by John Stanley

In “the good old days,” manufactures supplied products to retailers and retailers were the trusted partner who sold the product to the consumer. Alas, the “good old days” are certainly in the past and we live in a different world that has changed forever.

Consumers are drifting toward buying more products online. There are many reasons for this drift, but one of them is the lack of trust that consumers have for many retailers.

The trusted retailer is becoming less easy to find, as far as consumers are concerned. This does not mean the demise of the retailer, but it does mean that manufacturers, suppliers and retailers have to work harder to build trust with consumers.

It is easy to say this is the retailers problem, but that does not help the supply chain, and we should all be working together to build the supply chain and helping each other. Some of the techniques we can use could be called “common sense,” but often that can become a rare sense, and as a result, the consumer looks somewhere else to purchase the product.

Signage Strategies are the Responsibility of all.

In this article I will look at one simple technique to grow sales that we can all get involved in, signage. To sell a product, we have to provide the relevant information to the consumer. As consumers become less confident in sales advice, signage becomes more important as a tool to help the selling process.

Sonia Larsen of Michigan University wrote a wonderful book called “Signs that Sell.” In that book she talked about the common sense we have often forgotten. To sell products, it is best to write signs in a lower type face as this is easier for the consumer to read. Research has indicated that the consumer wants to read three benefits of the product using bullet points. A sign with less than three benefits suggests to the consumer than the sales team are unaware of the benefits; whereas, putting more than three benefits on the sign suggests the product is complicated and should be avoided.

The consumer wants to know what the product is, the three benefits and the price. A failure to provide this basic information can result in a loss of sales for everyone in the supply chain. As a manufacturer or supplier, you may feel that this is the responsibility of the retailer. In my experience working with retailers, I would not make that assumption. Clearly, some retailers are aware of how to write a sign to maximise sales, but take a walk down your Main Street and look at some of the signage and I suspect you will find that a lot of retailers are hoping a product will sell rather than encouraging the customer to buy.

I am not suggesting that getting the signage correct is the only remedy to increasing sales in stores. It is a collection of a lot of little things that make the difference. In future articles, I will look at other ideas where the manufacturer, supplier and retailer can join forces and make a difference.

John Stanley is a retail business coach, speaker and author. He has authored several successful marketing and retail books, produces a monthly internet TV program Retail Globe Report on retail trends as well as monthly e-training for his Club Members on his website. As a CSP John is considered one of the top ten percent of speakers in the world. John Stanley helps retailers: Increase sales per square metre, increase the average sale per customer, better manage stock, merchandise and display to maximise potential, market more effectively to convert lookers into buyers. Visit www.johnstanley.com.au to join his Members Club or for information on how he can help you grow your business or email linda@johnstanley.com.au