Falling for My Own Tricks

I was in Target the other day running errands when I found myself falling for one of my own tricks as a marketer. I must admit that a little piece of red POS influenced me to change my behavior. In the lotion aisle, I noticed that all the Aveeno products were tagged with an offer, “Buy 3, Get a $5 Target Gift Card.” Sold!

There are two reasons why I appreciated and ultimately was won over by this deal. First and foremost, it was simple. I didn’t have to read the fine print or hunt for products within a certain price range—absolutely anything with an Aveeno label would work. The second strength involves instant gratification. I knew that I would receive my gift card at the register—no need to fill out any forms or wait for the card to come in the mail. And apparently I’m not the only shopper who feels this way. According to a recent survey conducted by Integer of 300 21 to 34 year-olds, 55% would prefer to receive a small free gift inside the package as their top promotional pick, followed closely by coupons/discounts on another product at the store (54% agree). The numbers fall when prizing becomes less instant and more demanding of the shopper. Only 34% were most interested in “the chance to win a large prize.”

Maybe this has you asking, “what can we be doing to engage and reward our shoppers before they even leave the store?” Kudos to Target for figuring this out and for giving me a reason so come back soon. It’s also a good reminder to me to first vet any new ideas with myself as a shopper, and wait to put on my marketing hat.