10 Golden rules for in-store promotions

"There are several important factors to consider in terms of ensuring your products are getting noticed in stores," says Timothy Beattie, GM of Pyrotec PackMedia, a leading provider of innovative on-pack solutions. "These ten commandments will give your brand the best possible chance of success in terms of attracting the attention of your target audience."

10 golden rules

1. Thou shalt cater for the impulse buyer - with research revealing that over 70% of purchasing decisions are made in store; marketers should not forget the impulse shopper. Exploit this by strategically placing your products near check-out points.
   
2. Thou shalt ensure that your products are placed in a good location - prime locations are the middle "eye-zone" areas, as research shows that more than half of shoppers' viewing time is spent on these locations. Products displayed on the top or bottom shelves may only be seen by about 30% of shoppers and new products have an especially hard time obtaining prime vertical locations.
   
3. Thou shalt consider the time - retail shoppers now spend significantly less time shopping today than years ago. Some studies have suggested that shoppers spend 55% less time shopping than in previous years (90 minutes in 1980 compared to 40 minutes in 2000).Your product has only a few seconds to be seen, noticed, understood, and purchased.
   
4. Thou shalt face your customer - the largest dimension of your product/package needs to face the shopper. The face of the product is the billboard that advertises the product to consumers who pass by.
   
5. Thou shalt ensure clarity of information - considering that shoppers are spending far less time in store, is your product able to be quickly and easily understood? Long, garbled explanations and packaging that gives no indication of the product housed inside will more often than not lead to the item being overlooked by potential customers.
   
6. Thou shalt be colourful - colour not only attracts attention, it can also inspire emotion in your customer. Cool colours like blue, green, and purple are viewed as calming, cool and clean. Warm colours such as red, orange and yellow can create energy and excitement, whilst neutral colours generate feelings of stability, innocence and authority.
   
7. Thou shalt watch your language - remember the power that words like "Sale", "Discount", "New" and "Special" can yield. Make them big and bold and display them where they will be seen!
   
8. Thou shalt make use of on-pack promotions - on-product promotions are a great way to sway an undecided shopper. Coupons and "buy one, get one free" promotions are popular and effective methods of boosting sales.
   
9. Thou shalt have signage - POP signage has been show to increase product sales by up to 33%. The top three uses of POP signs are: 1) promote a brand name, 2) communicate a special promotion, and 3) educate consumers.
   
10. Thou shalt not forget the power of sight - while all five senses play a role in the purchasing process, sight remains the most important. Most simply put: products that are well-packaged and visible on the store shelves have a better chance of being purchased.
    

The company offers a variety of products that can assist marketers achieve these goals.