Here are 6 sneaky ways proven to get customers to buy more:

1. Free services such as mini-makeovers at the make-up counter, free in-store tastings at the wine shop, and how-to classes at the home improvement center all help to sell more merchandise, because of the law of reciprocation;
2. Shows off a complete room, like IKEA does, or a fully-accessorized outfit at a clothes store creates a picture in the shoppers’ imagination and encourages them to spend more on the final sale;
3. Some stores uses scents to relax shoppers and put them in a buying mood. Macy’s Bloomingdale’s department stores uses different aromas for its various departments;
4. ‘Buy-One, Get-One’ offers have proven to drive people into stores and get them spending more than they planned. Most are ‘Buy-One, Get-One Half-Price’ offers, which is actually just 25% discount off the full price;
5. Studies have shown that slow-tempo music slows down shoppers and makes them spend more time in the store. Another study found shoppers bought more French wine when “French” accordion music played in the store, and more German wines when a “German” oompah-pah band played; and
6. Talking to a store employee on a personal level makes shoppers more likely to buy, which is one of the reasons Home Depot have greeters at the door offering shopping carts.

Has your business tried these techniques to get customers to buy more?

Full story at DailyFinance »

A new study by Art Technology Group Inc., based on a July 2010 poll of 1,002 U.S. consumers age 18 and over, says that more shoppers are using their mobile phones to research and buy products, a trend that’s especially strong among young adults.

In the 18 to 34 age group, the report says:

• 46% of consumers had used a mobile device for shopping-related activities;
• 41% of consumers had purchased via a mobile phone;
• 20% had compared pricing among retail stores;
• 19% had searched for coupons;
• 12% had browsed through a merchant’s products;
• 12% had sought customer or expert ratings and reviews while in a store;
• 10% had found a store with GPS;
• 9% had used a mobile bar code to learn more about products; and
• 8% had received text-messages about product promotions.

Full story at Internet Retailer »

Spanish clothing brand Desigual ran an offer at its Madrid and Barcelona stores that rewarded semi-naked customers with two free garments from the store.

You can imagine the word of mouth publicity the offer generated. I am sure the happy customers would have told their friends the story of how they got free clothing at Desigual. The promotion even made it onto the news on TV3 (Catalonia national television).

Could your business try a similar publicity stunt?

If you run a clothing store, you could obviously try a similar marketing stunt.

How about a t-shirt store offering free tees for customers who turn up without a top? Or a shoe shop offering a free pair of shoes or sandals to customers who turn up bare-foot?

Could this marketing stunt work with non-apparel stores? Could the offer of a free lunch entice customers to turn up semi-naked at a cafe or restaurant on a nice hot day in the middle of summer?

More photos and videos at the Desigual blog »

Joe Girard is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s greatest salesperson for 12 consecutive years, selling 13,001 vehicles at a Chevrolet dealership between 1963 and 1978. And he still holds the world record today.

He was 1 of 42 salesman on the showroom floor. While everyone sold on average 5 cars a month, Joe sold 6 or more a DAY!

Joe’s achievements include:

• Sold more retail “big ticket” items “one-at-a-time” (no fleet or wholesale, never in management) than any other sales person in any retail industry including houses, boats, motor homes, insurance, automobiles, etc.
• Sold an average of 6 new retail vehicles a day (no used cars or trucks).
• Sold 18 new retail vehicles in one day.
• Sold 174 new retail vehicles in one month.
• Sold 1,425 new retail vehicles in one year.
• Sold 13,001 new retail vehicles in a fifteen year career.
• Inducted into The Automotive Hall of Fame (only salesperson, ever).

So how did Joe become the #1 retail salesperson in the world?

Here are some of Joe’s ‘secrets’:

1. Joe used to send out 16,000 envelopes a month, each containing two business cards. The envelope also contained two cards of Joe Girard. In February the card would wish them a happy Valentines Day. In March, happy Saint Patrick’s Day; In April, happy Easter; In May, happy Mothers Day, and so on.
2. He made a deal with a nice Italian restaurant and treated everyone in the service department. The mechanics loved him and took good care of Joe’s customers.
3. Joe always sold himself: “I have never sold a car in my life. I sold Joe Girard.”
4. He would send customers a coupon and say, “I will pay you $50 if you refer me.”
5. “Where ever you go… I go.” – Joe used to put his business cards into the glove box of the vehicles he sold, so that customers could always hand out his cards when they asked where and who they bought the car from.
6. Three days after a sale, Joe would always call customers and ask them how the car was working out for them. He always reminded them that if they bought a lemon, that he would turn it into a peach. He would also ask for referrals and remind them that he would pay people $50 for each referral.

Could your business use some of the techniques Joe used?

Full story at Mindvalley Labs »

The e-tailing group conducts an Annual Merchant Survey, and in 2010 152 online merchants of all sizes reported gifting being responsible for at least 15% of their business. Since gifting it is difficult to measure, they believe the percentage is larger, as not all purchases are gift wrapped, sent to a gift recipient or shipped with a gift receipt.

US online gift card sales are projected to hit $5.86B in 2014 (source: Javelin Strategy & Research). eGift Cards effectively meet the needs of today’s time-starved consumers. In this regard, it is important to note that convenience, not saving money, is continually the #1 reason customers shop online.

Digital gifting formats are now available from 60% of those EG100 players mystery shopped; this is up from 53% in 4Q ’08, with expectations of significant growth still to come.

Shop.org’s 2010 holiday research indicated that gift cards were incredibly popular, with more than half of consumers buying at least one, mainly for specific stores like Amazon or Best Buy. Here are some additional findings in this area:

• Not quite half of consumers said that gift cards made up a quarter or less of
  their total online spending for Holiday ’09.
• One-third of consumers spent between $50 and $200 total on gift cards
  purchased online.
• Almost two-thirds of gift cards purchased online averaged between
  $10 and $50 each.
• 93% of eGift card purchasers would recommend the service to a friend.

The top reasons why consumers are embracing eGifting will not come as a surprise. They all add up to “choice” and “convenience,” and include:

• Personalize the gift (the ability to add an image and message).
• Ability to choose the amount.
• Avoid shipping and other related charges.
• Speed.
• Ease of use.
• Security.
• Notification when sent and received.

Selling and customer care opportunities in digital gifting run the gamut from one-off eGift cards to bulk B2B options. Goals can be delighting new customers or smoothing the ruffled feathers of disgruntled ones. Here are some of the possibilities you might consider for expanding your digital gifting arsenal.

1. Individual digital gifting.
2. Bulk digital gifting.
3. Extended service contracts.
4. Offers and incentives.
5. Customer engagement and retention.
6. Customer care.
7. Mobile gifting.
8. Social media integration.

Is gifting and egifting an integral part of your marketing strategy?

Download the whitepaper and webinar, ‘Gifting the E-Way’ at the e-tailing group »