NEW HOT SPOTS BRING RETAIL CAMPAIGNS AND SPECIAL BUYS TO LIFE IN STORE

Foremost has added the next piece in its retail marketing journey to help members increase sales.

How much communication does it take for retailers to influence a potential customer? The marketing rule of seven’s states that a potential customer needs at least seven impressions before they’ll be provoked to take an action.

Foremost’s Elite Marketing Programme (EMP) is delivering those seven impressions and much more throughout the retail channel for its members taking potential customers from square-one to sale. The group’s EMP Premium service provides solutions right through all the digital and in-store touchpoints to ensure its members present a professional outlook
and co-ordinate their marketing efforts.

Working with Adglow, a professional store design company, Foremost produced exclusively designed plinths that enable pros to integrate all the existing digital marketing communications with the in-store experience and displays Foremost provide. The Entrance Hot Spots are specifically designed for EMP supplier product launches and retail campaigns with built-in snap-frames so pros can utilise the co-ordinated signage that is sent out just before specific launches. Sitting in the primary traffic flow areas, Hot Spots allow retailers to push certain high-margin and exclusive products at the optimal time. Available in three colour options that suit any retail store the units are made up of three multi-level plinths that can be reconfigured and moved around depending on the product or campaign that is being activated.

Foremost made a significant investment in purchasing the units for its members offering them to EMP Premium members on a subsidised £10 per month rental programme. The group then re-imburses members for the £10 per month payment if they upload a photo each month of the Entrance Hot Spot, displaying the current EMP Supplier launch or retail campaign. Foremost’s Business Development Team follow up with advice on Hot Spot merchandising through B-2-B communications, sharing best practice displays across the group and run a display-of-the-month award every month. This support ties in with the buying guidance the group provides in the form of the Marketed Supported Clothing and Footwear brochures members receive, advising them on the products that gets additional promotion.

Membership Services Manager, Ian Melham commented: “The success of retail campaigns is dependent on in-store activation and these plinths are designed to do exactly that when positioned in a primary traffic flow area. The unit is just a platform and from a consumer’s inbox through to their visit in-store, our retailers can now maximise their sales by being able to provide the most important marketing in-store at the point closest to transaction.
“For our team of Marketing Editors who support the pros and activate their marketing efforts, this service is about being reactive, helping pros through the whole process and driving sales at a local level. With the image submission process, we’ve managed to get an unprecedented look inside the retail space of more than 230 EMP Premium members, allowing our expert Business Development Consultant (BDC) team to have even more input and offer better support. Offering advice and timings through our B-2-B communications helps to remind pro’s when to set up their Hot Spot area, so that it works in conjunction with EMP digital communications that will be sent out to launch a campaign.”

The additions of Entrance Hot Spots, among other recent initiatives such as the EMP Gateway and members’ personal website upgrades have led to more and more members taking up full use of the fully integrated EMP Premium service, with 10% more members using the system since the start of last year.

Andy Martin, Managing Director, spoke about the increase in members joining the programme: “Over the years we have placed great importance on developing our marketing platform, and this latest product demonstrates how EMP Premium is able to further help our members drive their businesses forward. Increasingly we’ve looked to join up the digital marketing we offer members with the in-store experience, because after all this is where the transaction takes place and where you have the most customer engagement. With the Entrance Hot Spots, we’ve taken the EMP retail marketing journey one step further in 2022.”

The Hot Spots were rolled out in the spring and have received an overwhelmingly positive response among the group’s EMP Premium members. 230+ pros are opted-in and supplying images of their stores monthly all through Foremost’s unique EMP gateway B-2-B portal. GR

SUPPLIER OPINION

Adidas Golf Sales Director, Sam Strange commented: “The new Foremost EMP Hot Spots offer a different dynamic to Pro Shop retail space, highlighting product launches and retail campaigns in a clean and professional manner to help prompt sell-through. We were one of the first brands to utilise these units back in April and we are looking forward to activating more bespoke offers and retail campaigns on these units over the coming months and into 2023”
Neil Heslop, Under Armour – Partner, PJH Brand Management Ltd, added “From shop-in-shop solutions, through to the UA Virtual Store Building platform, merchandising support has always been a key focus to help our green-grass partner retailers maximise their business with Under Armour. The in-store EMP Hot Spot enables us to support Foremost member professionals with retail campaigns that will get increased sales traction from these in-store display areas. We’re looking forward to working with the concept in 2023.”

MEMBER PROFESSIONAL OPINION

“First impressions are vital in retail,” says Pro Shop Manager at Hartford Golf Club, Paul Cunningham. “As soon as you walk into the shop our customers see the latest arrivals and special offers. We’re able to showcase these products on what I call our ‘retail speedbump’.
“These days, the modern-day shop floor is your social media and digital communications. The campaigns we run on the Hot Spots in-store link through to our digital touchpoints, so when customers come in-store and see the plinth they’ve already had multiple prompts through our digital marketing and can’t walk into shop without noticing. Making these impressions along the whole retail journey is so important and having continuity between what we put out digitally and the point-of-sale experience is one of the real strengths of the
EMP system.”

Paul Thomas, Head Professional at Newport Golf Club, added: “All credit to Foremost for the idea. This demonstrates another way, as a group, we look forward and help us as pros engage our customers and activating campaigns that work in everyone’s interest.
“The Hot Spots take up very little floor space but give a real impact. My staff are fully engaged with it and constantly keep it fresh while building it into the newsletter to let our customers know about the constant flow of fresh product we have in-store. We are in constant communication with our EMP Marketing Editor at Foremost who helps us activate the campaigns and anything else we want to do. Getting the product out there in front of the customers makes a huge difference and helps it sell through quickly. For any retailer, that’s the dream scenario – higher margin and faster stock-turn.
“I’ve been a long-time supporter of EMP and firmly believe in its professionalism and the way it helps me communicate to my members and customers. The Entrance Hot Spot is the latest addition that helps me engage my members and start conversations that allow us as experts to take over and make more sales.”