Why In-Store Experiences & Events Matter

You’ve probably heard the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” and it’s true. A picture can tell a story, but nothing beats an in-person experience.

When you’re shopping online, you’re able to zoom in on details and product information. You can read all about the materials used and see close-up photos of even the tiniest details; however, this isn’t the same as being able to try something on or hold it in your hands.

Shopping is a social experience that allows people to interact with others while they shop—in fact, 70% of Americans say they always or often talk with friends or family members while shopping at a store!

Read More From events to store-exclusive products: How brands are coaxing customers back to stores

It’s no secret that consumers are inundated with content and messages from brands every day. In fact, it’s estimated that a person receives over 3,000 advertisements per day! With so much competition for consumer attention, event marketing is an excellent way to stand out from the crowd and have people talking about your brand. Retail events can be powerful tools for building brand awareness, driving traffic into stores, and increasing sales. But let’s talk about how they can help you achieve these goals:

• Brand Awareness – Events are a great way to get your name out there by providing unique experiences or exclusive content to attendees. This type of experience ensures that people are thinking about your business when they’re deciding which products or services they want/need in their lives. It also helps them identify you as an expert in your field because they’ve seen firsthand how knowledgeable you are on topics related to yours (and likely learned something new). And if someone has attended one of these events before, chances are good that they’ll remember both its location as well as who was involved with planning it later down the road—which means more exposure for everyone involved!

• Traffic Generation – Every single person who attends an event has been invited by someone else who either works at the location where it took place or encouraged them beforehand through social media platforms like Instagram or TikTok.

EVENTS HELP YOU CONNECT WITH CUSTOMERS IN REAL-TIME

Events are a great way to show your customers you value them. It’s also the perfect opportunity for you to get to know your customers on a deeper level and learn about their needs. Your brand will benefit from not only the promotion of this event, but also from leveraging data collected during it (such as when and where people like to shop). You’ll have access to information on how many people came through, what they were interested in, and how long they stayed — all good things! The more information you have about your customers and how they engage with your brand, the more accurately you’ll be able to market yourself in the future.

The bottom line is that events help build stronger relationships between brands and consumers than other marketing tactics because they allow companies like yours get closer than ever before possible through real-time interactions.

According to the Event Marketing Institute, 87% of consumers claim to purchase a brand’s products after having attended one of their in-store events.

SPECIAL OFFERS AS INCENTIVES

Giving customers access to special offers that are only available at events – that can’t be purchased online – increases the likelihood that they’ll show up for your event and continue to shop with you after it’s over.

There are a few different ways you can encourage customers to show up for your event. You can offer them discounts or perks that are only available at events, like buy one get one free deals or free gifts. If you want to be especially generous with your rewards, why not offer a free gift if they show up? Or, if they make a purchase while they’re there anyway (and let’s face it: who doesn’t love getting great deals on things they need), give them something extra special as part of their purchase. This will not only help keep your customers coming back for more but also increase brand loyalty and improve customer retention rates in the long run!

Read More In-Store Retail Events: The Complete Guide

EVENTS INCREASE SALES

Imagine that you’re in the middle of an event and you see one of your customers. You greet them, and ask how they are. They respond by telling you that they can’t wait for this event to be over so they can get back to shopping with your store. Then, imagine another scenario: You see a customer who is walking away from the event toward the door of your store. You run after them, asking if there’s anything else you could help them with today before they leave. They stop walking, turn around—and buy something!

You may not realize it yet, but these two scenarios have more in common than just featuring happy customers who purchased something at your store. While both events involved someone buying something at some point during their visit (at least in our example), only one resulted in increased sales for us as well as increased loyalty from our shoppers after their experience was over—and that difference comes down to whether or not we offered them an opportunity to interact with us during their visit or if we simply dropped off a flyer or brochure somewhere on display and then waited patiently until people wandered into our booth area before approaching them directly with questions about what was happening inside our space at that moment.

Check Out 8 Examples of in-store events that bring in customers

EVENTS ENGAGE NEW AND EXISTING CUSTOMERS

Events are an exceptional opportunity to engage new and existing customers. Events attract both new and existing customers by offering a unique experience that can’t be replicated online. In fact, 71% of people say they’d go to more events if they received personal invitations from friends.

Additionally, existing customers are more likely to attend an event if they receive an invitation in advance—meaning events can become even more effective when paired with marketing strategies like email campaigns or social media posts. When events are held regularly and marketed appropriately, your business will become associated with the positive experiences attendees share about your brand after attending the event.

FUN BUILDS LOYALTY

Whether you want to celebrate an upcoming holiday, launch a new product line or promote your brand, an in-store event offers a fun way to connect with customers while increasing sales and building loyalty.

Whether you want to celebrate an upcoming holiday, launch a new product line or promote your brand, an in-store event offers a fun way to connect with customers while increasing sales and building loyalty.

How? Events are a great opportunity for brands to interact directly with consumers. By creating excitement around the event and getting customers involved, brands can build loyalty by fostering positive associations between the brand/product and their experience at the event. This can improve perceptions of quality and value for consumers who attend and encourage them to purchase from that company again in the future.

Check Out The Importance of Event Marketing: The Top Six Benefits