Shopfloor DEALER PROFILE: KNEES HOME AND ELECTRICAL FOCUS: LOCAL MARKETING


Be the talk of the town


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What are the best forms of local marketing? We hear from the experts with their tips on why it’s important for independent retailers to capture the attention of the customers on their doorstep.


W


ith the high street seeing footfall falling by 2.5 per cent for a fi ve-week period between November and December last year and the ONS reporting that GDP was fl at in Q4 of 2019, the need to capture the attention of your passers-by is increasingly important and for all the right reasons, especially if there’s a competitor in the vicinity offering consumers more choice in your category.


A local shop for local people By Emma Louise Smith, Director of Moxie Business Marketing


By focusing on the importance of local customers, the two shopkeepers in TV’s The League of Gentlemen were spot on. Online marketing may be a game-changer but when your business relies on footfall you must think local too. Where ‘Edward and Tubbs’ failed was in the gruesome experience they offered customers. If you expect to attract and keep a faithful customer base you need to give them something they want. With the pressure mounting on the UK’s high


streets, we need to look at how to help retailers survive – and to thrive.


Give me sales over Facebook ‘likes’ any day! Most of what we read these days about marketing focuses on the internet. It’s transformed shopping and while customer data, web presence and social media are important, creating a great in-store experience should still be every retailer’s priority. Branding is about more than logos, it’s about values – how and why you do what you do and who you want as customers. It’s what makes you


stand out from the crowd, so you need to find your key differentiator and build on it:


- Do you have a consistent brand identity throughout your store?


- Does all exterior and interior signage match,


from shop window to POS displays? - Are the features of every product on sale clearly listed with POS collateral? - Are you displaying your values, such as


environmental policy? - Are you part of your local circular economy? Whether you live in Brighton or Barrow-in-


Furness, your community has a unique character which you can celebrate through your branding and in your premises. If you want to build a loyal community of customers, you need to be involved in the wider one. Corporate social responsibility helps. There’s lots you can do to place your shop at the heart of your community: 1. Opening nights. A re-brand is a great excuse for


an official opening, perhaps with the local Mayor. 2. New product lines. Work with a supplier to arrange an in-store event.


3. Cinema evenings. If you have a screen set up


in-store, why not hold a movie night? It doesn’t have to be Oscars-worthy but some comfy sofas, popcorn and the latest release will draw people in. 4. Cooking demonstrations. If you’re selling the latest electric cooker, why not invite in a chef to show potential customers what it can do? 5. Charitable events. Show you care by supporting a local charity. Advertise a day when every purchase earns a donation to your nominated charity. 6. Collaboration is king. Work with other local businesses or brands to help raise awareness about a new product.


Are you being served?


When people step into your shop, they want an experience and they want expertise they can trust, so you need a good sales repertoire. Be the expert you are and make the customer’s experience more personal than an internet search. Affordability also plays a big part in shoppers’ choices – for example, do you have options available for people to purchase on finance?


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