Are you planning for a convenience store marketing plan?
Whether you are an established business or are just starting out, having a marketing plan in place is essential for driving more customers to your store.
It outlines the strategies and tools you will use for customer segmentation, target potential audience, promotion of your products and services, pricing and promotional strategies.
However, creating an actionable convenience store marketing plan can be challenging for retailers.
But not for you!
This guide covered Top Elements of convenience store marketing plan that will help your retail business succeed.
Let’s get started!
1. Build Online Presence with fully-featured Website
Having a website for your retail store is one of the most important factors for success in today’s digital age. It allows customers to easily browse and learn more about your store and its products, view available items, and purchase products online.
With a website, you can expand your customer reach, increase traffic & sales and improve customer engagement. So if you’re planning to go online & run business then you must have a fully-featured website for your retail store.
We at Esplanda help retail stores to build their fully-featured website that includes user-friendly interface, easy products listing, suitable payment mdes, end-to-end supply chain automation and much more that are enough to sell products worldwide & make huge profits via website.
Just go to “Solutions” and choose which type of retail store you want whether it’s an online liquor store or online grocery store and then you’ll get your website in next 10-minutes.
2. Get the Mobile App
Having a mobile app is important for your retail business because it allows you to effectively engage with customers and drive more sales.
Also, it allows customers to shop quickly, browse products, check out deals and coupons, get notifications of upcoming store events and more.
Additionally, you can gain insight into customer behaviour and preferences, helping you to make data-driven decisions faster & grow with high profits.
Overall a mobile app can turn casual shoppers into loyal customers, improve customer satisfaction, and ultimately drive more sales.
If you want a branded mobile application for your retail store then Esplanda is a one-stop platform where you can get a modern mobile app for your retail store in minutes. Order your personalized mobile app for your retail store with a free-trial.
3. End-to-End Supply Chain Automation
End-to-end supply chain automation can be a very important area for retailers because it can help to streamline the process from receiving and processing orders to stocking and shipping to customers, reducing the risk of errors and increasing the efficiency of the entire process.
Automation can help retailers increase the speed, accuracy, and efficiency of their order fulfilment process, leading to increased customer satisfaction and higher revenues.
With Esplanda, you can set up end-to-end supply chain automation for your online store & make it easier to deliver/shipping processes to expand business reach & grow with high profits.
4. Use Built-in Marketing Automation Tools
Social media marketing is important for retailers because it allows them to reach and engage with a wider audience. It enables retailers to showcase their products and services to a larger number of people and to build relationships with their customers through social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
It’s an excellent way to engage with customers, build relationships with new ones, and drive more sales. You can try Esplanda built-in marketing tools that help you to schedule your social posts on different platforms from one-place and increase your social engagement.
5. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is the process of optimizing a website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). This is essential to increase the visibility of the online retail store and attract more organic traffic. Keyword research, on-page optimization, and link building are some of the tactics used to improve SEO.
The website should also have high-quality content that is relevant to the products and services offered. Making of website is not enough if your customers are unable to find you, here you should go for SEO to maximize your reach.
If any case you are having a question about how to optimize online store for SEO, do not worry we have a separate blog for this where you can have all the information.
Pros of using SEO for online retail business:
- Increased visibility: SEO helps to increase visibility among the target market, and helps to to be recognized by the new and old target customers.
- Increased traffic: It also helps you to generate organic traffic at your different webpages, and will help you to generate leads.
- Cost-effective: Unlike paid advertising, SEO is a long-term strategy that can bring in sustainable traffic, which means it has a lower cost per acquisition than paid advertising.
- Improved user experience: Good SEO practices can improve website structure, speed, and usability, making it easier for customers to find what they are looking for, which can lead to increased conversions.
Cons of using SEO for online retail business:
- Takes time: SEO is not a quick fix and can take time to see results. It can take several months to a year to see the full benefits of SEO efforts.
- Requires technical expertise: SEO requires a good understanding of how search engines work, and requires technical knowledge of website development and coding.
- Competition: The online retail market is highly competitive, and it can be challenging to rank high in search results for popular keywords.
- Algorithm updates: Search engines regularly update their algorithms, which can change how websites rank. This means that SEO efforts may need to be constantly updated to stay ahead of the competition.
Optimize for “Near Me” Searches
According to google, Over the last two years, searches for local places without the qualifier “near me” have grown 150%, faster than comparable searches that do not include “near me.
Start by updating or creating your Google My Business profile. Your business name, address and opening and closing hours should be included in your profile. You can also include photos and a description with keywords. As an additional cue to Google, consider including local citations.
All your information should be consistent across all websites and third-party apps. Encourage customers to leave reviews about your business on the website.
This will make your listing more relevant. Local SEO tools can optimize your site automatically and make recommendations for improving your rankings.
6. Content Marketing
Content marketing involves creating and distributing valuable and relevant content to attract, engage, and retain a clearly defined audience — and ultimately drive profitable customer action. For an online retail store, this could involve creating blog posts, infographics, videos, and other types of content that educate and inform customers about the products and services offered.
Content marketing can also be used to build brand awareness, and for positioning. Remember it is in your hand to build loyalty and goodwill through words.
7. Social Media Marketing
Always remember one thing that if you are at initial level in your business social media platforms are a powerful tool for reaching a large audience and promoting products and services. An online retail store should have a presence on the major social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
The content posted on these platforms should be engaging, informative, and relevant to the target audience. Social media advertising is also an effective way to reach a larger audience and drive sales. As I mentioned below in picture you can optimize instagram,
8. Get your Product Inventory Published on Marketplaces
Product listing on marketplaces helps retailers to gain visibility for their products and increase brand awareness. Marketplaces can also handle a lot of the backend tasks associated with selling online, such as processing payments and handling customer service inquiries, which can save retailers time and resources. Here are some marketplaces that can help you to get published your product.
eBay
Ourliquorstore
ourdesistore
Alibaba
Walmart
9. Overview of Target Audience
Developing a target audience overview is an essential elements for eCommerce Business Plan or retail store marketing plan for an online retail store. Here are some steps to create a target audience overview for your retail store marketing plan:
- Conduct Market Research: The first step in creating a target audience overview is to conduct market research. This involves gathering data on the market you are targeting, including demographic information, buying behavior, and preferences.
- Identify Your Target Audience: Based on the market research, identify the specific group of people who are most likely to purchase your products. This could include factors such as age, gender, location, interests, and buying behavior.
- Create Buyer Personas: Develop detailed profiles of your ideal customers, including their motivations, pain points, and decision-making process.
This will help you tailor your marketing messaging and strategies to better reach, engage customers and connect with your target audience.
- Determine Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP): Identify the unique selling proposition of your online retail store, i.e., what sets you apart from your competitors.
This will help you tailor your marketing message and ensure that your target audience understands why they should buy from you. And then after that it will be easy to develop the marketing strategies.
- Develop Marketing Strategies: Based on your target audience overview, create marketing strategies that speak directly to your target audience. Marketing strategies of any kind such as, social media marketing, content marketing as we have discussed earlier etc.
10. Analysis of Competitors Who Falls in Your Niche
Analyzing competitors is a crucial thing which needs to be done before making a retail store marketing plan
- Identify Your Main Competitors: Start by identifying your top competitors. This can be done by conducting a search on the internet, visiting their stores, or asking customers who they shop with.
- Gather Information About Your Competitors: Once you have identified your competitors, gather information about their products, services, pricing, promotions, store layout, customer service, and target market. You can do this by visiting their stores, browsing their websites, and reading online reviews.
- Analyze Their Strengths and Weaknesses: Based on the information you have gathered, analyze your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses.
Look for areas where they excel, such as customer service or product quality, and areas where they fall short, such as limited product selection or poor online presence.
- Compare and Contrast: Once you have analyzed your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses, compare and contrast them with your own business.
Identify areas where you can improve and areas where you have a competitive advantage.
11. Marketing Strategies and Tactics
Branding: Develop a strong brand image for the store that aligns with the target market and conveys the store’s unique selling proposition (USP).
This can include creating a logo, choosing colors and fonts, and developing a tagline or slogan. Strong branding also helps you in setting up positioning of your brands.
- Advertising: Utilize advertising channels such as television, radio, billboards, and online ads to reach potential customers.
Determine which channels are most effective for reaching the target market and allocate budget accordingly.
- Sales promotions: Use sales promotions such as discounts, coupons, and contests to attract customers and drive sales. Ensure that promotions are aligned with the store’s overall strategy and are designed to appeal to the target market.
- Merchandising: Optimize the layout and design of the store to maximize sales and customer experience. Use visual merchandising techniques such as displays, signage, and product placement to highlight key products and create a compelling shopping experience.
- Customer Relationship Management: Develop and maintain positive relationships with customers through initiatives such as loyalty programs, personalized marketing, and excellent customer service.
Encourage customers to provide feedback and use their insights to improve the store’s offerings and service.
Let Esplanda help you in product inventory listing on popular marketplaces to attract potential customers, increase brand visibility & drive more sales.
These are the core five elements your retail business needs to focus while creating a convenience retail store marketing plan.
But you need to take help from experts to grow your retail business.
Meet Esplanda, an all-in-one solution for liquor store owners like you to build a fully-featured website, application, and dedicated marketing tools that you can easily use to promote your brand & drive more traffic & sales.
Get a complete, marketing plan for grocery store, from building your brand presence online to reaching targeted consumers and increasing sales. Go to “Solutions” and set up your online grocery store or liquor store in the next 10-mins with a fully-featured website, application, and marketing support in one place.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How do I Write my Marketing Plan ?
- Do first market research
- Define your target market and create a buyer persona
- Develop a unique value proposition
- Create a marketing mix
- Develop a budget and plan for implementing your marketing strategies
- Establish metrics to measure the success of your marketing plan
- Review and revise your plan regularly to ensure it stays relevant to your target market and business goals.
2.What are the 7 steps of a marketing plan?
- Conducting market research
- Setting marketing goals and objectives
- Developing a target market profile
- Designing a marketing mix (product, price, promotion, place)
- Developing a budget and marketing plan
- Implementing the marketing plan
- Measuring and evaluating marketing success
