How to max the power of promotional marketing in an e-commerce environment
But we can fix that. Because technology has made it possible for direct-to-customer brands to use promotional marketing as effectively – if not more – than retail. And this will be important as the marketplace continues to shift and evolve with the challenges of the pandemic.
Retail versus e-commerce promotional marketing
Promotional marketing used to favour retail – from on-pack POS to the real estate available in store. Retail promotional marketing has the physical real estate that e-commerce doesn’t have.
And it’s experiential – customers see the POS and the in-store calls to action; they can appreciate the attractiveness of the packaging and the quality of the product; they can hold it, try it on.
E-commerce will always be at a disadvantage in this sense. When customers are able to flock back to high streets and shopping centres after COVID, it’s this experience they are looking for.
But what e-commerce has that retail doesn’t is the ability to finely target an audience and get an immediate response. For this, you need good customer data.
Connecting with your audience
Promotional marketing checklist
- Direct marketing – promotional packs, samples
- Email marketing – offers, sales
- Social media marketing
- Print ads
- Brochures
- Triggered email communications
- SMS broadcasts
- Microsites
- Online proof-of-purchase validation
- Partnerships and affiliates
- TV adverts
You have all these amazing tools at your disposal. As the saying goes, you need to go where your audience hangs out. And if your competitors are using SMS and mail drops to get customers to their online store, why aren’t you?
Is your data a problem?
GDPR wiped out a lot of useful customer data and some companies, understandably, haven’t yet found their stride again in this area. It has put sales, nurturing and loyalty promotional campaigns on the back-burner.
Targeted promotional campaigns rely on good data. You want customers who are receptive to your products, your brand, and who are of a demographic who are open to being introduced to them for the first time.
With the help of a GDPR-compliant 3PL partner, it doesn’t take long at all to get back in the saddle. There are a number of ways Granby can help you get the customer data you need to maximise your promotional marketing campaigns.
- We have links to data providers who can provide clean, compliant, segmented data
- We can create digital promotional campaigns for data collection – like competitions, prize draws and sampling
- We can build on your data by continuing to nurture and reward customers with remarketing and loyalty programs
- Our powerful technology platform (SCOPe) ties everything together – from warehousing, automation and inventory management, to carrier partners and MI
Why promotional marketing is important right now
COVID has unexpectedly accelerated customers’ attitudes to e-commerce but one day the high street will reopen. While it’s possible that high street retail will never be the same again – it simply has to change – e-commerce brands need to have staked a strong claim on their customers by the time it does.
The last 12 months have taught us all what we do and don’t know about e-commerce, our customers and our marketing operations. It’s also taught us how we can pivot – super fast – to meet needs and expectations and thrive in a very challenging marketplace.
We’ve done brilliantly. But within this space, the waiting for a return to some kind of normality, is the opportunity to step up yet again and strengthen what we’ve gained.
Our promotional marketing consultants are happy to talk over your ideas and answer any questions – don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels