Digital Marketing Vs. Shopper Marketing: What’s Going to Give You the Most Bang for Your Buck?

Is shopper marketing more efficient than digital marketing or vice versa? We are here to find out.

Spring. The definition itself is explained as “mov[ing] or jump[ing] rapidly forward or upward.” So, it’s only fitting that we discuss the importance of growth. While most companies utilize the digital frontier to grow their brand, digital efforts don’t always convert into ROI. Unless, of course, you pair it with tangible experiences.   

Since the start of the digital age, online marketing has run rampant with pop-up windows, emails, and event chat-bots (oh my!). In fact, since the early 2000s, nearly all marketing activities have included an online component, more notably Facebook and Instagram offering to boost posts in order to increase visibility on people’s feeds.

This visibility only increases with the number of smartphone users and owners increasing at a significantly rapid pace. So, it’s really no wonder why marketers, both in-house and agency, are more inclined to utilize digital media to get their brand’s point across. Now pair that with its affordability, and it’s a wrap for all other forms of marketing. Or is it?

Although digital media is one of the more inexpensive marketing activities, it still doesn’t completely deliver on increased sales numbers in comparison to shopper or in-store marketing. Understanding the way shoppers engage with a product before deciding to purchase through personal demonstrations is what ultimately sells the product. In fact, shopper marketing could deliver returns of up to 300% according to an interview with Chris Hoyt, author of The Shopper Marketing Revolution. 

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This is most likely due to the opportunity to educate prospective consumers on the benefits of your brand’s product as well as converse with longtime fans of new products to your brand. Now pair that with take-home samples and you can only increase the chances of purchase as it allows the consumer to personally interact with the product at their leisure.

But the question remains: what’s going to give you the most bank for your buck? The answer: both. For while digital marketing will provide your brand’s products the awareness, in-store experiences from experiential marketing to in-store demos and merchandising increase sales revenue. Infusing both strategies into your marketing plan is a sure-fire way of making sure your brand’s message stays with consumers in the long haul. Because at the end of the day, genuine connection can really only be found in reality.

Article courtesy of Neosol