The role of in-store marketing innovations in creating a customer experience and its connections to the digital space

Abstract

THE AIMS OF THE PAPER

The study reviews the innovations and trends that determine the opportunities and challenges of in-store marketing today and in the near future and at the same time play an important role in creating a customer experience. We also focus on the question of how the opportunities created by the digitization of commerce can be fitted to in-store tools.

METHODOLOGY

Our study examines four groups of factors from the in-store marketing tools by processing the literature related to the topic and using the reports of research institutes. These are: the store atmosphere, especially the physical environment, product and brand offerings, promotional offers, and innovative solutions for connecting to the digital space.

MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS

In today’s commerce, the complex customer experience is through which the loyalty of a customer can be gained and maintained in the long run. Consumer behaviour has changed, the new consumer expects new experiences, which is also reflected by the innovations that have taken place in the field of in-store marketing. The optimization of the physical environment and the space of the shops enables the fast and efficient execution of purchases, which has become a basic requirement. A strategic role was given to the product range and the expanded store brand range in line with the new trends, the well-designed in-store promotion, and the operation of loyalty programs more efficient than before. A new challenge is the hybrid purchasing behaviour of consumers (online and offline) to which traders and manufacturers must also adapt. The use of the digital advances of our time in the presentation of goods, communication or payment will also be a fundamental competitive factor in the commercial sector.

RECOMMENDATIONS

From a practical point of view, two areas are worth highlighting: Omnichannel user behaviour, i.e., simultaneous and combined usage of online and offline environments, is increasingly popular, therefore in spite of the possible dangers, today it is not a viable option for merchants not to invest in online commerce. Beside this, another area to be highlighted is customization, to which in-store marketing may contribute with its several tools, from personalized services through loyalty programs, to taking advantage of the almost limitless opportunities of digitization.

Acknowledgement: The publication is supported by the EFOP-3.6.2-16-2017-00003 project. The project is co-financed by the European Union and the European Social Fund.