Retail Advertising

The last two years were unpredictable for Canadian retailers, from adhering to lockdown norms and pivoting their operations to evolving in the changing market. The pandemic presented vast challenges to every business in the country. You might have also noticed the inflation in essential goods and the disruption in the supply chains.

It also pushed Canadian retailers to change their business models and retail advertising strategies. Now that normalcy is returning to the country, you can plan more strategically with a retail advertising agency.

Even during COVID, the Canadian retail industry saw a value of 674 billion CAD. It shows the vast potential for growth and prosperity in this particular industry. Many businesses were able to discover new revenue streams during the pandemic era.

This landscape constantly evolves in Canada, and retail advertising has become more vital than ever. Retailers are looking for innovative ways to promote their products and services, from the busy cities of Vancouver and Toronto to the small towns that cover the country.

You must know that the growth of e-commerce portals is also an enormous threat to your traditional retail business. You must learn from the best retail advertising examples to sustain yourself in the competitive landscape.

The country’s diverse and vibrant population allows you to showcase your products and services. You can develop multicultural campaigns or localized promotions to speak about the unique needs of each community.

Do you want to find the best ways to stand out in the challenging marketplace?

Keep reading if you are a seasoned marketer or just stepping into retail advertising. It is the best time to explore the industry and grow as a successful retailer in Canada.

Firstly, you have to understand the following;

It Helps Businesses to Stand in the Competitive Market 

As we said, the Canadian retail landscape is highly competitive, with small and large players. Thus, it would help if you found unique ways to stand out from the competition.

The relevant retail advertising will help you promote your products and services and attract more customers.

Boost Your Sales by Converting More Leads 

Promoting your products and services on different channels can generate more foot traffic to your store. It would also influence prospects to become paying customers. A retail marketing strategy with promotional offers, discounts, and other incentives can also help get additional customers.

Making a Name in the Market with Retail Advertising

When operating in a competitive market, you need a name. Positive emotions, experiences, and quality should characterize your brand. You can build brand awareness in Canada with an effective retail marketing strategy. By creating compelling and memorable ads, you can achieve this. It gives the perfect opportunity to ensure repeat business and long-term relationships.

Don’t Be Generic, Focus on Targeted Marketing 

You can only expect some people to visit your retail store and shop. Focusing on a more targeted approach to specific customer segments is vital. Retail businesses do this to tailor their advertising campaigns according to the needs and preferences of customers. Using data and analytics can increase the likelihood of a sale.

Understanding Consumer Behavior 

Your retail advertising plan needs to evolve with changing consumer behaviour. They are more conscious and discerning these days. Only brands that align with their values and beliefs can win their trust. Thus, your retail marketing strategy should promote products and resonate with your prospects on a deeper level. It would make your retail brand more trustworthy.

Ready to implement your retail marketing strategy? Are you looking for some suggestions?

These tips for retail media advertising would not only help drive sales but also contribute to your long-term business success;

Setting Up Promotional Pricing Campaigns 

There’s a reason why people rush into those Black Friday sales. Good discounts can attract customers like honeybees to flowers. Thus, you can launch promotional offers for a limited time to gather many people into your store. They will buy the products and return for your excellent customer service. Yet, it would help if you had enough stocks to satisfy their demands.

For a retail marketing plan example, we can consider the retail chain Gymboree. They often run vast sales to attract people to online and offline stores. Their retail marketing strategy becomes much more effective with a loyalty program. It helps them drive repeat customers and higher sales. You can also launch a similar retail advertising campaign with a direct mail platform.

Organizing in-Store Events 

These days, people are looking for engaging shopping experiences. Thus, more than having good products needed, you must give them a compelling reason to visit your store. For this reason, consider organizing in-store events and making your retail advertising successful.

You can also incentivize the shoppers to participate in these events and be a part of the shopping experience you are trying to build. Contests, quizzes, games, and other activities can create interest among customers. You can launch a direct mail campaign to inform prospects about such events at your store.

Building a Solid Loyalty Program 

You must know that attracting new customers is five times more expensive than retaining existing ones. Thus, it would be best to focus on building a solid loyalty program. A retail advertising strategy would help maximize your customer relationships.

Your loyalty program should provide an exclusive experience for different customer levels. Going creative with the points system is vital to engage them for a long time. A direct mail platform can help you implement a strong customer loyalty program.

Increasing Impulse Buying 

Many people don’t even think when they see a limited-period offer. The sense of urgency pushes them to make a purchase impulsively. Thus, you can also integrate this into your retail advertising message to create hype. Make sure to mention there’s a limited time and inventory. And they won’t be able to get this opportunity again in the future.

Be a Local Player 

Most of your customers are from the neighbourhood and live one or two blocks away. Thus, your retail advertising messages should specifically focus on local customers. It can build a sense of community and belonging in them. You will need a direct mail platform like PostGrid to buy local listings to start your retail advertising campaigns.

So, you might have a couple of ideas by now. Yet, a more detailed plan would have been more effective and helpful. Isn’t it?

It would help to have a solid retail marketing strategy to differentiate yourself from competitors. At the same time, you have to consider your target audience and their pain points. Then, you will learn the best way to target them with your retail advertising plan.

Here’s how you can cook your retail media advertising plan;

Put More Focus on Into Your Target Audience

You could be running a toy store, grocery store, supermarket, jewelry store, apparel store, pawn shop, etc. Your target audience will always have different requirements and preferences depending on your industry. Thus, it is vital to segment by gender, age, income group, location, needs, wants, and other metrics.

The more specific your retail marketing strategy, the easier it will be to align your products with them.

Here’s how you can understand better about your target audience;

1. Gather insights about your current customers to learn about the type of people shopping at your store.
2. Look at your online analytics to understand who is interacting with your brand.
3. Launch a competitor analysis to learn who’s engaging with them and why.

Learning about the target audience is the first step in your retail advertising plan. Next, you need to work on your business values by;

Understanding the Position of Your Retail Business in the Market

There’s already vast competition in the retail industry. It would help if you had to determine factors that would differentiate your business from the competition. For this stage, start thinking from your customer’s perspective to learn how they perceive your retail store.

It could be a noteworthy retail marketing method because people buying from your store will care about telling you their likes and dislikes. You will gain a better idea of your positioning statement and be able to inform your other customers about how your business differentiates itself.

Here’s what you can do to define the position of your store in the market;

1. Understand what differentiates your store from others.
2. Determine which market segment to want to attract.
3. Develop a clear vision of the brand idea that will pull customers.
4. Create a unique value proposition that reinforces the promises you make with your brand.

Taking the Full Advantage of Omnichannel Marketing 

A single retail marketing strategy is going to be ineffective when you are competing against so many players. You need to utilize multiple channels to spread the message. You can build brand recognition by providing a unified experience to the customers. Thus, you should implement both traditional and modern marketing methods.

Retailers prefer combining direct mail with their digital marketing efforts. It helps them draw better results from an effective retail advertising strategy.

Here are some best practices that we suggest to our clients who run a retail store;

• Learn how potential shoppers are engaging with your business.
• Create a complete customer journey to understand discovery and purchase.
• Start with small campaigns when choosing a new target audience.
• Analyze consumer data and tweak your strategy as you progress.

Implementing Promotional Tactics 

Are you launching retail media advertising with online and offline approaches? It is crucial to consider the best promotional tactics.

This strategy will help you for the following reasons;

• It would help you to attract more visitors to your physical store.  An attractive discount on your first order will attract more customers to your business.
• A powerful online presence would help your retail business build brand awareness.

Ask the following questions to yourself to implement the best promotional offers;

• What is the best time to provide promotional offers to boost sales?
• Will the promotion work best offline or online?
• What products will need promos to get attraction?
• What type of promotions can generate the highest rate of interest?

You need a particular budget to implement your retail marketing strategy in Canada. Some ideas require additional expenditures for proper implementation. These are some points you need to consider for the expenses of retail advertising;

• The type of retail advertising approach you will use to reach your target audience (direct mail or digital marketing)
• The customer’s lifetime value
• The strategic goals you want to achieve
• The scale of your marketing approach

Using direct mail has been one of the best marketing tools among marketers in Canada. In fact, according to Fundera, around 70% of consumers consider direct mailers to be more personal than other forms of marketing. Even Canada Post says that 81% of people read direct mail advertising content the same day it comes in the mail.

So, you have more chances of getting shoppers with direct mail marketing. It will give far better visibility and mouth publicity.

But do you have the misconception that direct mail marketing could be expensive? There’s no need to rely on traditional direct mail. Modern technology makes direct mail marketing one of the best channels for retail advertising.

Many Canadian businesses are investing in direct mail marketing to expand their businesses. PostGrid’s Print & Mail API is an effective tool for retail advertising. It can help you attract more shoppers and easily retain existing ones.

Here’s How Direct Mail Can Boost Your Retail Business

Higher Response Rate Showing More Interest 

Email communication has a significantly lower response rate than direct mail. Most importantly, people often consider email ads spam instead of helpful. In comparison, direct mail enjoys an incredibly higher response rate of 37%. Shoppers consider direct mail to be more personal, direct, and tactile. Yet, you must be very careful with your marketing message to ensure this rate in retail advertising.

Personalization Leaves a Personal Touch 

It would help if you had personalization in your marketing material to leave a better impression on your customers. Direct mail allows you to make your pieces more personal and relevant. The correct retail advertising needs you to touch your customers’ pain points.

Trustworthy Tool to Even Reach Seniors and Millennials

Is your grandpa familiar with digital ads? But we can guarantee that he will be familiar with direct mail. Similarly, millennials might know about digital ads but love direct mail. They would even treat it as novelty items. Thus, physical mail is a reliable marketing tool for retail marketing.

You need the right tool to launch your retail media advertising campaign. The platform should be cost-effective and relevant enough to get the best ROI for your retail business.

Whether you are a new business or an old retail player, PostGrid is the ideal solution for every retailer. Print & Mail API is an effective tool for retail marketing with tailored messages and offers. You can expect higher engagement rates and increased sales with our platform.

Need convincing reasons on how? Here’s what you should know;

Targeted Marketing to Reach Your Audience 

You could be focusing on a specific neighbourhood with your retail marketing strategy. PostGrid lets you reach any audience with personalized messages, promotions, and coupons. It would help you target the audience that is more likely to show interest in your products and services. Increase your chances of conversion with our direct mail platform.

Improve Your Brand Awareness Efforts 

Every retail store needs brand awareness to establish its name in the market. You use our platform to improve your brand’s awareness and visibility by reaching the right audience. Our direct mail API helps you use eye-catching designs and messaging to catch their attention. The best retail advertising assists you in gathering more traffic to your physical stores.

Cost-Effective Retail Marketing 

Retailers can use our platform to launch highly cost-effective campaigns, unlike other advertising channels such as digital ads, social media, television, etc. You don’t have to break the bank if you are launching a large-scale campaign. We help you ensure high quality with minimal human error.

Measurable Campaign Results 

We allow our clients to track the effectiveness of their campaigns, messaging, and offers. It can provide valuable insights for your future retail marketing campaigns. Refine your approach to expect a better ROI.

Sign up now to boost your retail marketing strategy.