Sales Promotions and Point of Sale are designed to generate immediate sales. Point of Sale (POS) refers to display material that encourages the customer to buy. This is one of the most underutilized selling tools available to businesses.
Most businesses, if they have a product which they wish to sell for $1,877, will have a ticket on the product which says:
“$1,877”
How inspiring!
In most cases, there’s a story waiting to be told, and this story makes the product much more attractive.
For instance, if you were selling jewellery, your ticket or “Point of Sale” display should say something like:
“One of a kind. Hand-crafted by an award-winning designer.
Two Commendations at last year’s Jewellery’s Convention.
Valued at $2,377. Must sell immediately. Only $1,877.
As you tell the story, follow these guidelines to create the most compelling message:
- Use plain English, and only that technical jargon which your market will understand and appreciate;
- Be informative. Set out to explain the things about the product which most people would not realize;
- Target your message at the largest and most important market segments;
- Make sure savings are cleverly explained;
- Convert features into benefits. Tell the customer what they’ll enjoy;
- Use simple lettering styles;
- Whenever possible, create a “sense of urgency”;
- Print the message with dark letters on a light background. This can be read and understood more easily.
- Make sure the point of sale material is attached or very near to the relevant item.
Displays
A product is “on display” any time it can be viewed by the customer, including when it simply sits on the shelf.
However, specially prepared displays can increase the customer’s awareness of the highlighted items and boost sales by as much as 50%.
Counter Displays
Counter displays should generally be used for high profit, fast-moving lines in areas where heavy traffic and/or delays will occur (sell eg. homemade jam, etc)
This space is valuable because it is at exactly the right eye level at a time when the customer is stationary and looking around. Make sure you use this space wisely.
Floor Displays
Floor displays such as tables and bins should take up the minimum amount of space, yet allow traffic to approach from as many directions as possible.
This type of sale gives the impression that the product is “on-sale” and this tends to increase customer interest and sales.
These types of displays typically get the best results when the items are “dumped” onto them, rather than placed neatly. Be careful, though, that this doesn’t damage the feel of your store or the customer’s perception of it.
Summary
Sales Promotions and Point of Sale are promotional activities designed to generate immediate sales. These activities tend to produce short term results and to not generally build brand loyalty.
Marketing and Sales Promotions
Businesses can survive for some time with poor record-keeping, insufficient finance or a lack of management skills, but they cannot survive without a market.
Want to know more about marketing and sales promotions?
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