Transpromo can be highly effective when it is event-driven.
In any given year, there are tens of seasonal events, some of them more important than others. In this Industry Insight, I will look at how customers can catch the seasonal wave and generate higher sales and profit through the clever application of transpromo aligned around a specific event.
There is an inevitability about these events, so they can be planned for long in advance: several months, ahead, in the case of Christmas, for instance.
Old news
There is no need to limit seasonal transpromo to paper.
Konni Hoferichter is MD of LaserCom.
Linking promotions to an event is nothing new. Everyone has received communication from retailers, furniture stores and the like aligning their pamphlets, billing, newspaper inserts and generic advertising around an event.
So, from October, consumers are bombarded by endless pleas to buy gammon, pork, chicken, mince pies, sparkling wine and the rest of the Yuletide mix from Retailer X.
Some retailers have aggregated the data, which reflects their customers' buying trends. They do this through transaction-recording and data loyalty cards. It is a relatively small leap of logic to mine this data and offer high net-worth clients products aligned with their spending patterns.
Use it or lose it
The question would be: Why else would a retailer acquire all this data?
High net worth customers are also inclined to want to enter into a longer term relationship with a retailer, which lends itself to online shopping and other forms of direct engagement, rather than just casual shopping on the basis of price or convenience.
Other examples of seasonal-driven transpromo would be:
* Easter, with a similarly seasonal basket of goods, offered to high net worth shoppers. Without any doubt, the second biggest retail and overall business boost, Easter offers an ideal opportunity to offer targeted specials to customers. “Need a new car? We're hopping mad.” Personalise the communication for higher impact.
* Mother's Day, Father's Day and Valentine's Day offer similar opportunities for seasonal transpromo.
Offer free flowers with a basket of goods. Tie up a joint venture with a company such as NetFlorist, which has cracked the world of online retail better than anyone else in its space. Restaurants can use the data gathered from frequent diners to entice them back for Mother's Day and Father's Day.
The seasonal use of transpromo depends, as always, on a number of factors. The first is:
* Accurate data, which has been built up over time to reflect buying patterns and the proclivity of customers to behave in a certain way and respond to goods on offer or promotion. After all, transpromo can only work when a company knows more about its customers. Once the company has accurate and relevant customer intelligence, its transpromo messaging becomes more relevant, personal and timely - and timeousness is at the heart of seasonal campaigns.
* Take a sample of customers, which has been well identified and can be controlled, with the outcome accurate and usable.
* Design the transpromo vehicle in a way that is eye-catching, ideally in full colour.
Transpromo offers an ideal way for companies to maximise their sales relative to their competitors, as postal mail is trusted and reliable; it receives more attention than other forms of communication, such as newspaper inserts; it is typically reviewed more than once, especially if it also contains a statement (such as points aggregated through loyalty campaigns); and there is little or no additional cost, as statements are regularly mailed, as it is.
But there is no need to limit seasonal transpromo to paper. As other channels gain credence and trust, such as e-mails, Web interactions and mobile, so transpromo can be used here too. The essence is eye-catching, relevant, customised communication to the right person, with the right message, aligned to the seasonal event.
The opportunity exists for companies in all markets, of every size. All they need to do is take the first step, and engaging with the right partner is a good start.
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