Logan Voss
If you run a grocery store, you know the difficulty of attempting to raise your sales in an organic way that doesn’t feel pushy or manipulative to consumers. Marketing in the grocery business can be a tough task. Check out these ways to improve your grocery store sales without breaking the bank or deterring customers.
Invest in larger carts
Large carts have the same effect as large plates on a dinner table. When you put a dinner portion on a small plate it can look like there is a ton of food on it while on a large plate it can feel empty and unfulfilling. With grocery carts, a small one may fill up fast, indicating to the customer that they’ve gotten everything they want already. A large cart will look emptier and encourage the customer to purchase more items, since they have room for them.
Offer in-store events
Consider hosting events within your grocery store. These events should be food-focused—and focused on displaying your products. For example, you could hire a chef and host free cooking classes every month. At these classes, have people learn to cook a meal and encourage them to purchase all the ingredients and cooking utensils used in the demonstration afterward so they can recreate the meal at home. This will feel like a fun and helpful service to customers and increase your sales.
Invest in better signage
Signs help your customers navigate your store, learn about sales and promotions, and find new products to purchase. New signs can encourage customers to buy more as they will have an easier time finding the products they want. Digital signage is the new normal in brick and mortar stores, since it incorporates digital into the in-store shopping experience; there are some great tips you can utilize for grocery store digital signage.
Host free sample days
Choose a day every week, preferably a peak shopping day such as Saturdays or Sundays, and host a free sample day. Prepare, divide up, and hand out small portions of products you want to push to customers. Trying a new food in a small portion for free is one of the best ways to get a consumer to purchase a product they’ve never tried before. Purchasing an entire food product without knowing the taste is a commitment most shoppers don’t enjoy. Free samples will help them conquer this roadblock and find a new product that they love. The smell of fresh food cooking is also a way to boost sales, as it may make some customers hungry—and a hungry shopper is a plentiful shopper.
