the customer journey and boost sales.

Tagged Field Marketing, Freeview Play, Gekko, Olympics, retail, Sky Q, Smart TV, Streaming, Summer, UEFA 2016

Mar 29 2016

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A Major Opportunity

Unlike the CE category, which for many independent retailers has seen a decline in market share of 10 per cent for the first time since measurements began, the market share in major domestic appliances is positively buoyant.

The MDA market has increased by seven per cent over the past year, boosting the independent retailer’s share to around 20 per cent. This is thought to be helped by the growing built-in market, with increasing amounts of new-builds. And let’s not forget home improvement projects, which are also fuelling sales in this category.

This growing demand is beginning to make an impact on independent retailers, with MDAs now making up around 62 per cent of sales in 2015, up from 57 per cent in 2014.

Yet, there are areas in major appliances where indies are struggling compared with the market as a whole. One of these areas is American-style fridge-freezers, where they have a share of only 12 per cent compared with their share of cooling as a whole (19 per cent). This is perhaps because of space limitations when displaying larger models, but it is not to be dismissed as a source of increased revenue and important margin. However, these appliances are not necessarily to everyone’s tastes and, with our ever-decreasing new-build house sizes, are a limited market.

Irrespective of the purchase reason, distress or upgrade, key to selling premium brands and models is the ability to sell both the benefits presented by unique features. But not every purchase need be premium. Consumers may be purchasing a range to furnish a new kitchen and mix and match from the same brand across appliances to increase average sale value. Demonstrate to your customers how you have enabled them to stick to their budget or, better still, achieved perceived savings by purchasing more products than intended with the inclusion of some premium models.

The difference between a retailer selling premium goods and one selling mid-range products is the staff – how they communicate with shoppers – and also how consumers view the retailer itself. Understand customers’ perceived needs irrespective of whether it’s a distress or a considered purchase and find the right product for them. Careful questioning should enable them to identify premium product features that will appeal, and help the customer decide what is right for them. More often than not, customers will go for a premium model if sold correctly.

Consider your sales environment and its suitability to display and promote premium models. Does your showroom allow these products displayed in a manner that does them justice and creates desire to buy? With analysts predicting the total UK market for major domestic appliances to be worth £4.4 billion for 2015/16 and estimated to grow by 1.5 per cent year-on-year through to 2020-21, there is still scope for growth and opportunity.

As a business that focuses exclusively on CE and tech brands, Gekko is able to review consumer spending habits. Those in their 30s and 40s are purchasing the bulk of MDA products, decreasing significantly among those in their 50s. The lowest demographic is those in their 20s, who account for six per cent of the market.

With the MDA market squeezed, especially in crowded categories, it’s interesting to note that the average MDA spend is £328, increasing to over £400 in cooling products. This is driven higher by closing the gap on the premium market, where a Good, Better, Best strategy is applied across a brand. In such instances, we recorded that 64 per cent of purchases were from females at the top end “Best”, 55 per cent in “Better” and 57 per cent in “Good”. Interestingly males were sitting on the fence, with a highest score of 45 per cent buying mid-range “Better” and were not necessarily the influencers when selling premium MDA products.

Mid-range appliances can be the norm, but upselling to premium products should be the aim. With the right store staff, trained to sell in the right way, and the correct environment that reflects a premium proposition, high-end products are within easy reach for many of your sales.

Tagged Consumer Electronics, Gekko, Gekko Field Marketing, Independent Retailer, Major Appliances, MDA, retail, sales

Jan 08 2016

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Marc Bolland’s departure from M&S leaves behind an omnichannel legacy

Marc Bolland’s announcement yesterday has certainly generated some negative press towards the departing CEO of a UK institution that remains one of the country’s biggest and diverse retailers. With many offering “sage” advice to the perceived problems which contributed to a dip in the share price following a full day’s trading, let’s not forget that where other big retailers have spectacularly failed over the last six years, Mr Bolland and the M&S team haven’t done so bad.

Whilst GM (General Merchandise) sales may be down 5.8% in the last quarter and across the year, Mr Bolland did what he set out to achieve six years ago; to a save the retailer which had no digital strategy.

This included three core objectives: food, infrastructure and online presence for the retailer. Each and every objective has been completed and exceeded with M&S food up 3.7% despite not being a grocer in the traditional sense or having an online home delivery food service which helps to bolster trading.

The infrastructure has avoided any embarrassing PR disasters, unlike many competitors, by maintaining adequate stock of core lines and delivery timescales, but more importantly it’s the M&S online presence, managed by Bolland appointee Laura Wade-Grey, that the exiting CEO should be proud of and praised for.

The omnichannel experience is exemplified with click and collect accounting for an impressive 62% of online orders, revealed by Bolland himself on the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme, a statistic which is far higher than many rivals. It accounted for only 17.7% of the industry’s orders in 2014 and is forecasted to rise by 20% in 2015, far below what M&S has managed to actually achieve in 2015.

M&S has successfully created an omnichannel experience which has embraced a digital platform as not merely an add on, but a standalone experience which lends itself neatly to the M&S customer profile, predicted to be an older customer, to convert them into a satisfied online shopper.

This was perhaps facilitated by avoiding the same levy to customers as main rival John Lewis implemented in 2015, adding a £2 click-and-collect charge on purchases costing less than £30, with Tesco recently following the same course. Many users have complained about the change, and let’s also not ignore that there were a few issues surrounding stability and data protection.

However it can’t be ignored that as an e-commerce site which is easy to navigate and use across any device, M&S has created a true omnichannel experience. Offering a consistent brand identity for consumers and a digital platform which works, sales were up 20.9% over the festive period and served to drive footfall into traditional retail, no doubt to the benefit of other retailers and UK plc.

Tagged Gekko, Gekko Field Marketing, M&S, Marc Bolland, Marks and Spencer, Omnichannel, retail

Dec 16 2015

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Have a techie New Year

Oh no, it’s happened again. The peak sales period is upon us and while consumers are getting over Black Friday and preparing for Christmas, retailers will be trying to predict the big sellers for 2016.

The next phase of growth is going to come from the Internet of Things (IoT), which is only going to be more relevant and significant in our lives as we all become even more connected.

The retail landscape is evolving and the need to be current in your ranging is as important as the service and experience you provide.

SDA

Kitchen tech is continuing to battle for space on our worksurfaces and in the lead we still have blenders. This trend is sure to continue into the New Year, with the Nutribullet, Magimix and Nutri Ninja taking breakfast by storm for millions of smoothie lovers. Health blenders are a fantastic gift for any health-conscious individual looking to lose a pinch after all that Christmas feasting. John Lewis on Oxford Street sold an average 100 health juicers a day during ‘peak’ in 2014.

Streaming

Music streaming and multi-room speaker devices are expected to be a huge hit, with innovative products like Google’s Chromecast Audio streaming music from your smartphone, tablet, Chromebook or PC to any speaker in your home.

Likewise, multi-room speaker systems from Sonos will continue to be popular, but don’t forget alternative solutions from Bose and LG.

A perfect gift for audiophiles, music streaming is becoming mainstream with physical music now a collector’s pastime. Take the opportunity to attach sales of streaming devices to non-connected speakers, or upsell to a future-ready connected speaker system. Sales of connected audio devices such as soundbars, wireless speakers, headphones, etc, are expected to increase to 267 million units in 2018, up from 58m in 2014.

Multimedia

Streaming devices turn any screen into a multimedia centre and the leader of the pack is by far Google Chromecast and Chromecast Audio, both the easiest sale you’ll ever make – only £30 to turn any TV with an HDMI port into a smart TV. The original Chromecast sold over 20m units, so expect the updated model to sell even more. Other streaming devices, such as Now TV, allow users to purchase one-time subscriptions to premium channels, meaning they can watch the Boxing Day football on Sky without having to pay for an expensive box and subscription.

However, if users prefer not to pay for content, it’s no longer necessary to have an expensive subscription service as they can now have Freeview Play built into Panasonic TVs or upgrade any TV with a Humax set-top box.

Home tech

Smart home solutions are an inexpensive and practical gift for many and connected security cameras are fast becoming an IoT mainstay. Coming in from around £50, a smart security device, such as a connected doorbell or camera to monitor your house and pets remotely, would make a good addition to any home. Brands to look at include Motorola and Belkin.

With a cold winter in prospect, a smart thermostat can give homeowners complete control over their heating, wherever they are using their smartphone. Hive’s newest smart thermostat is a stylish statement for the home, with its unique design adding to its great practical features and fantastic app.

Appliances

Sales of smart devices are expected to explode over the next five years, so it’s no surprise to see brands across the home appliances spectrum, including Hoover, LG, Samsung and Whirlpool, investing in connected appliances.

Smart appliances from the likes of LG can also be integrated with existing smart thermostats, monitoring activity and setting appliances to switch on or change setting automatically when it deems best for a family’s lifestyle.

Retailers can get ahead of the curve, offering shoppers a connected product that will integrate with their existing smart devices and, more importantly, IoT products they are perhaps likely to purchase in years to come.

Wearables

Fitness wearables and smartwatches show no sign of abating, with sales of fitness gadgets having increased by 900 per cent over the past year, according to Dixons Carphone.

The New Year is a time when people’s thoughts turn to getting fit, and fitness wearables such as the Fitbit Charge HR are packed full of features.

A great way to sell the benefits of fitness wearables is to give them to staff to wear on the shopfloor. Linking the devices to their own smartphone will also help them to demonstrate the features.

Across every category, there is innovation to suit all pockets. Show your consumers how these innovative products work together, not as separate products. Do them justice and show your customers what the IoT is all about and how great it can be.

Tagged Christmas, Chrome, Chromecast, Field Marketing, Fitbit, Gekko, Google, Hive, Internet of Things, IoT, Peak, retail, Sonos

Nov 17 2015

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It’s Black Friday – I’m in love

With nearly seven out of 10 retailers (68.9 per cent) expecting Black Friday to become more popular over the coming years in the UK and Ireland, it is likely to remain an important retail event for the foreseeable future.

Cast your mind back to the Armageddon-like scenes of 2014 where people literally fought to secure a bargain and, in some cases, bargains they didn’t want or need.

From a brand perspective, retailer or product, how can you tame Black Friday to continue driving excitement while maintaining a positive customer experience?

The fact is that Black Friday is good for all retailers, irrespective of whether you take part or not. Statistics have shown that UK retail footfall year on year for Black Friday 2014 had an increase of 9.8 per cent overall. When broken down into locations, the high street saw a 7.2 per cent rise, shopping centres an 11.3 per cent rise and retail parks a 14.4 per cent rise. This demonstrates an increase in opportunities to sell not only deals, but also stock items.

Advertise your offers in advance and consider a “by invitation only” VIP Black Friday event for your customer database.

Looking online, use social media and your website to pull customers in-store. Local advertising and banners can help your store stand out from the rest, creating an event to enhance the customer experience and drive excitement.

It’s obvious that you need to make sure you have sufficient stock, perhaps also implement a ticketing system, as people who really want an offer won’t mind waiting if it means they get it without the risk of a scuffle. Also, consider your non-bargain-hunters who may just want to shop – the hordes will only discourage your average shopper.

Place bulk-stack deals near the doors, avoiding obvious security risks, and encourage a flow through your store.

Keep the store busy with offers located in prime positions, supported by staff on hand to carry the item to the till or at least make customers aware of the offer to help shift those boxes. Link sales to other items – while a big-screen TV may be appealing, it still needs an HDMI cable and you’re more likely to make that connection sale if it’s also on offer. Better to attach than not.

Your online sales shouldn’t be excluded – 30 per cent of survey respondents plan to buy online during Black Friday 2015, up from the eight per cent who purchased online in 2014.

Still, consider delivery charges, which can negate any profit made for both you and your customer. One key thing to consider is whether your website can keep up with the pressure of increased traffic. In 2014, 12 per cent of shoppers experienced technical issues when purchasing goods online during the rush. If you are planning to run important deals online, preparing your site to handle large numbers of users will prevent lost sales and angry customers.

Big-box retailers and grocers alike court the publicity and will create PR hubs that achieve those sensationalist, headline-grabbing TV images. It’s therefore important to note that if you put on a Black Friday promotion, it isn’t necessarily going to turn into a bloodbath. However, the increase in footfall and sales is evident but, just in case, do make sure you can still sell on the stock after the event.

Finally, how can your brands help support your promotion or even your event? In crowded categories, Black Friday is an opportunity for many brands to gain distribution and market share through selling end-of-line products. For electrical products, GfK measured a value growth rate year on year of 24 per cent and, not surprisingly, 59 per cent week on week. When broken down by category, Black Friday 2014 average sales increased significantly compared with the week before, with mobile sales up 129 per cent, more notably TV was up 103 per cent and audio up 157 per cent.

This clearly identifies the opportunity for electrical retailers with careful selection of products and brands within your core lines. Working in partnership to leverage sales could work to create a more intelligent and rewarding Black Friday experience for retailers, brands and most importantly consumers.

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Why Shopping In-Store is in our DNA

Whilst online shopping is big business for all brands, in today’s developed omni-channel world, the need to physically immerse ourselves into a brand is still really important.

When we go to a shop, we like to choose our fashion purchases carefully, weigh up our options and try them on, or at least appreciate that it may fit based on its cut and quality. Our research shows that around three-quarters of consumers say the ability to touch, feel, choose and compare products before they buy them is a key benefit of shopping in a physical store. More than a transactional experience, shopping is a social activity that we like to share with others. Over half (53.25%) of shoppers like to take their friends, partners, or family shopping – either as a social occasion or to help decide what to buy.

An open, sociable atmosphere can be harnessed by trained and amiable staff that consider the needs for shoppers that not only want to hang out with friends, but also want to discuss their ideas before making a purchase decision. Indeed, over a third (39.20%) of shoppers say they value advice from in-store staff whilst shopping. Brand staff need to be collaborative with shopping groups to not only help with purchase goals but also to create an environment that these social groups will want to return to.

To support the shopping process, brands need to offer an engaging in-store experience that accentuates the need for a social environment and immerses the shopper into the brand. When it comes to buying clothes that require a careful decision, almost three quarters (73%) are likely to go in-store. Fashion choices especially evoke discussion, debate and positive emotions amongst shoppers as they compare clothes and spend. The physical shop still provides that connection with your brand and instant association and buzz that people need to become a follower of your brand.

As shoppers we like, especially for those special luxury purchases, immerse ourselves in the total brand experience from the plush carpet to the lighting and customer service which add to the customer journey and make that product seem exceptionally good value in comparison to high street brands.

A lot has been said about the retail environment changing due to the influx of channels to engage with, but in many ways the deep rooted desire to shop for apparel is still the same. We still need the physical experience of shopping. More than a pastime for many – it’s an intrinsic part of life and brands become engrained in the fabric of our lives when it comes to what we choose to wear.

Tagged brand, Fashion, Field Marketing, Gekko, retail

Oct 16 2015

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Brands should take an omnichannel approach this Black Friday

As we lead up to the festive peak season and retailers are once again preparing for this year’s Black Friday weekend, the omnichannel experience is still a fundamental part of retail strategy. There has already been a number of sources speculating that this year’s sales will break all the records set last year, including predictions that online sales will surpass the £1bn mark, up from £810m in 2014. Notably, the number of consumers shopping online for Black Friday deals is set to increase to 30%, up from 8% last year.

Clearly, we’re beginning to see the growing importance of online leading up to Christmas and Black Friday, itself made popular by Amazon, whose recent Prime event similarly guaranteed orders and revenue. Although last year’s peak season generated a 10% increase in high street footfall compared to previous years, consumers increasingly seem to be going online for their Black Friday deals.
However, despite the growth of online sales, recent research from Gekko shows that nearly three quarters (74.2%) of shoppers benefit from the touch, feel and physical comparison of products when making purchase decisions. This is especially the case with high ticket electrical items such as a smart TVs or washing machines, where 67% of shoppers are likely or very likely to buy in a physical store, compared with only 46% who would consider buying online. Moreover, more than half (56.8%) of consumers prefer to head onto the high street so that they can seek advice when making a considered purchase.

In an increasingly connected retail landscape, in-store retail sales are gradually feeling more of an impact from online, especially with smart phones offering shoppers a way to price check in their pocket. Barclays recently predicted that 42% of all retail sales will involve a mobile device in some way over the next ten years, clearly showing how brands will need to integrate their online and retail offerings to create consistent branding and the omnichannel experience we now expect.

This peak period, brands need to ensure that their sales and promotions take into account the omnichannel nature of retail today. While online sales will certainly be a focus this year in light of increasing numbers of dedicated online consumers, brands should not neglect the legions of shoppers that will descend on the high street, often using their smart phone to ensure that the deal their considering isn’t cheaper online.

Making sure that your branding in store matches that of your online offering will ensure that the 54% of shoppers that like to research products online before buying in store will continue their customer journey to buy your brand. Placing brand ambassadors in store to support your peak promotions are proven to assist customers looking to purchase considered items, supporting the majority of consumers who want to experience a product or ask advice before making a decision.

Whether buying online or in store, Black Friday is guaranteed to make the headlines this year, either for record sales or for more riots in supermarkets over discount appliances – perhaps it will be both. Black Friday is now a retail institution, which begins the Christmas peak shopping period for both retailers and brands.

Tagged Black Friday, Field Marketing, Gekko, Omnichannel, Peak, retail

Sep 28 2015

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Staff key to a successful peak period

With last year’s Black Friday generating a 10 per cent increase in footfall compared to previous years, research from Gekko highlights the need to recruit and train in-store brand ambassadors to maximise in-store opportunities for the 2015 peak festive period.

A staggering 50 per cent of shoppers said that there is often not enough staff on the shop floor to help them when making a purchase decision. There is also concern over the manner of in-store staff, with over half (52%) of shoppers complaining that they are too pushy about making a sale.

Despite the growth of online sales, nearly three quarters (74.2%) of shoppers benefit from the touch, feel and physical comparison of products when making purchase decisions. A quarter (26.35%) of shoppers buy in-store when they are purchasing items they need to think about and choose carefully and over half (56.8%) head in-store for advice when making a considered purchase.

Sarah Mandeville, recruitment manager at Gekko believes that staff hold the key to converting sales during the peak-time rush:

“Whether they are full-time or temporary over the peak period, retail staff must demonstrate passion for the product and the ability to make a positive impression on shoppers. In-store is a vital touch-point for consumers, and retailers need to ensure that their staff are trained to maximise every opportunity. In a competitive landscape, which is heightened during peak, a retailer will only get one chance with the consumer.”

To manage the peak-period, here are five important action points for retailers to get the most out of their staff:

1. Allow time for training – Speed is often important when training temporary staff in the run-up to Christmas. However, staff will be more motivated and likely to convert more sales if they are immersed in the role. Take time to build your team’s knowledge and understanding of the brand, company background and product range. In an omnichannel environment, where shoppers can obtain product information using their smartphone, your brand ambassadors must know more than just the product they are selling.

2. Ongoing support – Training shouldn’t just be delivered at the beginning of the peak-period. Once the staff are in place, ongoing revision, recaps and coaching should be continued to keep the team sharp on sales messaging and promotions.

3. Create a team environment – staff may not all work on the same days or in the same locations. Using group chat or social tools such as Facebook or Google Hangouts can help to communicate simultaneously and build communities. To lead the team environment, allocate a mentor as a point of contact to motivate and be contacted at any time.

4. Don’t just motivate with money – Monetary incentives can be short-lived. To motivate the team, it’s worth creating friendly competition with leader boards and prizes. This can be a fun way to build a positive attitude among the workforce.

5. Treat everyone the same – To make employees feel part of the team, employers need to treat temporary staff as though they are full-time employees. Putting effort into training and making temporary staff feel part of a larger team can be a motivating factor for staff in itself.

Tagged Black Friday, Christmas, Field Marketing, Gekko, Peak, Recruitment, retail, sales, Training

Aug 11 2015

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Sunday Trading – The 7 Day Shopper

The rise and fall of the UK high street is well-documented and never far from the news agenda. With retailers scrutinising sales figures and competition being fierce, extending opening hours across Sunday could be a vital first step to rejuvenating the high street and beyond this, the UK economy.

Unlike any nation in Western Europe, the UK is unique in that we like to shop, whilst other nations shop out of necessity, we in the UK like to make our retail therapy more of a sociable brand experience. For a long time now people in the UK have used Sundays as they do Saturdays – to carry out one of their favourite hobbies and pastimes, shopping.

George Osbourne’s recent announcement to shake up Sunday trading laws comes as no surprise. In our current consumer climate, purchases are firmly becoming ‘any place, any time’ and Sunday is no longer an exception to this. Combining the rise of consumer appetite with the reality that people lead extremely busy lifestyles means people want to have the choice to shop for more than six hours.

We are witnessing a shift in the way consumers are buying their goods. There is a lot to be said about people moving online, however a recent article from Forbes reported a 95 per cent of retail purchases worldwide are still being made in-store. This alone should be enough to make the retail industry step up and cater to shopper demand.

As well as ensuring they are adapting to customers developing shopping habits, for retailers, the change in Sunday trading laws is an open door of opportunity. Although we should consider those individuals who want to keep Sunday as a sacred day, looking at this from a commercial point of view – this is all about maintaining a strong, healthy economy in our 24/7 lifestyle, the balance is for retailers to make it work respectfully for everyone’s benefit and lifestyle choices.

Currently in some communities or high streets, stores choose not to open due to the high cost of staffing and overheads costing retailers money instead of making a profit. The laws give retailers the ability to create thousands of jobs through the same trading hours offered the rest of the week, having the option to bring staff in and pay them for longer than 6 hours of work and generate millions of pounds in extra income.

Not only will the changes mean more money in people’s pockets, they will help to boost the UK economy and in a sense help reinvigorate communities and the high street.

The shake up of trading laws is not surprising as sticking to traditional, some say outdated laws, links back to a consumer world that ultimately no longer is reflective of the UK’s lifestyle and desire to shop whenever and wherever they like.

Marketing

Tag Archives: retail

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