How to Boost Your Visibility in Physical Retail Stores?

A physical retail store is defined as “a retail establishment with actual sales activity and a sales area” (source Insee).

While the digital boom has led to an explosion in online sales in recent years, physical retail continues to attract consumers. The latter have developed a renewed attraction for retail stores after the end of the pandemic, which provide a sensory experience and human contact that are difficult to replicate via e-shops.

“Online product sales represent only 10% of the market, while in-store commerce accounts for the remaining 90%”. (source Fevad)

E-commerce sites and physical stores are, however, complementary: having good visibility in physical retail stores is essential to increase your brand awareness and boost your product sales.

According to a study by Nestore, customers acquired through physical retail stores are more loyal than those acquired via the Web. And we know that a more loyal customer is a customer who spends more, and more often.

Faced with an ultra-competitive market and growing consumer distrust of traditional advertising, it’s important to find effective alternatives to increase the reputation of your products and/or services and thus increase your chances of being listed by more retail outlets.

Improve Your Brand Awareness Among Industry Professionals

While having strong brand recognition among consumers is essential for your brand’s growth, don’t forget about your reputation among industry professionals!

Target Professional Ambassadors to Transform Them Into Advocates

With Trustt’s ambassador program, conduct a targeted test call to professionals directly concerned with your products. The application form allows you to specify the profile you’re looking for and ask questions about the person’s profession. These could be aestheticians, hairdressers, pharmacists, naturopaths, or veterinarians, for example.

These professionals will be more inclined to talk about your products to their own clientele and connect you with a distribution network.

Develop Your Products’ Reputation Through Collected Reviews

Ambassador campaigns allow you to collect numerous detailed reviews (text and video). They are a source of reassurance for all your potential customers, increase the conversion rate and improve your products’ reputation.

Also, consider using these reviews with distributors, who will be more inclined to want to list your products!

Expand Your Brand’s Reach Through UGC

Social media posts shared on social networks (Instagram, TikTok, etc.) during ambassador campaigns boost your visibility and make your products known to a wide audience, including distribution networks!

The Trustt dashboard allows you to access the posts generated during the campaign, and reuse them on all your communication channels (print / digital), particularly in retail stores.

Reassure Consumers with the Mention of Proven Effectiveness

Brands today face a major challenge: an ultra-competitive market where it becomes difficult to stand out.

However, if there’s one element that helps drive customers to purchase, it’s the proof of proven effectiveness of the product. Displayed on packaging, POS materials, or store/pharmacy fronts, this mention helps convince customers of the product’s real benefits.

Thanks to the usage tests completed by ambassadors at the end of campaigns, you benefit from concrete figures on the effectiveness of your products. Proof of effectiveness can be reused on all your communication materials (print/digital) and in retail stores.

Usage tests submitted in questionnaire form allow you to know the percentage of people affirming that the tested product is indeed effective.

If needed, the questionnaire is developed in collaboration with a doctor of pharmacy, who signs the final report. As third-party software that connects a brand and consumers, Trustt allows you to obtain results compliant with European regulations, which you can have certified.

Displayed in storefronts, as displays or flyers, this data reassures your target consumers. You thus gain credibility and persuasive power with customers, as well as with distributors.

Launch Innovative Commercial Promotions

The Pop-up Store: An Effective Marketing Lever

Often opened by DNVBs, the pop-up store (or temporary store) is gaining popularity. Its success is explained, among other things, by reduced financial burden and limited risk. This sales channel also allows you to combine physical and digital, to strengthen customer relationships and attract new consumers, including to your e-shop!

“The opening of a physical store for a DNVB increases its web traffic by 45%” (ICSC Study – New retail formats engage customers).

Good to know: the average customer basket is 190% higher when visiting a physical store after exposure to online advertising! (ROPO Research Online, Purchase Offline Campaign Report, Google 2020)

A true communication tool, the pop-up store can therefore become a significant argument to introduce and test your products, while making you visible amidst the ocean of coexisting brands.

Organize Events to Boost Your Brand and Your Relationship with Distributors

Whether in the form of a cocktail party, private sale, tasting, or product trials, events are an opportunity to bring consumers together around your brand and to strengthen your relationship with distributors when they take place in their physical stores!

Indeed, commercial promotions are a valuable weapon to boost in-store sales: they strengthen trust in your brand, while allowing the retailer to increase their turnover.

With Trustt’s event campaign, organize and manage your event from A to Z, from invitation management to selecting brand ambassadors and/or influencers invited and the mission letter provided to them!

Guests are thus briefed in advance on the social content you expect: Instagram posts, stories, reels, TikTok videos, etc.

Optimize Your E-shop to Bring Customers to the Store

To effectively develop in-store sales, it is important to optimize your e-commerce site. The majority of consumers first go online to research your offers and compare them with those of competitors.

How to do it?

• Improve your natural referencing (SEO),
• Use a verification and geolocation tool for product availability in stores or points of sale,
• Offer to send an alert when an out-of-stock product is available again,
• Highlight promotional offers available in-store,
• Add reviews to your product pages,
• Announce one-time events in distributor stores,
• Offer the possibility to have a product set aside in a store (e-reservation),
• Offer a click & collect service.