The last mile is the hardest, but it is also the most rewarding. This is also true in retailing. While retailers focus on getting their customers inside the shops, they forget about the most important part: last mile advertising.
In this article, we are going to show you what last mile advertising is and present some of the best advertising tactics that will help you connect with your shoppers right before the purchase.
What is last-mile advertising?
For brick and mortar stores, it is just the moment before the purchase. For eCommerce platforms, it’s actually the delivery. In those moments, you, as a retailer, need to know how to connect with customers and make them buy more.
How many times have you gone to a store, looked out for a product, put it in the cart, but ended up leaving the store empty-handed? It happens more often than you might expect. While it is important to attract shoppers inside the store, it’s crucial to know how to advertise at the point of purchase.
Any small detail can make customers doubt their choices and select a different product or leave without any products.
Last-mile advertising is all about promoting your products and your brands at the point of purchase and connecting with shoppers on a different level.
Why is last-mile advertising important?
Last-mile advertising is your last opportunity to make a difference and to convenience shoppers. Don’t believe that your job is done when the customers step inside your store because that is just the beginning.
Last-mile advertising is also an opportunity to show what your store is really all about. Every shelf, every product, the way you arranged the items, the music, the atmosphere, the overhead message. All of them are parts of your brand and they show more than you think. Aligning your message and your values on every channel is essential.
How to leverage last-mile advertising
The last mile before the purchase is the perfect time to convince customers that your products are exactly what they need. However, last-mile advertising is a combination of marketing tactics that you should include for your store.
Apart from arranging the products in a certain way, use end caps, and add a bit of spice with the help of music, you should also include the next advertising tactics in your playbook:
1. Increase engagement and sales with a robotic POP display
We live in the era of technology. More and more products are built with the help of innovative technologies and your customers want to see innovation in your store as well. Apart from being attracted by tech, customers are also bored by old-school in-store marketing tools like dump bins and shelf talkers.
If you are not capturing their attention, then they won’t purchase your products. However, with the help of a robotic POP display like Tokinomo you can increase customer engagement. This will lead to more sales - 10 times more, compared to regular POP displays- which is the ultimate goal.
2. Consider an omnichannel retail approach
Give your customers the possibility to choose where they want to walk their “last mile” when it comes to shopping. We know that COVID-19 forced the adoption of online shopping, but customers were present online for a decade before COVID struck.
If you want to appeal to more shoppers, you will need to extend your services on multiple channels. It doesn’t necessarily mean you have to sell online. However, having a website where customers can research your products and connecting with shoppers on social media are great tactics to remain top of mind for them.
3. Make shopping convenient
For some, grocery shopping is a chore, for others is an opportunity to unwind. Either way, you need to be the one that offers them multiple possibilities. For example, some people prefer to shop online, but come to pick up their order in person, in-store. A click and collect or BOPIS options are great for those customers.
Others like to have an experience while they are inside the store. For them, you will need to think about how to implement experiential retail. Thinking about the needs and wants of your shoppers is the most important thing and will help you improve your processes and increase sales.
Last-mile advertising is important, especially for brick and mortar stores and that’s why you should focus more on it. What last mile advertising tactics have you tried so far?
