The Power of Brand Advocacy During the Holidays
11.02.2016
How Brand Advocates & Assisted Sales Can Take Your Retail Profits to Another Level This Holiday Season
As the calendar transitions to November, retailers across the country are gearing up for their biggest two months of profit, where monthly purchase volumes and average order values skyrocket and buyers tend to spend an average of 17% more on each order compared to the rest of the year.
According to the National Retail Federation, sales are expected to increase 3.6% across the board in 2016. Retailers are also expected to hire between 640,000 and 690,000 seasonal workers this year.
By now, hopefully you have realized that an online presence for product-based retailers is essential. What you may be missing is an omni-channel presence, where all your digital bases are covered and the in-store experience you provide is unmatched. Brand Advocacy services from BDSmktg might be the missing piece of the puzzle when it comes to driving in-store sales, but first let’s take a look at the current state of retail.
Current Retail Trends & Projections for the Holidays
As technology develops and consumers assimilate to new shopping opportunities, the state of retail is always changing. We recently outlined several of the current trends here, particularly the value of in-store shopping experiences.
Generation Z shoppers generally prefer spending money on experiences over material possessions. As a result, brick-and-mortar stores are implementing memorable and adventurous shopping experiences, such as interactive storefronts, eye-catching displays, product demonstrations, virtual reality tunnels and much more.
You may be thinking – with the continued increase in the amount of online shoppers, is it worth it for retailers to invest so much in their in-store experience? It’s a fair question. However, research has shown that digital shoppers often bring higher store traffic, conversion and spending to physical locations. In many cases, they use mobile digital experiences to supplement their in-store shopping, not replace it.
How Can Brand Advocacy Services Enhance the In-Store Experience?
The most luring and important aspect of BDS’ Brand Advocacy services are the passionate, knowledgeable and engaging Assisted Sales Representatives we hire to be an extension of your brand. Our ASRs are well-trained in creating those much-desired memorable in-store shopping experiences and driving sales at the last three feet. While consumers are more informed than ever, sometimes too much information leads to indecisiveness and anxiety. The value of speaking face-to-face with a subject-matter expert shows its worth over and over in these cases.
Market Development and Research is also a crucial aspect in competing with giant online retailers such as Amazon. The consumer insights and market intelligence that we provide through our Brand Advocacy Services will help you market to your consumer base in a way that Amazon cannot.
Between an in-person presence on the retail floor, Brand Shops that allow you to deliver state-of-the-art product demonstrations, and market level insights that help you make informed decisions, Brand Advocacy services from BDS can make a huge difference to your bottom line this holiday season. Combine that with your ongoing digital promotions and ecommerce sales, and you’ll be set to destroy your competition.