The Power of POP Displays?

By Johnny Feelgood

Tips to Increase your In-Store Marketing Profits: We've all poured over the available marketing data, held the long meetings, brainstormed over product development strategies; all to answer the age old questions regarding marketing budget. Which advertising medium has the highest conversion to sales? Should I spend massive amounts of money on TV and radio broadcasts? What about "in-store" displays? What will customers pay more attention to? What will give my company the greatest return on investment?

Calculating marketing ROI is not easy; there isn't a solid way of gauging what effects customer buying decisions. There are tendencies, and obvious ways of improving product awareness, but the only sure method is to employ an immense marketing budget that will raise product sales through a steady increase of product identity across the range of public perception.

Huge corporations have the flexibility to launch enormous marketing campaigns, designed to raise product awareness across the scope of public consciousness. But the ROI is not very efficient, at least in the short term; so this strategy isn't an option for smaller to medium-sized companies. Their marketing budgets just cannot compete with corporate giants like McDonalds or Coca Cola.

This does not have to hinder a company's ability to market however. Although the influence of "in-store" marketing is understood at least to some extent, newer data has suggested an even greater influence than previously recognized. Research companies like the The Global Association at Retail (POPAI) and B & T, have shown that 70% of decisions to purchase a product were made by the customer while in the store!

That is an incredible statistic, but it makes perfect sense. A customer can watch a visually powerful TV ad, but then not be in a place to make a purchase for hours, or even days. So the question is: why spend money on raising product awareness, when a customer is just not ready to buy yet? There are more effective methods.

And these methods are centered on one important factor. The true determining factor in the decision to purchase a product based on your advertising, is recency. Meaning, how soon after the customer saw your advertising and marketing material was the client or customer in a position to buy?

So the most effective way to go is in-store marketing, or POP displays. They represent the only marketing medium that is in place when customer, product, and money all converge at the same time and place. That is the time to worry about the level of product imagery and presentation.

Retailers are always glad to receive POP displays from their product vendors. Though "clean-store" policies are an issue, they do not have to be a hindrance. A well-crafted and carefully designed display creates a much more appealing environment for their shoppers to peruse, and retailers are always looking to improve in-store appeal for their customers. Just be sure to meet the needs of your retailer in your product displays.

Be sure to hire the right marketing personnel, partner with an educated manufacturing firm, and design POP displays with intense visual imagery and excellent presentation of product benefits; therefore ensuring you have the resources to make the right marketing decisions. This is the key to improving your company's sales and profits.

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Before you search for POP display manufacturers, be sure you read this significant in-store marketing information.