Is Retail About Selling Or Just Removing Obstacles To The Sale?

We visit so many supermarket retailers and grocery wholesalers throughout our careers. With so many visits and supermarket reviews there tends to be a pattern to success that develops. What works in building retail sales and why?

We endure loyalty cards, bonus buys, coupons, bogo's, gatefolds, wraps, coated stock, extra pages, radio, tv & on & on. There is so much conversation on what that special or defining message looks like. Will the consumer respond to clutter or the lack of clutter?

Forget most if not all of this. If coupon redemption is about 3% nationally how important is that to the shopper? Lets try to get simple. Depart from the confusion of all of the gimmicks and games and speak directly to the customer. Both in your marketing and in store. Simple sells. Get simple, refine the message and work hard for the customer and your supermarket location develop the direction of "Top Of Mind"

Communicate A Value Proposition...Customer Service & Fair Pricing

We find a great price, however not always just the lowest price works well in tandem with solid customer service. Retail not is about expecting potential customers to drive by two or three competitors to shop your store location. Remaining top of mind so the customers does not drive past your location to shop other retail food options must be the goal.

Fully understanding we will never have the lowest advertised price every week is essential. As an independent retailer we know even if the independent were lower in price on all of the top 100 items the consumer would still believe the big box was less expensive.

That said, the value proposition through service is essential. Deliver to the customer well trained employees. Trained to ask the shopper looking for something how they might help. Teach the cashier to engage in positive conversation. What could this positive well trained conversation look or sound like?

Don't just talk fresh, look fresh. Housekeeping in retail allows the consumer to believe your claims of "Today's Catch" or the We have the freshest whatever.

Become A Resource To Your Customer...Recipe Videos!

BadAdzVideos.com

Check out our over 200 and growing BadAdzVideos.com Here you will find a valuable Recipe Video tool in the search to become a resource for the potential customer or loyal weekly shopper. When we teach a customer how to cook something or give the customer creative cooking ideas we build a more loyal shopper base. Equally important, a larger basket size will result.

Retailers will always have lots of competition. From casual dining to the big boxes the completion will keep coming. Keep the offers and engagement simple while keeping the customer Top Of Mind. When you and your associates keep the customer in sight and Top Of Mind, the customer will likely do the same in return.

Many have asked why I choose to write about what I see in the supermarket industry today and my ideas. At Bad-Adz Digital, PreparedFoodPhotos.com & Adlife we believe great ideas and the resulting branding will give new life and direction to any company. So for that reason we chose to open the discussion.

Yes, I understand I probably misspelled something or butchered the English language in a few places, the goal however was to open your minds to new ideas. 

Joel Albrizio Bad-Adz Digital, Bad-AdzVideos.com PreparedFoodPhotos.com & Adlife