Marketing is an essential part of any business, especially in the retail industry. If you want customers to hear about your products, then marketing is the answer to your questions. Also, marketing is the one that helps you position your brand and improve the way customers see your brand.
Big FMCG brands have an in-house marketing department that takes care of brand marketing and positioning. However, even the biggest players in the retail industry tend to reach out to a retail marketing agency when they want to implement a special brand activation or promotion.
How do you know if the in-store marketing agency that you want to contract is the right one for your brand? In this article, we are going to tell you what to look for when you choose a retail marketing agency. Also, we will dive deeper into the types of services a marketing agency can provide for your brand or store.
What is a retail marketing agency?
First off, let’s start with the basics. A retail marketing agency is a consulting firm that can help brands accelerate their growth. The agency focuses on optimizing the sales process, team, tools, and KPIs of the brand.
Of course, each agency is different and can provide several other services, from in-store marketing campaign implementation to retail analytics. Depending on your needs and your budget, you can start small and grow as your brand scales up.
Top 5 things to look for in a retail marketing agency
1. Strategic thinking and planning
When it comes to retail, you should always think strategically and that is why you need a retail marketing agency that will help you with a concrete plan. Before moving forward with an agency, you should make sure that they have a clear strategy of how they plan to help your brand grow.
Their strategy should always be molded on your goals and KPIs. While they might have a general strategy for FMCG brands, you should make sure that it is a good option for your brand.
2. Understanding your products and brand identity
Another important thing to consider when choosing an agency is the way they understand and perceive your brand and your products. They need to be objective and see both the risks and the opportunities. Find an agency that respects the identity of your brand and understands your mission and vision.
You don’t want to contract a retail agency that will completely change your brand positioning. Why? Because customers already perceive your brand in a familiar way, especially if you have been on the market for a while. The familiarity principle shows that people have aversion to anything that is unknown to them and that they choose familiar brands and products.
3. Creative ideas
While shoppers might choose the most familiar brand, they want to experience something new when they go to the store or shop online. That is why you need a retail marketing agency that can come up with creative ideas that are molded on the identity of your brand. You don’t want to implement an in-store promotion that has nothing to do with your brand’s identity because customers won’t appreciate it.
Before signing with a marketing agency, make sure that you receive a pitch or two, just to make sure that their creative ideas are in sync with your brand.
4. The appropriate resources
Another thing you need to make sure of is that the agency has the appropriate resources to help your brand grow. If you have a big, world-renowned brand, you might want to contract a bigger agency, not a local one. Also, apart from human resources, you need to see if they have the time and tools that you need.
5. Innovative tools and solutions
While the agency might be great and its employees might come up with creative ideas, without the right tools and solutions it’s hard to implement any campaign. Nowadays, there are still a lot of brands that rely on old-school POP displays and don’t track in-store data.
If you want to stay on top of the competition, you need a retail marketing agency that has access to innovative tools and solutions. One of the best brand activation solutions is Tokinomo. An agency that includes robotic POP displays in your campaign is the one that can help you amaze your customers in-store.
Also, retail marketing agencies should have access to an in-store analytics tool that will help you see how your campaigns are performing.
Checklist: What services should a retail marketing agency offer?
Each agency is different and can offer certain services. However, we’ve compiled a shortlist of the most important services you should seek from a retail marketing agency.
- Consultancy and planning services
- Retail strategy
- Campaign implementation (in-store and online, if applicable)
- Campaign management
- Data collection and analysis
- KPIs monitoring
- Reporting
While your in-house marketing team can help out with brand management and positioning, it is important to consider a retail marketing agency, especially when you want to implement in-store advertising campaigns. Because of their knowledge and experience, retail marketing agencies can come up with various creative campaign ideas that will help you increase sales right at the point of purchase.
