By Rupert Cook – Marketing Director Gekko Group

While the economy has fully opened up after the end of pandemic restrictions, we are faced with fresh challenges. Soaring inflation, ongoing supply chain disruption and the implications of a war in Europe loom large. Against this worrying backdrop many are looking for positive experiences to help us feel good and distract us from the news.

Indeed, the whole concept of well-being and self care is far more prevalent amongst consumers now given the torrid time we have all faced. It is no doubt with this in mind that Selfridge’s recently grabbed headlines by announcing it would offer customers a series of experiences including sex counselling and therapeutic sessions. 

Its ‘Super Self’ initiative is aimed at putting “inner well-being” at the heart of the shopping experience and intended to tempt shoppers back into its store. The immersive experience includes bookable confidence coaching and empowerment sessions, as well as inviting DJs to create “feel-good sounds”.

It’s a well thought through initiative, enabling Selfridges to set the agenda in creative retailing. Positioning itself at the forefront of a retail revival, this service is one of a number to get shoppers ‘back in the habit’ of visiting stores. 

After two years of restrictions, city centres have struggled with the upheaval of lockdowns, stay at home workers, minimal tourism and staffing issues. However the figures for January showed Gross domestic product (GDP) bouncing back in January 2022, increasing by 0.8%. The Wholesale and retail trade grew by 2.5% in January 2022 and was the main contributor to January’s growth in services.

Need to recognise changed behaviours

The lockdowns and restrictions have been long and painful, but a survey we recently commissioned on consumer shopping intentions indicated a strong appetite to return and shop in-store. Only 2% said they wouldn’t be returning to the High Street. But it would be naive to just act as though it was still 2020 in returning to the same plan. 

It is incumbent on retailers to recognise how consumers have changed their shopping behaviours. Successful retailers have always understood the motivators and triggers for different customer groups and then offered an appropriate, tailored approach. This needs to be recognised and acted upon. It is certainly something Selfridge’s have recognised. We are changed and therefore retail needs to change to remain relevant in this new and uncertain world.

Connect with shoppers on a more personal, emotional level

Physical retailers need to emphasise the instore user experience to provide that differentiating factor from the online realm. A good customer experience means your customers will spend more and is something that is a key brand differentiator. The positive approach embraced by Selfridges is an opportunity to connect with shoppers on a more personal, emotional level. 

Positivity provides a welcome break and will help with loyalty and sales. Positivity is an important part of the customer experience mix but it’s more than just that. It’s about appealing to the senses. A sensory buzz of a considered purchase and the need to reconnect with the consumer in this category/space that just can’t be provided online. 

In our survey the top factor in people making a considered purchase was the ability to see and touch a product, according to 58% of respondents. This tactile ability to interact with a product and try before they buy gives people a reason to head into town. 

Stimulate the senses

Retailers should be stimulating the senses and having the right experts instore. Product knowledge and brand advocacy amongst retail sales staff are crucial components to success in retail. It starts with effective product launches and is something that traditionally relies on. Face-to-face engagement and hands-on time with new products. People who truly understand the product, can answer questions and can close a sale. This is something the online world again can not replicate.

To complement the expert, think about presenting those products in an appealing way. You will want to focus on products that have increased in popularity during the pandemic – those supporting lives now more centred at home. Make them visually appealing with great displays and demos. Ensure you have clearly labelled product details, features and benefits and ensure any promotions are clearly highlighted, ie. what it integrates or works well with.

Brand ambassadors are game-changers

The positive engagement with a brand ambassador or retail sales advisor is the game-changer that increases conversion rate and average basket value, achieved either through a higher purchase price or connection sale and, perhaps, an advocate of both brand and retailer. In an environment where inflation is likely to start to bite, people will be more conscious of what they are spending money on and therefore raises the importance of the skill of an expert in helping to guide a sale. 

This is much harder to achieve online and never as gratifying for the end-user as a customer journey that enhanced the individual’s perception of the brand. 

On a bumpy road to recovery and with challenging ongoing news, we all want to feel good. Brands that recognise our changed needs and create the right experience led by the right expert can succeed. 

The post How To Create The ‘Feel Good’ Retail We All Need Right Now appeared first on IPM Bitesize.

The answer is sales, massive sales opportunities for retailers and extreme discounts for consumers, it is a win-win situation for all parties. Following on from previous years trends, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which will fall on the 26 and 29 of November respectively, are expected to be the biggest and the longest shopping events of 2021. There are numerous opportunities up for grabs in the months ahead for both brands and retailers.

Traditionally ‘Black Friday’ is a day of extreme sales that started in the US, with retailers trying to clear stock by discounting 50% or more on products. For consumers, trying to avoid Black Friday shopping, can be like trying to say ‘no’ to a slice of your favourite cake. People are spoilt for choice, with discounts available for everyone, and retailers making it really hard to resist a good deal. In addition, items are often marketed as ‘limited-time offers’, which create the ‘fear of missing out’ on unique sales opportunities. Although, sales are not exclusive to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. In fact, in previous years there have been significant discounts offered throughout the whole month of November. In the UK, these events are getting bigger every year, and with the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions last year, online Black Friday sales were a tremendous success for many retailers.

The numbers are truly impressive in the UK, with 30% of all retail sales occurring from Black Friday till Christmas (1). In addition, online shopping is becoming increasingly more common and popular year on year. Last year, a staggering 87% of UK households made online purchases, which shows the importance of an e-commerce presence (2).

Amazon is key to brands in the UK, since it is the leading online retailer, with nearly 90% of all shoppers using Amazon to make purchases (3). It is therefore important for brands and retailers to think of a marketing strategy that ensures brand and product visibility on the platform, and one way this could be achieved would be through Amazon’s smart speaker, Alexa, which could put a brand ahead of its competitors in terms of awareness and innovation, while offering a large proportion of the UK population the chance to make purchases on their smart speaker.

Voice Tech is growing fast, and smart speakers are becoming a legitimate key channel for product search and purchase. The hype around Black Friday sales would make the perfect time to explore the untapped potential of voice this holiday season, while giving consumers something unique and innovative to try. With nearly 40% of UK households connected to a smart speaker, (4) and using them for a variety of daily tasks, a voice experience this upcoming holiday season has the potential to reach a larger audience than it would at any other point in time.

Black Friday sales offer retailers the possibility to experiment with the technology, while assessing the benefits of ecommerce on this fast emerging channel. Major top brands, such as Nike, Starbucks and Domino’s pizza are already leading the way with custom voice experiences. Voice applications offer their users the possibility to interact with a brand, explore their product selection and to make a purchase. Using voice for shopping is easy, convenient and innovative, and it allows users a hands-free way to multitask. The possibilities in voice are endless, and with so many people in the UK now connected to smart speakers, the channel awaits to be explored by brands and retailers. Voice is the next big thing, and the Black Friday sales are the perfect time for retailers to get onboard and explore the possibilities before missing the boat.

Credit: VozLab

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1 in 10 shoppers have cancelled a planned considered purchase due to poor instore advice – Gen Z most likely to seek out experts – Gekko urging retailers and brands to implement new ‘experience-centric playbook’

Brands across some of the top retail categories potentially missed out on close to £15bn in instore revenue in the past year, due to poor in person advice. The finding comes from new research commissioned by field marketing and retail experience agency, Gekko. The study of 2,000 consumers, conducted by OnePoll, looked at what influences shoppers in making a ‘considered purchase’ – purchases that are made with significant financial or emotional thought. The research revealed 1 in 10 shoppers said they had walked out of a shop due to poor advice relating to a considered purchase they were definitely going to make. This equates to some £15bn in revenue overall over the past year.

The experiences vary across categories and age groups. Gekko surveyed experiences across several key retail categories including: Consumer electronics, homeware, baby & child, gaming, home improvement, clothing & apparel. Overall 59.8% said they had received ‘excellent or good advice in store’, highlighting the benefit of human interaction and face to face sales. However £15bn could be a drop in the ocean of additional revenues that could be accrued with better advice. 37% of shoppers in the consumer electronics category revealed they would be prepared to spend more if they received excellent and knowledgeable in store advice, indicating a golden opportunity for retailers. This compared with 30% of shoppers in the home improvement category and 27% in homeware/ home furnishings and 21% in clothing and apparel.

According to the survey, 50% of Brits made a ‘considered purchase’ in DIY during the pandemic, more than in any other category. However only 1 in 5 (21%) rated the advice they had as ‘excellent’ in making the purchase. This was compared to 32% for baby and child, 31% for gaming and 24% for consumer electronics. Meanwhile 1 in 4 DIY shoppers (25%) were so disappointed by the advice they were put off making an expensive purchase altogether, with 11% pulling the plug on the purchase and walking out of the store.

Encouragingly for the future of physical retail, Gen Z are most likely to seek out great advice in store (45%) versus an average of 38% and are more likely to find staff knowledgeable across categories. They are also the most likely out of all ages to appreciate product demos (39%) against a 29% average across all ages. 1 in 2 Gen Z’ers  (52%) and 38% of Millennials will spend more for a good experience in store across all categories – crucial for the development  of experiential retail.

Meanwhile, a conclusive  85% of shoppers are now doing online research before making a considered purchase in-store. 84% of Gen Z, 45-54 and 55-64 categories were even higher at 89% and 90% respectively. Interestingly, 69% said a well synchronized online and offline experience would make them more likely to make a considered purchase.

According to Daniel Todaro: “Our research highlights the timeless appeal of a positive engagement with an instore expert. While we have spent so much of the past year and a half shopping online – it is clear online alone is no replacement for the experience and interaction of trained advisors. They are consistently the best way to influence and convert a sale of a considered purchase item. While there is overall satisfaction, our survey clearly shows more can be done and retailers have potentially missed out of billions. Now this is not to say that all retailers are doing it wrong. In fact some with a real customer service first mentality are doing it amazingly well. Every person that walks through the door should be viewed as a potential customer, an influencer, someone who will talk about you positively through their experience and tell others in person, online or on social media and is not viewed as just another body to ‘deal’ with.”

He continued: “Belying the stereotypes, it is also clear the generations who most welcome expert advice are the younger ones – indeed as our research indicates the right advice can lead to younger customers willingly spending more. This is good news for the future of bricks and mortar retail, but it doesn’t mean retailers don’t need to adapt. Our survey also shows that a joined up and seamless experience online and offline is also now expected with older generations also more likely to research. Brands already know the need to embrace experts and adapt to survive in a changing market, it’s now about making the investment to do so and implement the new experience centric playbook.”

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Experiential marketing experts N2O helped bring Christmas cheer to Tesco shoppers. At a time when the country was under the severest conditions of lockdown this campaign delivered on two fronts, providing some heart warming entertainment for shoppers as they queued to get into store whilst providing employment opportunity for the cultural industry, which was perhaps the hardest hit sector after frontline workers.

This innovative campaign was based on providing a live Panto experience in short, 3 minute sketches ending with a song (repeated every 20 minutes) and at other times the cast would interact casually with customers. In addition, every 3 hours there was a 30 minute carol and song service.

[vimeo url=”https://vimeo.com/541575711″ width=”500″ height=”300″]

The cast of 775 were professionally sourced, rehearsed and costume fitted. The scripts were specifically written for three old Panto favourites; Aladdin, Cinderella, and Peter Pan. These entertainers performed at 125 stores over two days and brought much needed cheer to well over 1m customers queuing to get into store because of restricted access. This campaign was a winner on so many levels.

Judges’ quote

“N2O’s campaign for Tesco was full of festive spirit. Creating panto magic to put a smile on shoppers’ faces without demanding anything in return, creates goodwill with customers well beyond the pandemic. To also provide work to nearly 800 actors when theatres were closed, showed how a campaign can benefit everyone involved – Oh yes, it did!”

N2O; Nigel Clifton, Head of Creative

Tesco; Will Baker, Head of In-Store Customer Communications

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At the very peak of the Covid pandemic, the DfE needed to find a solution to providing school meals for a growing number of household beneficiaries. The quickest and most flexible solution was to provide eligible families with vouchers that could be downloaded or requested by post and redeemed in nominated retailers.

Speed to market was absolutely key to the success of this much needed benefit support. The DfE turned to Edenred, an existing voucher scheme organisation who through their “Select” platform had a model that could be adapted for the campaign, with its own tool kit and business rules specific to the benefit programme. Within the dedicated portal there was advice and guidelines to ensure the public, schools and retailers could engage with the scheme with minimal fuss.

[youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqg0oj1Yzac” width=”500″ height=”300″]

This scheme was delivered in an incredibly short lead time enabling the DfE to mobilise this very high profile programme in record time. The scheme came in for a lot of press and public scrutiny, but the results were quite spectacular, over 128m meals were delivered by the end of summer through £483m government spend and 94% of user satisfaction with the scheme and its processes.

Judges’ quote

“The scale of the activity was amazing, and it must have been a pretty monumental undertaking. To maintain above 90% satisfaction in the process is seriously impressive, particularly for a scheme surrounded by negative publicity.”

Credit: Colin Hodgson, Edenred

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From Weezy to Getir to Zapp, the pandemic accelerated a new wave of delivery services, touted as the “Netflix of grocery” currently expanding across UK cities. While online supermarket deliveries account for 14% of the entire grocery market, these new players are gunning for the quick commerce segment. Unlike existing services from established supermarkets, their point of difference is the use of “dark stores” – small very local distribution centres, as well as employing riders directly rather than outsourcing them.

For FMCG brands this is an opportunity to think experience-first when creating stand-out product trials. When discussing the value of creative sampling, TRO Head of Clients and FMCG expert Andrew Orr brings up the example of Glade and how they hi-jacked Walmart’s deliveries with scented packaging pillows. The activation generated an 83% increase in sales of Glade’s home fragrances on Walmart.com during its first week, as well as more than 11 million impressions in the first month.

Additionally, live branded experiences and partnerships can be a great way for new audiences to discover brands and products with an otherwise limited presence. Lesser known FMCG brands can greatly benefit from the WOM-generating potential of shared experiences. The IPM found that 90% communicate an experience to as many as eight different people, while up to 55% communicate to a minimum of 300 people via social media.

An example of a food and drink business that grew under the radar during the lockdown months is Mystic Börek – using a combination of Instagram, e-commerce and pop up experiences to spread the word. Thanks to the experiential element, founder and chef Spasia Dinkovski has been able to create a uniquely local and authentic feel without an actual fixed address.

In a scenario where “dark stores” fulfil quick commerce needs, the newer and smaller FMCG brands with limited mass media budgets can complement their digital presence with experiential marketing to reach outside the algorithm bubble and balance sales targets with long-term growth.

At the same time, creative sampling and pop-up experiences in an era of hyper-convenience allows established FMCG brands to experiment more freely with product innovation.

For example, Mucinex – a Reckitt cold brand – launched an exclusive ‘Sickwear’ clothing line designed to be worn when feeling under the weather. The collection dropped in a category-first livestreamed shopping experience, resulting in 91 million earned media impressions and selling out within just 24 hours.

To sum up, it’s not a matter of either/or when it comes to e-commerce and live experience. Creative sampling, pop-up experiences and experiential partnership activations can help FMCG brands amplify their digital efforts by widening reach, generating WOM and creating a lasting impact.

Credit: Sandra Mardin, Strategy Director at TRO

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Yes, you read that correctly! N2O and Aquafresh’s latest in-store promotional stand and giveaway at Tesco featured a clever little trick to get kids excited for the dentist.

As part of a promotion on the Aquafresh kids’ range – which includes a range of toothpaste, toothbrushes and mouthwash products specifically aimed at kids aged 0-2, 3-5, and 3-8 – Brand Ambassadors were educating parents on the products and giving out an Activity Pack to excite children for their next trip to the dentist.

The Toothbrushing Chart and Passport Book were designed for children to take with them to the dentist and make the notoriously difficult trip a lot easier, and the campaign saw 66,412 engagements!

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Bread brand, Jacksons of Yorkshire, is partnering with Welcome to Yorkshire in its biggest ever promotional marketing campaign created by Cat Among The Pigeons.  The initiative aims to drive awareness of Jackson’s Champion Bloomer loaves which are sold nationwide, but still made only in Yorkshire to a traditional family recipe.

The Jacksons family founded the company in East Yorkshire back in 1851 and now sell bread widely across the UK, through retailers such as Waitrose, Ocado, Tesco and Sainsbury’s. The campaign forms part of a year of celebrations at Jacksons to commemorate its 170th anniversary.

Launching this week, the Bread & Breakfast campaign includes an on-pack range promotion to win luxury Yorkshire staycations, as well as a microsite and retailer advertising.  The campaign will also feature at the Great Yorkshire show and on social media. The partnership with Welcome to Yorkshire was negotiated by Cat Among the Pigeons and is the first time the tourism brand has been featured across millions of grocery packs.

A range of unique staycation prizes are available to be won that showcase the stunning coastal scenery and countryside of England’s biggest county and feature leading hotels and visitor attractions from the region. Cat Among the Pigeons also designed a Yorkshire illustration for the Bread and Breakfast campaign that can be seen across a selection of limited edition merchandise and will be offered as runner-up prizes.  To further add value, everyone who enters will receive 25% off a Welcome to Yorkshire My Y membership.

Lucy Wilson, Brand Marketing Manager at Jacksons of Yorkshire commented, “We’re so excited to be launching this campaign with the ambition of encouraging the nation to get a real taste of Yorkshire.  The county has been our home for the last 170 years and we’re rightly proud of our roots and cannot wait to welcome new shoppers to the brand.  Cat Among the Pigeons have devised a unique campaign that is brimful of personality, just like our Champion Bloomer bread!”

James Mackenzie, Director of Strategic Delivery, at Welcome to Yorkshire said, “We are thrilled to be involved in the Bread & Breakfast campaign after a very challenging 15 months for the UK hospitality and tourism industry.  We’ll be amplifying this campaign to the many fans of Yorkshire on our social media channels and look forward to it being a great success.”

Paul McGann, founder of Cat Among The Pigeons said, “We explored lots of promotional themes but this partnership seemed like the perfect choice for two brands with such a strong Yorkshire heritage. We’re sure the luxury Yorkshire staycation prizes will have huge appeal with shoppers after months of lockdown.”

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The term “charity starts at home” is now truer than ever with unemployment rates at 4.9% (The Guardian) and many of the public now suffering the consequences due to the pandemic. More people are turning to charities for handouts, but fewer people can afford to be charitable. How does a charity survive the most trying time of all?

Fast forward a year, we are still struggling to truly understand the impact of this crisis but there is no doubt charity shops are facing huge losses after a year of lockdowns and restrictions. Ultimately this will make it difficult for them to raise money and provide support to people in need.

Like all non-essential retail, charity shops had no choice but to close during the lockdowns. Almost immediately there was a shortfall in cash donations and the pressure was on to look into alternative ways to receive donations, whether in the form of money or clothes. The British Heart Foundation were one of the first charity shops to embrace online trading by asking people to send items via its freepost donation service, while Oxfam asked people to save donations until the end of lockdown. But thanks to platforms like Depop and eBay, many charity shops were still able to continue to trade online with some still accepting donations.

With shops closed, it was up to these online sales of second-hand goods to boost falling numbers. For example, Oxfam successfully targeted people motivated by a desire to consume sustainably. People could purchase items held in any Oxfam shop in the UK, receive them by post and return them if unwanted. They went from £200,000 worth of online sales in March 2020 to a staggering £1.5m in December of the same year.

Charities are often resourceful but they had to learn to adapt tech innovations to survive. They started with organising events via social media and then concentrated on how could turn this into donations or fundraising. But while 3 in 5 were able to take digital donations, worryingly 1 in 10 could not afford the technology (CAF). Digital methods may have had their benefits but this instead emphasised how difficult the transition has been for many charities. Gaps in infrastructure, and digital skills within the charities have made this sudden change challenging. This is actually the time for brands to accelerate any plans they had to move online and continue to show the public that they can modernise their brand.

With lockdown restrictions slowly easing and charities starting to resume their full services, opening will come with its challenges. But what have we learnt over these ever-changing times that could help a charity?

1. The need to innovate

Digital technology has been vital in helping people during the pandemic but despite digital donations helping to keep charities afloat, the online giving platforms have only helped charities gain one off donors. What is even more concerning, is a third of donors cannot remember the name of the charity they donated to (Thirdsector). With about half of digital donations going through third party websites, charities need to put their brands front and centre within the digital world. They need to adapt an omni-channel retail strategy that provides customers with a fully-integrated shopping experience. They should create loyalty schemes which hit multiple touchpoints and ensure a smooth user experience. People will soon become familiar with a consistent brand which will be hard for them to forget!

2. New audiences require new content

A new breed of volunteers emerged during the pandemic. Due to furlough job loss, the younger generation were keen to do something useful and charity brands were reaping the benefits of this. Interestingly, 18-24 year olds have also donated more often during lockdown with 84% donating in the last 3 months (Thirdsector). This is because the younger age group are able to share their fundraising pages across social networks and the increase in digital targeting. So, instead of thinking of the stereotyped retired baby boomer as the key demographic, it is time for charities to keep Gen Z and Millennials interested with virtual events and relevant content that they want to share.

3. Local is more important than ever

If we have learnt anything throughout the pandemic it is the importance of community. It has driven people to shift their focus closer to home so instead of thinking nationally, it is time to think local. There has always been evidence that the public’s perception of smaller charities is more positive than bigger charities but this is the time for smaller charities to not imitate strategies of their larger counterparts but, highlight their unique strengths instead. They should promote their tailored services which deal with local issues and highlight their close ties to communities and donors. This can lead to honest, personalised marketing showing how these charities share the same experiences as the public.

4. Emotional commitment

We have been inundated with sad news throughout the pandemic but nothing has stopped charities commitment to helping. In a study of 438 charities by CAF, 51% were surprised at how their organisation has adapted to the “new normal”, 40% mentioned staff resilience as the biggest surprise and 22% noted the support of the public during such difficult times. The overwhelming public response to Captain Sir Tom Moore by donating millions to the NHS is merely one example of how we have a distinctive longing to support each other. Now is the time to use emotive messaging within your marketing to get charities the help they need to help others.

5. The positive power of being involved

Charity is close to my heart. My old housemate works for Cancer Research UK, my mum volunteers at the East Anglian Children’s Hospice and I recently worked on helping to rebrand a local charity through Haygarth. They are an essential part of society and we should be very proud of them. If given the right support, they can help deliver social change but they need to adapt to continue this work. With new technologies and a shifting global landscape, their marketing structure will need to undergo radical transformation and keep in mind people who have been stuck in doors for nearly a year. Maybe charity really does begin at home.

This opinion piece was written by Harriet Miles, Senior Account Manager at Haygarth.

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TracyLocke‘s first campaign with Lucozade Ribena Suntory, ‘Together, we are Great British Summer’, is now live and bringing bold, colourful energy to stores across the UK. The shopper marketing activation features a triple threat of iconic brands; Lucozade Energy, Ribena and Lucozade Sport, cleverly combined to offer shoppers unstoppable summer prizes.

This is the first time LRS’s range has featured in a multi-brand campaign, bringing the three brands together to celebrate British Summer Time in a way that resonates with shoppers – whatever they’re into. By making more out of classic UK summer experiences to ensure that come rain or shine families and friends can come together to enjoy our prizes– from Weber BBQs and gazebos, to Bose speakers and fire pits to Decathlon vouchers – this campaign encourages everybody to make the most out of this long-awaited summer.

To be in with a chance to win every day, shoppers can simply buy a bottle of Lucozade Energy, Ribena or Lucozade Sport and text “SUMMER”, plus a space and the last 4 digits of their barcode to the entry number found on point of sale in store. The summer campaign will be visible in store on bespoke FSDUs, wobblers, gondola ends, bay takeovers and proximity media, and is live in Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda, Morrisons, Co-op, Nisa, One Stop and Booker. It runs from the end of June until the end of August 2021.

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