Promo products in retail: boosting sales and customer loyalty
If you run a retail business, then you’ll already be aware of how challenging it can be to attract and retain customers. After all, while consumers are spending more than ever before, there’s also more competition than ever before. While you might hope that customers will just naturally come your way and stay there, the reality is vastly different.
Luckily, retail businesses wishing to get more business have an array of tools at their disposal that’ll make it easier to attract and retain customers, including offering promotional products. In this post, we’ll run through everything you need to know about promo products in retail, including what they are, why they work, and how to choose the right promo products for your business.
Understanding Promotional Products
To begin, let’s focus on what exactly promotional products are. They’re simply products that are given away by businesses to existing and potential customers for free. You can give these products away at events, in-store, include them in an online order, or anything else.
Anything can be a promotional product, but the most effective ones are products that have been branded with your logo and company name. Here at Promo Superstore, we offer a wide range of customisable promotional products, including tote bags, wireless earbuds, pens, USB swivels, t-shirts, and hundreds of other options.
OK, so now you have a sense of what promo products are, let’s focus on how they can help boost sales and customer loyalty.
Grab Your Customer’s Attention
If you run a retail business, you’ll already know how difficult it is to attract new customers. After all, all of your competitors are trying to grab your potential customers’ attention, too.
Promo products help your brand stand out from the crowd, especially online. For instance, let’s say your digital store sells hiking products. Your customers will have plenty of websites where they can buy such products. However, if you include a free Alpine Drink Bottle with every order, then you’ll have given them a pretty good incentive to choose your website over one of your competitors. After all, why would they order from a rival site when they can get what they want and a freebie from your website?
Attract People To Your Store
If you own a brick-and-mortar store, then promotional products can be an excellent way to entice people into your store. Let’s think of an example. Let’s say that you had us whip up some colourful Sonnet Cotton Tote Bags featuring your branding. Once you have them, you can offer them as a freebie that entices people into the store or as a free gift if they make a purchase. We all know how difficult it can be to get people’s attention when they’re walking through an area that’s crowded with people and stores — offering them a gift, which is essentially what promo products are, is a great way to get their eyeballs on your business.
There’s no guarantee that they’ll become customers, but in many cases, the hardest part of getting a customer is simply getting their attention. And promotional products make sure that you can get them.
The Reciprocal Marketing Approach
People like receiving freebies, especially if it’s a useful product, but it also does something to them psychologically, too. Either on a conscious or subconscious level, the customer feels that they then have to give something in return.
This is why promotional products can be called a reciprocal marketing tactic. You’re giving something away for free, but you’ll also find that the people who receive those freebies have an increased desire to become customers. This tends to work more when the person is truly given “something for nothing” — as in, when they receive the freebie despite not (yet) being a customer.
Long-Term Brand Reminder
Handing out promotional products at an event or anywhere where the person can’t make an instant purchase can seem like a waste of time. After all, if they’re walking away, then you’ve probably missed your opportunity to turn them into a customer, especially if you didn’t get any of their contact information in exchange for the free gift (tip: this can be effective).
However, while it might seem like a waste of time, it’s very much not. You see, they may not have become a customer right now, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t in the next few months. People hold on to freebies for a long time, and if it’s something that they actually use, then they’ll continually be reminded of your brand — and that greatly increases the chance that they’ll become a customer in the future.
Additionally, depending on the type of promo products you give out, you may also find that it functions as something of a walking advert for your brand. If that happens, then it won’t just be the person you gave the freebie to who might become a customer, but everyone that they come across, too. For example, can you imagine how many people might see your brand name on one of our huge Trident Sports Umbrellas?
It Contributes to a Positive All-Around Customer Experience
Getting a customer can be tricky. In fact, it’s probably the hardest part of the process. Turning them into a long-term customer isn’t exactly easy, but it’s easier. After all, if they’ve bought from your business once, then they’re clearly interested in whatever you’re selling.
Including a free promo product in their order can go a long way towards ensuring that they have a positive customer experience. And if they have that, then they’ll simply be more likely to bring repeat business your way.
Remember: it’s much easier to market towards existing customers than it is to potential customers. While promo products won’t be the only tool you use to keep existing customers on the hook, they can certainly play a big role in helping to foster customer loyalty.
Give People More Than They Expect
In this day and age, it feels that, more often than not, we get less than what we expect. Just think of all the people who are disappointed when they open a pack of crisps only to discover that half of the bag is air.
If you offer someone more than what they expect, then it’s not hard to see why they’d be more inclined to give you business in the future. After all, you’ll already have shown that not only will you deliver the bare essentials of what your customers expect, but you’re also willing to go above and beyond to ensure that they’re fully happy. In an age when customers find it difficult to trust brands, that can make all the difference.
People Like Free Things
Think of the last time that a stranger did something unexpectedly nice for you; you probably had warm feelings towards them, didn’t you? You can generate the same feeling in the hearts of your current and potential customers by giving them an unexpected bonus that they genuinely enjoy using. That’s the power of promo products.
How to Choose the Right Promo Products For Your Business
Giving your customers anything for free would probably be effective, but it’ll be more effective if it’s the right product. Follow these handy tips for ensuring that you get the right promo products for your business.
Understand Your Brand
Some products make more sense for some businesses than others. A Neoprene Stubby Holder would make sense for a leisure business, but less sense for a law firm.
Understand Your Customers
The more you know your customers, the better you’ll be able to choose a promo product that fits their lifestyle and needs. Get yourself into their mindset and ask yourself: what would you most like to receive as a free gift?
Add the Custom Touch
The best promo products are ones that are infused with your company’s branding. At Promo Superstore, we can customise hundreds of promo products with your name, colours, and logo.
Promo Products: A Cost-Effective Way to Elevate Your Brand
Promotional products have consistently proven to be one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies around. Not only can they have an instant impact, but they also function as a long-term strategy. The person who receives your promo product might not become a customer today, but they might tomorrow — or even six months or later down the line.
Whether you plan to give out promotional products in your brick-and-mortar store or include them as a freebie with every online order, the only way to fully see the impact they can have is to give them a go. If you’re ready to test the power of promo products for your brand, then don’t hesitate to browse the collection of customisable products we have available here at Promo Superstore. We offer fast printing and shipping times, ensuring that you can begin offering promo products as soon as humanly possible. If you have any questions about our products or need help placing an order, then please call a member of our team at 1300 673 420.
