Some ideas on how to make shopping an experience for your customers and generate business in return.

1. Some ideas on how to make shopping an experience for your customers and generate business in return
In times when shopping centers have to fight for customers in order to keep stores from closing, finding ways
to make shopping an experience brings you one step ahead of the competition. Here are some ideas how to
make shopping an experience for your customers.
Farmers market -
Press coverage from an event that was attended
by over 8000 potential customers. Initiated and
coordinated by Markus Neckermann in cooperation with
most vendors servicing the shopping center, this event was
realized with a marketing budget of $0, meaning there were no
direct costs incurred. Advertising for this event (and many
others that followed) was generated through word-of-mouth,
hand-made flyers, local press, and a few posters.
So how did this event generate revenue? They say, pinpointing marketing activities directly to sales is difficult,
here it was not. Sales were up that day and the weeks to follow compared to previous year and date. The
linear increase in customer count showed us that this event and the ones to follow had generated new
"regular" customers. These newly won patrons are important to the bottom line, because they buy "regular"
items with "regular" margins (compared to shoppers who only shop the advertised offers which have little or no
gross margin).
So what if your business is not in a rural area where a farmer’s market could interest customers? No problem,
with some ingenuity and some brainstorming with involved employees, one can come up with many ideas
like: raffles, stunt car performances on the parking lot, fashion shows, Christmas markets, Easter markets,
live cooking, charity events, …
And what about the costs of such an event? An often recited excuse for not being creative in marketing the
shopping center is the low margin in the retail industry and the corresponding low marketing budgets the
shopping centers have at their disposal. Thus they decide to advertise more specials, hoping to increase
customer traffic. What they are generating though, are shoppers that hunt only for the advertised specials. With
a bit of bad luck, the competitor advertises an equivalent product for less. So how can one differentiate oneself
from the rest? Make the purchase an event, an experience, something to remember.
The secret to the success of event marketing is to get everyone involved. In a shopping center for example,
all shops must participate and all vendors/suppliers must pitch in. Here are some examples: Clothing stores
can, with little or no costs, stage a fashion show. If the employees do not want to model, organize a model
contests in a local college. For Easter, Christmas, Halloween or any other occasions, the stores should have
sales carts in the corridors, highlighting the appropriate goods and in turn giving the shopping center the
corresponding atmosphere. Breweries and soft drink Manufacturers should supply food stands with their own
products. Vendors and suppliers should also get involved with a stand or by donating prizes for a raffle. (Here
the coordinator must sometimes get in touch with the corporate buyers in order to create a win-win situation).
To make it an event, there should be games for kids like inflatable jumping castles or pony rides, and hot dog
stands and a big grill (ask your local restaurant, deli, or fast food restaurant to organize this part). Again, these
are just a few examples on how to make the event work.
Advertising the event is also a common effort. Word-of-mouth, flyers in the stores and a few hand-made
posters will go a long way. Try to get the local radio station involved, perhaps with the promise of making it
“their event”. As for press coverage, inform the local newspapers of the event, especially the ones in which the
stores advertise in. Keep a good rapport with the press and keep them informed.
You say it all seems like a good idea, but what if you are not in the retail business? Making customers feel
good about what they buy is common to all sales activities. Making the purchase an experience will keep your
business in your customer’s mind. If you need help in this regard, please contact me.