Have you ever heard the saying by David Packard: "Marketing is too important to leave to the marketing department"? David, a founder of HP, may have been onto something here.
Marketing is so much more than sending messages which are supposed to resonate with a target market. It encompasses identifying or even pre-empting trends that will shape product development, influencing the experience that your products offer and seeing to on the ground tactics that will attract and help shoppers, not interrupt them.
One of the areas that are overlooked from time to time is the role field marketing can play in positively influencing the point of purchase experience. The "Point of purchase" or POP is that moment of truth, at the very end of the buyer's journey when a shopper chooses which product to put in their basket. At this point, POP tactics reinforce helpful messages to shoppers. Sometimes the message is entertaining, other times it's a useful reminder - either way, POP tactics that add value are the ones that work.
Both retailers and suppliers of all sizes are getting involved by using display units, promotional signs, banners, merchandising tactics and even content offers to help buyers at the last step of the buyer's journey - the point of purchase.
Field marketing contributes to making sure POP tactics get implemented. FM's will fix obvious merchandising and display problems while making sure stores are compliant with planograms from head office.
Some of the things that will be on a field marketers list will be setting up and auditing banners, content offers, gondola end displays, pop up cards, digital display screens, special offer signs on shelves and so on. Field marketers don't help with all elements of POP like packaging, but they certainly play a valuable role in making sure POP actually is how it was planned to be on the ground.
Conclusion
Do you need help getting ahead in the retail world? Would you like software that'll make your field marketing efforts easier and more efficient? Visit our online store here or book your free custom consultation here.
