Faced with a range of similar products, all with clear price tickets, customers at the shelf edge decision point look for clues about which product to buy. Unless they have some preconceived opinions or influences their main guide, whether we like it or not, is price. In their heads they rapidly categorise the cheapest, dearest and roughly what’s in the middle. Depending upon the specific product category and a number of other personal variables they make their selection or, do the worst thing of all. Walk away because they can’t decide. The more complex the product and the greater the perceived impact of buying the wrong product the more likely it is that the customer will leave without buying.
Customers just want to know which specific product is the most suitable for their needs at an appropriate price. A simple question but hard to answer if they have little knowledge of the category and their specific needs are ill defined. Customers need help. Products on the shelf need to help customers by providing relevant and useful information beyond their packaging. They need to answer the question – why buy me? It comes down to what we call tickets that sell – not just tell you the price.
A good example of how to do it are the prams in Mama’s and Papa’s. A large swing ticket has the make, model and price on one side and a list of key “Why buy me” facts on the reverse. It makes it so much easier for a customer to make a buying decision. A different example is in John Lewis. There is a big sign in the crockery section which explains the various properties of bone china, porcelain and earthenware. Again helping to make a selection more informed and a purchase more likely.
We are talking to quite a few retailers about different types of tickets that sell as a way to increase sales at the shelf edge and to move away from almost encouraging customers to make a decision solely based on price. If you see any good example of different types of ticket that sell please share them with us. I’ll blog again on this topic in the coming weeks.
