How Channel Marketers Can Disrupt the Digital and In-Store Shelf

Disrupting the aisle is like entering the matrix. The physical shopping experience blends with the digital world we all live in via our ever-present mobile devices.

Everyone shops online. Your mom, nephew, and cousin’s boyfriend’s barber all shop online. Last year 2.14 billion people - Billion - bought online. That works out to more than one out of every four people you bump into at the grocery store is an online shopper.

Think of something you want. What do you do? Pull out your phone, right? Every purchase is a click away. 

That’s the aisle. The digital space is our shopping aisle. Google ad search results: That’s a competitive aisle. Product Pins on Pinterest: Those enticing shoppable images are a digital aisle. The aisle is anywhere your product is alongside a competitor’s. 

Shoppers have already redefined the aisle. Brands can win more business by meeting the omnichannel shopper’s buying preferences.

Ideas to Increase Shopper Engagement

1. Retail Event - Throw a party or create an event-like atmosphere at a retail location to increase foot traffic. After participating in a brand’s event or experience, 85 percent of shoppers are more likely to buy a brand’s products.
2. Invest in Beacons - Beacons are small, wireless Bluetooth devices that send signals to nearby smart devices, such as an iPhone. Nearly 3 out of 4 customers said beacon-triggered content and offers boost their likelihood to buy items during a physical store visit.
3. Give Back - Partner with a local charity that aligns with your brand to attract new customers. Commit to donate a percentage of the purchase price so shoppers can see the impact their purchase decisions have on causes they care about. More than half of consumers are more likely to buy from a local store that supports the community.
4. Incorporate Digital - Nearly 60 percent of consumers use their smartphones in-store to research products or look up product information. Leverage this to your brand’s advantage by providing them with an in-store QR code that directs them to product information.

Channel marketers want a strong relationship with their retail partners. This can lead to securing better product placement than competitors, or more linear feet. Partner with channel partners to:

1. Make their goals your goals. Align your efforts with a retail partner’s goals to secure more linear feet or high-traffic areas, such as end-caps.
2. Create engaging in-store experiences that catch customers’ attention. Install a digital display that prompts customers to take a brief quiz to find the right beauty product for their skin type.
3. Assemble a lifestyle or solution display to increase the average cart value. (Your retail partners will love you!) The most simple example is s’mores. Everyone loves these campfire treats. A well-designed end-cap with chocolate bars, marshmallows, and graham crackers makes it so easy you can’t resist. Think about what goes with your product.
4. Launch exclusive or co-branded products. These are typically limited-edition products that drive immediate demand and brand awareness.
5. Run promotional campaigns with exclusive offers. The objective is to drive your customers to a specific retailer to redeem the limited-time offer.

Global Skincare Brand Example

The payoff of incorporating digital into your in-aisle experience can be phenomenal. For example, a global skincare brand partnered with a channel partner to run a summer campaign that would drive in-store engagement. Lumavate was selected to create an app with a quiz that helps shoppers find the right skincare product for them and their unique needs.

Over the three-month campaign, the quiz drove 33,000 interactions. The quiz took less than 30 seconds to complete and showed consumers 3 product recommendations at the end. The average consumer spent 2 minutes in the app!  

Stand out in the Aisle to Increase Sales

Consumers have more products to choose from than ever before, online and in-store. Essential to stand out in this moment in the customer journey is for brands to capture attention and drive consideration of their product. Digital experiences can help customers find the right product or underscore why your product is better than a competitive one. The goal is to not only stand out in the aisle but drive a significant increase in sales and create a fulfilling brand experience with customers.