Using POS Marketing Tools to Increase Sales and Improve ROI

To be successful, Consumer Goods suppliers, distributors and retailers alike need marketing intelligence to determine what POS marketing initiatives work. This can be done by tracking shopper interactions with point-of-sale marketing materials, and correlating this interaction to sales results.

A key question is: During the period of time that the marketing materials were on display, were we successful in converting shoppers into buyers of our brands?

Or said another way: Was the investment made in POS Marketing materials offset by an increase in sales results?

These questions may seem obvious, but gaining this marketing intelligence is not easy. It requires a set of specialized software tools to collect and track the POS data, correlate the data to sales results, and determine if a positive ROI was achieved. Not an easy task if done manually.

Without the proper tools, it is very difficult, virtually impossible, to:

• Track POS - Configuration, production, placement and location verification
• Measure POS - Where and when POS was placed; the POS costs vs. sales results; and the sales impact of these marketing initiatives
• Manage POS — Tools to accurately report on profitability, ROI and supplier recovery based on the data that is collected during the POS marketing process

If you and your enterprise rely on POS marketing programs to provide consistent, positive sales results, it is critical to gather and analyze the data to manage these programs. It is our contention that only by implementing and using POS tracking software will you ensure your POS produces consistent and predictable sales results.

As with any tool, the improper use or under-utilization of POS marketing software will almost certainly result in reduced benefits or failure. To ensure your POS marketing initiatives are providing you with the results you expect — a competitive advantage, an increase in market share, or an increase in sales — we urge you to not only use POS tracking software for ordering POS marketing materials, but also to gain a better understanding of what POS is most effective in producing your desired business results.

Generally speaking, one of the most beneficial, easiest to use, yet least utilized capabilities provided by OnTrak’s POS marketing management software is the correlation of sales results to the type, size, placement and cost of a POS display.  By using this feature of OnTrak products, marketers can determine what POS marketing materials deliver the best results and, over time, can show how sales results can be improved.

If you are already an OnTrak customer, I urge you to consider using as many of the capabilities of our applications as possible. In other words, don’t limit your use of these systems to just the order entry and workflow features. Other benefits, including improved sales results, can be achieved when all the capabilities of the OnTrak products are utilized.

If you are not an OnTrak customer, I likewise urge you to adopt a system that will track, measure and manage all your POS marketing activities so you know your POS workflow is operating most efficiently. In addition, consider implementing a system that accurately tracks costs, sales results, supplier recovery (marketing co-op allowances) and profitability.

To learn how OnTrak products help deliver this information and improve your business performance, please click the following button: