In-Store Promotion Ideas

When you're searching for custom software solutions, you need a company with experience.

One that will relentlessly pursue quality, while ensuring your project remains on-time, on-budget and on-spec. A company committed to building long-term, meaningful relationships with their clients. Northsail can be that company.

We evaluate every project before taking it on to ensure every job is the 'right fit' and can be completed to our top-quality standards. We're so confident in our work, every project comes with a 6-month warranty!

Northsail also understands the importance of engaging your customers, which is why we've compiled a list of some of the best in-store promotion ideas. If you utilize these tips well, your business will thrive; in spite of the ever-shifting landscape every business is currently facing.

For businesses in especially saturated markets, or those facing off against a substantial amount of local competition, standing out from the crowd is crucial to the success of your enterprise.

Offering your regular customers small freebies for visiting your retail stores or choosing to do curbside pick-up is a great way to build incentive for foot traffic to your brick-and-mortar locations.

These gifts don't have to be large; keychains, lanyards, buttons or stickers with your branding on them. They could be small offerings of the products you sell, or even supplementary products, like accessories, which they could use alongside the products they're buying from you.

RESULT: You Build Your Bank of Positive Testimonials

You can turn this freebie offer into a positive word-of-mouth machine for yourself, by requesting happy customers offer a review of your products or services in exchange for their free gift.

Not every review will be worth sharing, but if you ask for permission on the review form to publish their testimonials online, you'll be creating a tidal wave of positive feedback that you can use in your future promotional and marketing materials.

It's a win-win for the customer and for you!

Everyone wants a deal, especially when it's a limited time offering.

This is a big part of the reason why seasonal sales events have been such popular in-store promotional ideas for so long. During the holiday season, these deals are even more popular, as people search for a way to save money wherever they can amidst their flurry of shopping.

In-store contests create the same sense of urgency in certain target customers. They'll need to register for the contest within a certain timeframe, or they won't be eligible to participate.

Anything to get customers motivated to buy is another step towards growth for you.

RESULT: You Expand Your Customer Email List

Turn these motivators into information collectors by requesting email information from your customers at every opportunity.

If they're buying from your retail business, request their email at check-out. Request email information on the pick-up sheet for curbside orders, or even make email information mandatory on any online order forms for delivery or pick-up. Put a line for emails on contest entry forms.

There are countless ways you can encourage your customers to share their email addresses with you. The important thing is you get them.

Once you have these customers' emails, you can create stronger email marketing strategies, and longer reaching email marketing campaigns. Together, these help encourage return visits and repeat purchases from your existing loyal customers., as well as positive reviews from new customers.

With the big push over the last few years about buying and supporting locally, now is the best time for you to start partnering with local businesses that offer complementary products in joint promotions.

Are you a café selling high-quality, artisan coffee? Consider a partnership with a local bakery. Perhaps you sell computer parts and could benefit from partnering with a company that provides office furniture, like desks, chairs, or lamps.

The combinations are literally endless, but the results are typically the same: customers like to see businesses working together. These marketing strategies create an atmosphere of community support, of which people love to become a part; regardless of whether it's a physical or a digital community.

RESULT: Increased Word-of-Mouth & Reputability

Best of all, when you choose this route you get to reap the benefits of all your partner's customer loyalty from their current customers, their brand's positive reputation, and their on-going marketing campaigns. Odds are if you’re promoting their products through your business, they'll return the favor by offering a special promotion to include your business, as well.

Congratulations, you just theoretically doubled the visible reach of your brand to your target customers.

If you create a tight-knit partnership in the community of your marketplace, customers who are already loyal and committed to supporting the other business, will likely start to support yours too. Think of it as a snowball effect, with the best possible outcome for joint promotions.

While we're on the subject of loyalty, one of the most reliable in-store promotion ideas is providing customers with a loyalty program. This could be any program where they can earn either points or free gifts by continuing to buy your business repeatedly.

Loyalty programs can be a wonderful tool for merging the marketing messages of both your digital and physical locations and give your business a strong, recognizable voice.

RESULT: A Reliable Brand Voice & Incentive for Repeat Business

Online and off, customers will be able to see that your brand is reliable and consistent. While adding loyalty programs into the mix gives customers incentive to repeatedly return.

These can be special offers that apply to everyone in the loyalty program, or personalized offers that you send out to only a portion of your target audience. Both of these marketing strategies can work well for you, as long as you manage them tactfully.

You don't want customers that weren't given the offer to find out that some other clients were given exclusive sales promotions (like a deep discount) - it could lead to negative customer reviews.

Combine loyalty incentives with other suggestions we've made like freebies and partnerships, and you'll be creating a brand image for your customers that they know they can trust. One that they will want to continue supporting for years to come.