Less is often more

The majority of purchasing decisions are only made at the point of sale (POS). This insight of the advertising industry, which is communicated like a mantra in a host of new guises at virtually every sales promotion seminar, is the stuff that dreams are made of for all manufacturers of advertising material.Quality is importantThe message that the POS is a key location that must be worked on impelled retailers to launch a regular advertising material onslaught on the retail area a few years ago. This was until they realised that more and more displays, wobblers and ceiling danglers didn't necessarily generate more sales.Practical experience has also shown that sales aids don't boost sales by themselves; they have to be integrated into a communications strategy. And the condition of a display or sign in store has to be maintained, if necessary over a fairly long period of time. This is the responsibility of the sales staff. In fact, product support is only really effective if it is positioned properly and with care on the retail area. A premium product in a torn, scruffy box is anything but sexy!Retailers have now learned from all this that less is often more. This means that sales aids are now less obtrusive, more subtle and more efficient for the most part than they were a few years ago. Above all, electronic sales aids like POS screens, information terminals and media frames are becoming increasingly popular in the pet supplies trade. These even facilitate interactive communication with the customers.Limited spaceIn view of the concentration in the pet supplies business, the opportunities for sales promotions are somewhat limited. Many store chains are keen to ensure that the company's corporate identity is not lost among the displays and other advertising media of the manufacturers on the retail area. Nevertheless, there are still enough creative ideas that can continue to be realised on the retail area of pet stores. After all, by drawing attention to a particularly innovative product that wouldn't have stood out at all on the shelves, sales aids help to increase sales in the store. The prerequisite is that they are original, promising and work visually.The following pages feature a number of current sales promotions for the pet supplies trade. Download: Less is often more (PDF file)