In-Store Activation & Product Sampling

Store activation is a crucial aspect of store execution and refers to providing shoppers with positive experiences. Its objective is to publicize store openings, influence purchases, and enhance the reputation of your store.

When strategically used alongside other strategies related to store promotion, store activation can help enhance the reputation of your store and develop strong relationships between you and your customers. Therefore, it is not only important for the betterment of your store but also to increase your overall sales.

Using various store promotion strategies and store activation can help you increase footfall in your store and, thus, provide you with the opportunity to gain loyal and active customers as well. To ensure your sales promotion activities yield profitable results, you need to use these strategies efficiently.

Here are a few ways you can increase active shoppers in your store:

• Create a safe and healthy atmosphere.
• Ensure that your store can be found online.
• Hire employees that can provide excellent shopping experiences.
• Use displays and banners efficiently.
• Use consumer activation strategies to increase sales.
• Respect customer reviews.

Product sampling is an excellent way to promote your store. While you might think giving out product samples might affect your sales negatively, it is basically an investment that guarantees fruitful results.

Providing customers with samples not only gives them a chance to try out the product before they buy it but it also helps you project yourself as a trustworthy store. As such, product sampling helps you influence people to like your store and appreciate your concern about customer-satisfaction

Brand activation is an efficient and effective method to develop an interest in the minds of the customers and influence their decision of purchasing products of a specific brand. While it is guaranteed to increase sales, consumer activation helps gain the trust of your customers, keeping them coming for long.

As a brand, store activation helps you attract more customers and enhance your overall reputation. It informs customers about new stores and products where the products of your brand are available.

Once you gain loyal customers, you can encourage them to try out specific products of your brand as part of store promotions.

A product launched recently by your brand might go unnoticed due to inefficient advertising and ineffective promotional activities. However, when used alongside store execution strategies, store activation is a guaranteed and efficient way to promote your brand.

If carried out efficiently, product sampling can help your business by leaps and bounds. Here are a few steps that can help you run a product sampling campaign successfully:

The five R’s recommended as the key to success by numerous merchandising companies are:

• Select Your Target Audience – You need to select a specific target audience to ensure that you are able to reach and provide samples to more potential customers.
• Plan your move – Before starting your product sampling campaign as part of a field activation strategy, make sure to set your goals and note down your requirements.
• Finalize a Medium – Choose a medium that would be most efficient to reach your target audience. Partnering with influencers and promoters are guaranteed to help you with this. For example, you can offer product samples to their followers and/or newsletter subscribers.
• Use Customer Feedback – There should be no second thoughts when you consider reviewing customer feedback. It helps you identify your strengths and weaknesses, and improve your consumer activation ideas as well.

Using consumer activation campaigns as part of store promotions can help you boost sales, gain trust, and enhance your reputation in the market. Here are a few steps you should follow when creating a store activation plan:

• Fix your goal – You need to decide what the aim of the campaign is and what it is that you want to promote through store execution.
• Prepare a budget – It is important to decide the investment you want to put in for the campaign. Without it, you just might end up losing more than what you gain.
• Know and Reach out to Your Target Audience – Plan who you want to target with the campaign and find the most effective way to reach out and inform them..