Introduction
Consumer promotion may be defined as a highly essential tool of sales promotion that supports advertising efforts and personal selling. This type of sales promotion includes specific marketing activities, such as shows and expositions, displays, various offers and discounts, and the distribution of samples that aim to stimulate dealer effectiveness and consumer purchasing (Santini, et al., 2015).
Traditionally, consumer promotion deals with non-routine and non-recurring methods as opposed to advertising and personal selling. In general, it does not focus on customer persuasion by shop assistants in order to sell a product. It also differs from advertising as advertising implies the activity of media controlled by the manufacturing company itself. There are twelve types of customer promotion, and in this paper, seven types are analyzed and applied to the promotion of the eau de toilette for men “K by Dolce & Gabbana” released in 2019.
Sampling and Free Trials
As a matter of fact, offering samples or free gifts may be regarded as one of the most expensive types of consumer promotion. Marketers traditionally use this strategy to increase their volume of sales in the primary stages of the product’s life cycle. Sampling is defined as offering small quantities of products for free that aim to persuade customers to purchase these products in the future. In general, free samples may be provided at point-of-sale, through the Internet, or they may be attached to other similar products. Free trials are the elements of another promotion strategy that implies the opportunity for consumers to try a particular product before buying.
For the perfumery outlet, sampling and free trials play a substantial role in every new product’s release. Concerning the “K by Dolce & Gabbana,” free samples of this eau de toilette may be attached to paper magazines and distributed in large retail shops with the purchase of other perfumes of the same brand. And it goes without saying that testers of this eau de toilette should be available in all stores for consumers to evaluate fragrance before buying.
Premiums
Premiums are additional articles offered by marketers as incentives in order to stimulate the customer’s purchase intention and increase the sales of targeted products. In other words, a customer receives a similar or related product if he or she buys the main one. For instance, for the purchase of toothpaste, a consumer may get a toothbrush or dental floss for free. There are various types of sales incentives, such as banded, container, personality, and packed premiums.
The “K by Dolce & Gabbana” is not an independent perfume but a fundamental product of the whole line that includes a shower gel, an aftershave lotion, an aftershave balm, a deostick, and spray antiperspirant. That is why it is possible to use several products from the line as the premiums for the main product. For example, customers who buy 100 ml of the eau de toilette get a shower gel, an aftershave balm, or spray antiperspirant. This strategy is considered to be highly efficient as the majority of consumers want to get several products and pay for the one.
Point-of-Purchase (POP) Display or Point-of-Sale (POS) Display
POP and POS displays are specialized sales promotion tools that aim to attract the customers’ attention and provide them with the necessary information concerning a product. These displays include wall displays, window displays, outside signs, banners, and balloons. For the promotion of the “K by Dolce & Gabbana,” the displays with Mariano di Vaio, the brand ambassador, should be placed in large perfume and makeup stores.
Sweepstakes, Games, and Contests
According to this method of promotion, consumers are invited to participate in small competitions in order to express their creative skills and win gifts from a company. In the case of “K by Dolce & Gabbana,” the same platform of social networks may be used. Customers may be offered to take part in a contest in order to win an eau de toilette, an aftershave balm or other products of the line depending on a taken place. In general, this strategy provides brand awareness and stimulates customers’ interest in the company.
Frequency or Loyalty Programs
Loyalty programs implicate the consumers’ rewarding for frequent purchasing of the company’s products. This method has a highly positive impact on consumers’ purchase intentions and increases the volume of sales (Mendez, et al., 2015). The loyalty program for the “K by Dolce & Gabbana” may imply a brand subscription that allows customers to buy other products of the company with discounts with the purchase of this perfume.
Cash Refunds or Rebates
Cash refunds or rebates imply that a customer may receive back a particular amount of money if he or she sends a proof of purchase to the company. Some manufacturers elaborate on the strategy of cash refunds for customers if they make multiple purchases to motivate individuals for consumption (Santini, et al., 2015). In the present day, information technologies and social networks have a substantial impact on people’s life. Consumers, who buy the eau de toilette “K by Dolce & Gabbana,” make the photo with the product and post it on Instagram or Facebook with an appropriate hashtag, may receive a 10-15$ refund. This strategy will substantively simplify the procedure of control over consumers who prove their purchase.
References
Mendez, M., Bendixen, M., Abratt, R., Yurova, Y., & O’Leary, B. (2015). Sales promotion and brand loyalty: Some new insights. International Journal of Education and Social Science, 2(1), 103-117.
Santini, F. O., Sampaio, C. H., Perin, M. G., Espartel, L. B., & Ladeira, W. J. (2015). Moderating effects of sales promotion types. Brazilian Administration Review, 12(2), 169-189. Web.