How can you sell more with each purchase?

Do you understand your customers and what makes them tick when they walk through your door? Below are some key facts taken from Nestle Professional research on buying behaviour and how you can best appeal to consumers during their shopping experience.

The hard facts on buyer behaviour

Did you know that 70% of purchase decisions are made in-store?

What’s more interesting is that even when these customers have decided what category they will be buying from, 28% have not decided on a specific brand before they enter the store and one in 10 shoppers that have chosen a brand will switch once inside.

A third of customers also recall being recommended to a product through a promotion or sampling when making their purchase decision.

These statistics emphasise just how important effective promotional material in-store is for swaying customers’ purchase decisions.

A quick guide to your consumer

A person has an attention span of 42 seconds whilst they wait in line and 26% of these consumers look straight ahead at the counter – which indicates the importance of their visual range of 1.5 metres to left and right.

These consumers are nearly twice as likely to buy an item if they’re interrupted by three or more different point-of-sale or advertising materials in-store. So make sure that the space a customer moves through provides plenty of engaging visual content featuring your promotions.

People typically have a set repertoire of items they like to purchase through rotation. So how do you increase spend when customers are set in their ways? Learn to upsell.

The five golden rules for upselling

1. Read your customer’s body language
Are they open to your suggestions or shying away? Understanding body language will determine a positive appeal from an invasive, intrusive one.

2. Know your product
What are its benefits? What makes it useful? Why is it better than the alternative? Explain the product inside and out.

3. Do them a favour
Trust is an essential component in any buyer/seller relationship. Whether it’s recommending a cheaper product or granting a discount, letting your customer know you prioritise their needs will ensure they keep coming back and are open to your subsequent product suggestions.

4. Anticipate objections and have answers ready
Customers aren’t always going to be open and receptive to your suggestions. Be ready for rejection and have answers to their reservations.

5. Reassure and empathise on a purchase
Post-purchase cognitive dissonance (the unease felt by customers after making a purchase) affects many buyers. Reinforce and affirm their decision by praising their purchase decision then supporting and reasserting your claims about the product benefits after the sale has been made.

Applying the steps above will ensure you are taking appropriate steps towards improving your sales and reinforcing positive and profitable ongoing relationships with your customers. It also helps to have a diverse range of products that you can use to upsell and increase individual sales. The classic ‘meal deal’ doesn’t always work with soft drinks – so try juice or iced tea instead. Both are available in the Nestle CoolPro Commercial Drinks dispenser.