More and more companies are relying on experiential marketing strategies to increase their offer of goods and services. Here's how to improve the shopping experience by transforming it into a central element of the marketing plan
One of the main trends involving today's consumers is their changed relationship with the shopping experience: customers no longer seek only products to buy, but experiences to live. The trend involves various sectors across the board, from the world of retail to tourism and obliges anyone involved in marketing to ask new questions. Understanding how to transform the moment of purchase in the store into a memorable experience is one of the biggest challenges of today and experiential marketing is the best option to attract customers to your store in an innovative and engaging way.
The focus on quality and characteristics of the product being marketed are unfortunately no longer sufficient nor able to guarantee a scalable and lasting success. An experiential approach is indispensable for creating a bond with potential customers as well as for retaining the usual ones. But what exactly is experiential marketing and how can it be applied in practice to your store? Let's see together the characteristics and benefits of this new advantageous paradigm.
What is experiential marketing?
In experiential marketing what is placed at the center of the interaction between the company and the customer is personal experimentation and direct experience . The experiential marketing strategies aim to involve customers with activities that convert them from a simple passive spectator to a leading actor. There are really many options available to those who want to implement this winning new approach to their retail business and range from events and tastings, to pop-up stores to collaborations with local realities.
An ever-increasing number of both small and large brands are choosing to include offline events and local marketing initiatives in their communication campaigns, aware of how the active participation of the target user is fundamental for success today. The skilful mix of online presence and promotion on the territory is the ideal choice to give life to that connection with its customers and with the local community which can lead to incredibly optimized results.
Experiential marketing brings significant benefits to companies that decide to invest budgets and resources: even in the age of technology, a street shop is an opportunity not to be underestimated, as it offers the possibility of a personal relationship with the people who choose to cross the threshold. A community of passionate users linked to the brand and its values, an army of ambassadors ready to share their positive adventure in the store, posting photos, videos and enthusiastic comments capable of creating effective word of mouth. It is also a valuable source of information and feedback, to be used in a profitable way to elaborate the company's online activities.
How to implement experiential marketing campaigns
At this point, it is clear how much dedication of energy to the creation of an experiential marketing strategy is essential and can be fun: the possibilities that open up to offer customers more and more exciting experiences are almost infinite . Here are some examples of experiential marketing that are immediately applicable.
A unique experience in the store
Those who frequent a shop do so not only for the products they can find inside it, but also for the experience they experience when purchasing. Inside a store, every detail must therefore be studied to involve the customer at 360 °, also focusing on emotional marketing , from the structure of the store itself, to the color range used, to the music that welcomes customers.
The shopping experience consists of small nuances and is based on the mood that the store manages to create in its customers. The key to success, in addition to creating interactive and pleasant environments, is staff training : an enthusiastic, up-to-date and gratified sales team will be able to interact effectively with customers and put them at ease. In addition, small attentions such as providing free wifi, charging stations for smartphones, services for new mothers , play areas or refreshment points can contribute to making the time that customers spend in the shop much more pleasant.
Lessons, workshops and traditions
An excellent way to attract new users to the store and involve the most loyal ones is to organize thematic lessons or workshops related to their product category, for example by collaborating with micro influencers or experts in the sector. It is possible to teach customers how to use the products offered or give them useful advice on issues related to the sector. This approach applies perfectly to gardening or hardware stores, or even make up or games for children, but it can be used almost by anyone with a pinch of imagination.
The shop will therefore no longer be considered only as an exhibition of goods, but as a place of aggregation and discovery, acquiring priceless added value. A winning idea is to offer special discounts to those who participate in the initiatives and, in order to entice them to return.The same logic applies to the creation of a special tradition to be repeated periodically, which becomes distinctive of the store and contributes to the creation of its brand identity: thematic evenings, original parties or characteristic events.
Co-marketing
Co-marketing opportunities are a huge selling point for an offline store. Sponsoring important events for the local community and its market niche or triggering profitable cooperation between exhibitors are both excellent strategies. Collaborating with stores with customers similar to or complementary to their own generates an efficient exchange of users that brings value to the public at the same time and new opportunities for the stores involved .
This is the case, for example, of the clothing store which displays the jewels of the nearby business, or of the sports equipment store which offers advice from the nutritionist operating in the area.
Guerrilla marketing and pop-up store
Capturing attention is the watchword in experiential marketing, and guerrilla marketing tactics are perfect for the purpose. Singular and unique, they stand out and are memorable at the right point. Even the idea of appearing occasionally offline , despite having a mainly online business, can be successful: a pop-up store with an engaging impact is what it takes to offer old and new customers a new version of the brand, providing resources also useful to companies wishing to rebranding .
Interaction first
Once the interest of users has been captured with experiential marketing activities designed ad hoc, it is important to keep it alive by inviting its users to talk about their experience , stimulating it, asking for reviews on Google and other platforms and providing specific hashtags that can become viral. Interacting is an absolute imperative, to make those who have dedicated time to the brand feel important: the online and offline world will thus have their trait d'union, maximizing mutual effectiveness.
Being creative and always open to new ideas is the key to the success of any experiential marketing campaign. Creating enthusiasm, fun and involvement in one's audience is not an easy way, but it is the one that certainly pays more in the long run, goes beyond the single experience and leads to stable and highly satisfactory results and relationships.
One of the main trends involving today's consumers is their changed relationship with the shopping experience: customers no longer seek only products to buy, but experiences to live. The trend involves various sectors across the board, from the world of retail to tourism and obliges anyone involved in marketing to ask new questions. Understanding how to transform the moment of purchase in the store into a memorable experience is one of the biggest challenges of today and experiential marketing is the best option to attract customers to your store in an innovative and engaging way.
The focus on quality and characteristics of the product being marketed are unfortunately no longer sufficient nor able to guarantee a scalable and lasting success. An experiential approach is indispensable for creating a bond with potential customers as well as for retaining the usual ones. But what exactly is experiential marketing and how can it be applied in practice to your store? Let's see together the characteristics and benefits of this new advantageous paradigm.
What is experiential marketing?
In experiential marketing what is placed at the center of the interaction between the company and the customer is personal experimentation and direct experience . The experiential marketing strategies aim to involve customers with activities that convert them from a simple passive spectator to a leading actor. There are really many options available to those who want to implement this winning new approach to their retail business and range from events and tastings, to pop-up stores to collaborations with local realities.
An ever-increasing number of both small and large brands are choosing to include offline events and local marketing initiatives in their communication campaigns, aware of how the active participation of the target user is fundamental for success today. The skilful mix of online presence and promotion on the territory is the ideal choice to give life to that connection with its customers and with the local community which can lead to incredibly optimized results.
Experiential marketing brings significant benefits to companies that decide to invest budgets and resources: even in the age of technology, a street shop is an opportunity not to be underestimated, as it offers the possibility of a personal relationship with the people who choose to cross the threshold. A community of passionate users linked to the brand and its values, an army of ambassadors ready to share their positive adventure in the store, posting photos, videos and enthusiastic comments capable of creating effective word of mouth. It is also a valuable source of information and feedback, to be used in a profitable way to elaborate the company's online activities.
How to implement experiential marketing campaigns
At this point, it is clear how much dedication of energy to the creation of an experiential marketing strategy is essential and can be fun: the possibilities that open up to offer customers more and more exciting experiences are almost infinite . Here are some examples of experiential marketing that are immediately applicable.
A unique experience in the store
Those who frequent a shop do so not only for the products they can find inside it, but also for the experience they experience when purchasing. Inside a store, every detail must therefore be studied to involve the customer at 360 °, also focusing on emotional marketing , from the structure of the store itself, to the color range used, to the music that welcomes customers.
The shopping experience consists of small nuances and is based on the mood that the store manages to create in its customers. The key to success, in addition to creating interactive and pleasant environments, is staff training : an enthusiastic, up-to-date and gratified sales team will be able to interact effectively with customers and put them at ease. In addition, small attentions such as providing free wifi, charging stations for smartphones, services for new mothers , play areas or refreshment points can contribute to making the time that customers spend in the shop much more pleasant.
Lessons, workshops and traditions
An excellent way to attract new users to the store and involve the most loyal ones is to organize thematic lessons or workshops related to their product category, for example by collaborating with micro influencers or experts in the sector. It is possible to teach customers how to use the products offered or give them useful advice on issues related to the sector. This approach applies perfectly to gardening or hardware stores, or even make up or games for children, but it can be used almost by anyone with a pinch of imagination.
The shop will therefore no longer be considered only as an exhibition of goods, but as a place of aggregation and discovery, acquiring priceless added value. A winning idea is to offer special discounts to those who participate in the initiatives and, in order to entice them to return.The same logic applies to the creation of a special tradition to be repeated periodically, which becomes distinctive of the store and contributes to the creation of its brand identity: thematic evenings, original parties or characteristic events.
Co-marketing
Co-marketing opportunities are a huge selling point for an offline store. Sponsoring important events for the local community and its market niche or triggering profitable cooperation between exhibitors are both excellent strategies. Collaborating with stores with customers similar to or complementary to their own generates an efficient exchange of users that brings value to the public at the same time and new opportunities for the stores involved .
This is the case, for example, of the clothing store which displays the jewels of the nearby business, or of the sports equipment store which offers advice from the nutritionist operating in the area.
Guerrilla marketing and pop-up store
Capturing attention is the watchword in experiential marketing, and guerrilla marketing tactics are perfect for the purpose. Singular and unique, they stand out and are memorable at the right point. Even the idea of appearing occasionally offline , despite having a mainly online business, can be successful: a pop-up store with an engaging impact is what it takes to offer old and new customers a new version of the brand, providing resources also useful to companies wishing to rebranding .
Interaction first
Once the interest of users has been captured with experiential marketing activities designed ad hoc, it is important to keep it alive by inviting its users to talk about their experience , stimulating it, asking for reviews on Google and other platforms and providing specific hashtags that can become viral. Interacting is an absolute imperative, to make those who have dedicated time to the brand feel important: the online and offline world will thus have their trait d'union, maximizing mutual effectiveness.
Being creative and always open to new ideas is the key to the success of any experiential marketing campaign. Creating enthusiasm, fun and involvement in one's audience is not an easy way, but it is the one that certainly pays more in the long run, goes beyond the single experience and leads to stable and highly satisfactory results and relationships.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire