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72 HARDWARE RETAILER<br />
Motivating consumer<br />
purchase through print<br />
From coffee chains to luxury cosmetics brands, companies are looking to create unique brand<br />
experiences to differentiate themselves from their competition. In today’s marketing arena,<br />
it’s not just about raising awareness and getting consumers’ attention in any marketing<br />
campaign; it’s equally important to provide consumers with a great brand experience –<br />
whether instore, outdoor or online – and printed collateral plays a fundamental part in this.<br />
Helping companies tailor their brand<br />
experience for their respective customers<br />
has never been easier, thanks to the new<br />
potential enabled by digital print. While<br />
instore branding and point of sale (POS)<br />
promotion can guide customers to the product and<br />
influence their buying decision through creating an<br />
immersive experience, printed promotion, packaging<br />
and instore decor can be optimised to motivate<br />
consumers to make a final purchase decision – or<br />
potentially even that last-minute impulse buy.<br />
By getting into the mind of the target customer,<br />
print service providers (PSPs) and in-house print<br />
departments can help brand owners and marketeers<br />
use print to its full potential. PSPs have an opportunity<br />
to show brands how print can create innovative instore<br />
experiences for their customers that truly amplify their<br />
brand marketing campaigns.<br />
Stimulating instore buying impulses<br />
78% of shoppers cite the ability to touch, feel and try<br />
products as a top reason for shopping instore. Before<br />
a customer even walks through the door, they are often<br />
enticed by the window display. Visual merchandising,<br />
such as window film, can stop customers in their tracks<br />
and invite them to come instore.<br />
From stunning posters, banners and signage capturing<br />
consumers’ attention while they might be walking<br />
in the aisles, to inspirational brand ‘look books’ and<br />
POS displays guiding them to the product, printed<br />
instore marketing materials play a key part in the retail<br />
experience and an essential role in the customer<br />
journey, helping to attract and retain customer attention,<br />
motivate purchase and build brand affinity.<br />
With high quality, colour consistent POS displays<br />
that are easy to install and demount, PSPs can<br />
ensure that instore environments reflect wider brand<br />
communications.<br />
POS is ranked by eight out of 10 marketers as the most<br />
effective marketing channel for influencing shopper<br />
purchasing decisions. Using the UK as an example,<br />
Britons alone spend an estimated £21.7 billion on<br />
impulse purchases each year, so it’s important that<br />
brands use POS print to their advantage. The good<br />
news for marketers is that ROI on POS is easy to<br />
evaluate – even subjectively – and brands can readily<br />
use insights to adapt future concepts.<br />
Creating brand ambience<br />
The reasons for the continuing popularity of ‘bricks and<br />
mortar’ retail lie in the total shopping experience itself.<br />
While online plays a key role in today’s omnichannel<br />
campaigns, it may come as a surprise that internet<br />
shopping currently accounts for a relatively small<br />
proportion of retail activity. The vast majority of our<br />
purchasing is still done instore.<br />
To harness this continued enthusiasm for shopping and<br />
mitigate the practical advantages of online, stores are<br />
continuously looking to update their environments and<br />
stay fresh and exciting. After all, 59% of people want an<br />
inviting ambience when they shop.<br />
An increasing feature of instore environments, printed<br />
décor is one of the biggest growth sectors in the visual<br />
communications industries. With every brand looking to<br />
create a distinctive identity to set themselves apart from<br />
competitors, customer experiences need to be visually<br />
consistent with what they see online and in other<br />
marketing channels.<br />
The key to effective instore décor is seamless<br />
integration into an omnichannel campaign, creating<br />
exactly the right atmosphere to inspire and encourage<br />
a customer to move towards a purchase. This is<br />
particularly true of the younger generation, with 25%<br />
of 18 to 24 year olds considering the “atmosphere and<br />
experience” as a top reason to choose shopping instore<br />
vs. online.<br />
Continues on page 74
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