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You might be wondering how to effectively market your product using the Point of Sale (POS) system, which makes it easy for customers to purchase. This article will provide you with a few tips that can help fuel sales efforts over time.
Here are 14 point-of-sale marketing ideas for in-store and online sales:
1. Create a display area in your checkout area.
Small, affordable items may be displayed on shelves or free-standing displays surrounding your register. Displays placed around your register will keep clients browsing while they wait in line and encourage spontaneous purchases.
Impulse purchases are purchases made on the spur of the moment. When a consumer purchases products they did not intend to purchase, or when anything is purchased “on the spur of the moment.”
Impulsive purchases may be a terrific method to increase sales, and eight out of ten impulse purchases are performed in physical locations. Use things like snacks, minor accessories, or other little items that consumers may add to their purchase without much consideration when filling your shelves with impulsive items. Another option is to exhibit other items that clients may have forgotten about, such as batteries, lighters, or nail clippers.
For example, behind our register at my business, we put fashion tape, static protection, and tiny accessories. Customers would often add a roll of tape or a whimsical ring to their original purchases—products they would have forgotten about or never considered if the goods weren’t advertised near our POS.
Use shelves at your point of sale to encourage spontaneous purchases and remind consumers of their needs. (Image courtesy of BerkeleySide)
2. Add Displays to the Countertops
Another location where you might profit from impulsive purchases is at the checkout counter. Create modest displays like the ones shown below to highlight goods that clients can quickly add to their order or little items that they may have forgotten about.
If you don’t have a lot of room surrounding your cash register for shelf displays, the countertop POS marketing technique is ideal. Using your counter to display things is a terrific method to maximize product area without taking up more room.
Using guiding signs to improve your countertop displays is another option. Inspire your consumers by posting signage that explains how to utilize your product or what it is best suited for. Customers will feel even more subconscious temptation to make an impulsive buy if they can see how they would utilize your items.
3. Establish a sampling zone
Creating a sample or demo station is another approach to increase client engagement and drive sales around your POS. A sample area is a terrific method to expose visitors to new items and promote sales, whether you’re tasting a new food or demonstrating to buyers how to use a highlighted product.
What if I told you that
According to research conducted by the VP of Snack Factory, samples have a 25-30% conversion rate, which means that more than a quarter of clients who test a sample will purchase the product.
To get started, either make your own samples and stations or ask your supplier for sample-sized merchandise. Most vendors are happy to send them out for free, and they will often include a temporary sample station for you to use. A little foldable table should suffice in the absence of a larger table.
Set up your tasting station near the checkout counter, but make sure it doesn’t grow too busy or impede the line. This will help you to take advantage of clients who are about to make a purchase, drive impulsive purchases, and maintain your checkout area in order.
To increase sales and expose consumers to new items, set up a sample station at your point of sale. (Image courtesy of PR Week)
4. Complementary Cross-Merchandise Products
Use POS marketing to cross-sell similar items while clients are in the checkout line or about to pay. Cross merchandising saves consumers time, makes shopping quicker and more convenient for them, reminds them of their needs, stimulates ideas, and increases sales.
Cross merchandising is the practice of exhibiting products from many product categories together in order to encourage people to buy multiple things.
Customers may easily add both pasta and pasta sauce to their carts at the conclusion of their shopping excursion if a grocery store places both on an endcap near the cashier. Alternatively, a boutique may arrange scarves and caps at the cash register so that consumers can get all of their cold-weather requirements in one area. Upselling may be as simple as putting goods that are often sold together near your POS.
Upselling is a sales tactic that encourages clients to buy more items or services that are connected to the initial item of interest.
To begin, choose things that are complementary to one another and make sense to offer together. Choose goods that will fit conveniently at your point of sale, are tiny, and are reasonably priced. Even while cross-merchandising at your POS, keep in mind that the goods you pick should fall into the “impulse” category, meaning they should be small and simple to add to clients’ orders.
Market these items at your point of sale, and don’t forget about guiding signage, which may be very useful in clarifying product pairings and demonstrating how consumers can utilize them in their daily lives.
This store has everything a client could possibly need to create a fantastic cup of tea. (Image courtesy of The Motley Fool)
5. Use enticing call-to-action language
To encourage customers to purchase, place call-to-action signs near the goods at your POS. “Try me” or “purchase now” wording, for example, encourages consumers to take action, and CTA phrasing has been demonstrated to boost online merchant sales by over 1,000 percent.
CTA (Call to Action): A marketing word for any display that is intended to elicit a quick reaction or a sale.
Keep your call to action concise and direct, yet strong and attention-getting. To elicit action, the message should be succinct and start with a strong verb like “purchase” or “try.” Then, to make your CTA more enticing and eye-catching, utilize terms like “yours,” “now,” and “discount.” Use strong fonts and colors in your design to ensure that your signage shines out, and place it at eye level for optimal exposure.
This sign encourages people to “Buy” by displaying the word “Buy” on it. (Photo courtesy of Fixtures Close Up)
6. Organize “Dump Bins”
Dump bins are open, floor-standing containers for loose items such as swimming noodles and school supplies. Dump bins are usually used to store things that are categorically similar and are on sale or on discount.
You’ve probably seen the enormous wire bins of outdated $6.99 DVDs at your local supercenter. Those containers are dump bins, and they’re a point-of-sale marketing tool for encouraging impulsive buys and moving clearance items.
Consider putting low-cost clearance products in a rubbish bin near your register if you have a lot of them. Make them easily accessible from all sides and use signs to attract attention to their pricing. Customers will be able to shop while waiting in line, which will encourage impulsive, discount-driven purchases.
What if I told you that
If given a discount or sale pricing, anything from 76 percent to 89 percent of US buyers would be prepared to test a new product.
Near the checkout area, a dump bin houses reduced merchandise. (Image courtesy of Creative Magazine)
7. Show a QR Code At Checkout
QR codes may be used in the checkout line to engage clients with your brand and keep them purchasing while they wait in line. Customers may scan a QR code to go to your website, check your social network profiles, conduct a survey, and even scan things and pay with their phones.
Customers that are in line to check out have already established a connection with your business, so if you provide them additional opportunities to participate, they will be more inclined to do so. Place QR codes all around your register to increase interaction, drive online purchases, and give customers a fun and simple experience.
More information on how to create a QR code that works for your company may be found in this post.
QR codes increase client engagement and satisfaction. (Photo courtesy of the National Retail Association)
8. Ensure that customer service is available at the time of checkout.
Make sure your clients can receive help at or near your point of sale. This location of your customer service area is not only intuitive to most consumers, but it will also assist to guarantee that clients have a pleasant shopping experience.
TIP: Post fliers or displays around your POS with frequently asked client queries. Include everything you believe your consumers would need or want to know, such as your return policy, parking information, and current deals.
Your customer service desk will either be a component of your POS station or a separate workstation, depending on how much room you have. Provide your service area with a policy manual, a POS kiosk, and any other materials your colleagues may need to assist consumers with returns, exchanges, or other product difficulties.
At my boutique, for example, our customer service area was right next to our POS. Women might try on garments with the help of a sewing kit, static protection, tide sticks, and pantyhose. Tissues, paper, and ribbons were also available for wrapping, as well as office supplies for any documentation or shipping information.
To promote a good shopping experience, provide customer care at or near your POS. (Photo courtesy of Supermarket News)
9. Offer free shipping to entice online shoppers
POS marketing isn’t only for brick-and-mortar establishments; it’s also a crucial component of establishing a strong online presence. POS marketing refers to all of the design and marketing initiatives that take place around the shopping cart and checkout pages on eCommerce sites.
Effective eCommerce POS marketing may help you generate impulsive purchases, upsell, and make shopping simpler for your consumers, just like it does in real shops.
What if I told you that
The majority of individuals in the United States (88.6%) have succumbed to impulsive internet buying, with each session costing an average of $81.75 per person.
Customers’ choices to buy or not buy are heavily influenced by your delivery costs. Nearly 80% of customers think that free delivery would encourage them to buy online, and same-day shipping is the top purchasing motivator for 54% of shoppers under 25.
If you provide free delivery, you may have a leg up on the competition and encourage consumers to buy. The most important decision would be how much your company can spend on shipping charges. Small firms, on the whole, are unable to provide free delivery as a usual policy. There are, however, a number of methods to provide free delivery without jeopardizing your profit margins.
- Minimum Purchase: Once a buyer purchases a particular quantity of merchandise, you may provide free delivery.
- Increase your rates slightly to account for shipping costs: One option to give free delivery on all purchases is to increase your prices slightly to account for shipping expenses.
- Limited Time: You may use limited-time shipping specials to encourage customers to purchase during sluggish seasons or to remain competitive during high seasons.
- Coupons: In exchange for free shipping coupons, you might offer to trade email or texting information.
Your POS is one of the ideal venues to market your shipping specials. While clients add items to their carts, when they are in their carts, and again when they are entering their information, flash your shipping offers around the shopping cart symbol. Customers will be aware of your offers and advantages while making a purchase choice as a result of this.
10. Make Recommendations for Supplementary Products
Product recommendations are another method that POS marketing might help you increase sales. If a buyer has a pair of denim shorts in their basket, for example, you might advise matching shirts and shoes to turn the item into a full ensemble. Product recommendations are a terrific way to upsell and make purchasing simpler for consumers.
When individuals are checking out, show them suggested goods so they may examine anything they might be interested in before making their final buy. Make sure to offer them alternatives, as well as complimentary things and items from the same brand. Utilize systems like Shopify, which provide capabilities that allow you to tailor upsell features in your online business. Some, like SpurIT, are free, while others need a monthly membership for greater customization possibilities.
Include product suggestions in your POS marketing strategy. (Image courtesy of AB Tasty)
11. Display Items That Have Been Recently Viewed
Showing clients their recently seen goods on your POS page will remind them of what they’ve seen and encourage them to buy. This will not only remind consumers of what they’ve previously seen and appreciated, but it will also make it simpler for them to locate previous purchases.
TIP: With previously seen products, offer bulk discounts. A bulk discount may be precisely what some shoppers need to convince them to buy all (or all) of the goods rather than just one.
Remind clients of what they’ve previously seen by displaying recently seen goods. (Image courtesy of Shopify App Store)
12. Send Recovery Emails for Abandoned Carts
In eCommerce, the average rate of cart abandonment is 84 percent. All of these consumers are a lost cause without any infrastructure to entice them back. If, on the other hand, your website sends out a series of emails reminding clients of what they’ve left behind, you’re more likely to convert that abandonment into a sale.
You may set up an automatic abandoned cart recovery email using platforms like Shopify or Drip. Keep your recovery email brief and straightforward. Show images of what buyers left behind, and consider offering a discount or free delivery to sweeten the purchase.
Remind consumers of their previous purchases with abandoned cart recovery emails to increase sales. (Photo courtesy of Bronto)
13. Organize a Cause Campaign
Making community collaborations and publicizing them on the POS page is another approach to customize your customers’ experience and improve your POS marketing. Customers will understand what your company stands for and how they may become engaged.
Partnerships with the community not only assist to define your brand in the eyes of your consumers, but they also help to increase sales and attract new ones.
What if I told you that
According to Google’s 2020 Retail Holiday Guide, 46% of US buyers prefer to purchase at companies that share their beliefs.
To find out how you can help, contact your local blood bank, visit community Facebook sites, or speak with your local community center. However, the cause you select will appeal to a certain kind of client, so make sure you choose organizations and issues that are consistent with your brand and how you want to be seen.
Show clients how you’re getting engaged for a good cause as a POS marketing strategy. (Image courtesy of Glassdoor)
14. Make Your Loyalty Program Public
Consumers who are checking out have already established a connection with your business and are primed to become loyal customers. This is an excellent opportunity to inform them about your rewards, VIP, or loyalty programs. Promote your loyalty program at the point of sale to attract clients when they are most engaged with your brand and transform them into loyal customers.
What if I told you that
More than 60% of loyal consumers go out of their way to buy from firms with which they have a positive relationship; 60%-70 percent will make more frequent purchases, and 50% will buy more items.
Advertising your loyalty program at the POS can inspire consumers to complete their transaction or perhaps spend more, in addition to establishing more loyal clients for future purchases if you are able to provide a signup discount.
For example, a consumer is ready to purchase a candle from your website when a 15% off loyalty member registration deal appears at checkout. As a loyalty member, the consumer would not only be more likely to buy candles from you in the future, but the coupon would also encourage them to make a bigger purchase at that time.
On your shopping cart and checkout pages, I recommend including a signup box. On the purchase confirmation page, I would additionally encourage clients to re-join. These three locations should make it simple for clients to identify registration possibilities at any time, and they should be reminded of the opportunity just before they leave your site.
Conclusion
POS marketing is an excellent approach to increasing income, building your brand, and encouraging impulsive purchases shortly before a transaction. POS marketing, both in-store and online, is critical to your company’s performance and consumer satisfaction. Use the suggestions above to develop a successful POS marketing strategy and watch your company flourish.
