We are now regularly offering ‘fries’ with each purchase at the weekend in at least one of my newsagencies. By ‘fries’ I mean an over the counter offer, an up-sell as a deal.
Hey would like [insert product here] we have it on special today only for [insert $off offer] off the usual price.
That’s the pitch, plain and simple.
The offer is not promoted in-store, it is only offered as an up-sell at the counter to shoppers who are making a purchase.
There are three key factors impacting the success of this: the product offered, the person offering it and the pitch. Get these right and you should see a terrific lift in sales.
If the up-sell product offer is a magazine we will typically run this late in the on-sale – week three and beyond for a monthly and day five and beyond for a weekly.
Our target discount is around the 20% mark but we will discount to cost in some situations. My thinking is that the shopper has come to the counter with what they want. Also, being a shopping centre and on the weekend, more than half our customers are not regulars so we are likely to not be doing ourselves of a later possible purchase. Every cent we get is bonus revenue we get to bank.
A side benefit is that we are offering our customers a deal which enforces that shopping with us has value beyond the usual for a newsagency.
People have money contrary to what some commentators are saying. The trick is how you help them spend it. For us, this over the counter pitch on weekends is working.
I do….I do…..I used to ask customers “would l you like fries with that” and usually, not always (some people are just grumps) got a good reaction.
Back to the real topic. We have looked after customers like this in the past but not in a planned or structured way. It’s something we must try now and again.
I’ve been surprised Brendan at how well this is working. Getting the right person to make the pitch is vital though. It does not work for me.
I dislike being made such offers at servo’s and such and would also be uncomfortable making an offer like this yet I have a staff member who thrives on up selling and would be great with this. It makes the offer genuine when the person making the offer is enthusiastic so your spot on, the right person for the right job is essential. There must also be be parameters set that allow staff to decide what discount to offer and when that don’t limit the staffs efforts but in fact give them some freedom to perform this strategy to best effect.
I think part of what makes it work is that it’s offered to a magazine shopper and the up-sell item is a magazine.
Sort of like our own form of bundling but done to suit the needs of the individual outlet? I love the idea as it should increase sales and decrease returns.
Everyday we have a basket on the counter with a “lucky dip” for the night’s lotto draw. Price point around $5 – $7 containing a small auto pick systems entry & a $1.10 scratchie stapled to it. Asking customers is they’d “like a lucky dip for tonight’s lotto” works very well.
how do you judge who is the right person for the right customer -is this different to being asked how your day has been at the supermarket checkout(maybe by someone’s daughter or son)
P trial and error. This is not for everyone. I would not make someone do this who did not want to. It’s not a performance KPI … unlike the supermarkets.
My wife is great at this. She can sell the proverbial ice to an Eskimo and does it in such a way that I nor any of my staff can do so without it sounding and looking like a money grab.
I think it helps if what you are trying to upsell is something the seller knows and may be passinate about. My wife is good at including toys and gifts for instance to to customers buying greeting cards.
I leave the Lotto counter to her during the Superdraws and high jackpots for good reason.