POS execution and promotional compliance

Clare Johns, category development manager at eXPD8 speaks to Talk Retail about how to get the best out of POS execution and promotional compliance.

Looking for promotion in-store has become part of a customers shopping ritual – there are 1,000’s running at any one time. It’s therefore so important that everyone involved in a promotional activity takes total accountability for their own individual step along the way, from POS to checkout.

The average time a customer spends in a convenience store is 5 minutes, during this time 52% miss signs and messages in-store, and only 1 in 6 shoppers visit all of the aisles in-store. So messaging and standing out is key to attracting customers to your promotion.

If you are sending POS packs directly into the stores, do not assume it will get site in-store, within convenience some promotional compliance can be as low as 50%. Build in a process to check the POS has arrived in store, either by making a phone call to every store or engaging a field marketing company to call into the store (convenience retailers face to face reps are key to the success of their business) – they can complete an audit, fixing any non-compliant areas before leaving the store and also train the retailer on existing and upcoming promotions. Promotional investments by suppliers are big and not to be taken lightly, it’s worth considering the whole package when you agree on promotion with your customers.

The “Big Night In” is upon us and there are key categories that people buy for their Saturday night in front of the TV, snacks such as crisps being one of these. It is key that not only POS and promotions are clear, but also availability is high on the agenda – we know that availability is one of the top 3 reasons that customers will or will not return to a store.

Suppliers should never underestimate the convenience shopper – with the improved diverse range of services now offered in convenience stores, footfall is increasing, the average basket spend has increased to £6.13 and 24% visit the store every day.