This past holiday season, I shopped like mad then shopped some more. It's one of my very favorite things to do. That being said, I feel like I have some sort of authority to make a few observations on the subject. Most notably, the way stores lure you in and keep you there. They go to a lot of effort, that's for sure.
As I wandered through Sears -- honestly I was on my way out -- I heard an announcement about a special offer just for customers in the store right then. “Travel up to the 2nd floor and find out about an amazing offer and every single customer receives a free product.”
Did I mention I love free? As it turned out, you could only get the free product if you stayed and watched the demonstration. It surprised me how many people actually did. After all, it was the mall in the middle of the Christmas shopping time, but they managed to pique our interest and keep us hooked. The demonstration was fun and short, the product pretty nifty and inexpensive.
In the end, of the 100 or so people crowded around the demo table, a good 90 percent of us left with the upgraded package. I'm pleased to say that the product continues to live up to its hype, which in turn makes me look more favorably on Sears even though they did nothing more than host the demonstration. Such events can generate both brand name buzz and sales. Even AC Nielsen, the company famous for tracking what we watch on TV, has a product devoted to tracking the effectiveness of such a campaign
So, could in-store demos work for you? Could it help build both customer loyalty and impulse sales? Isn't it worth a try?
--Jennifer
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