Great advertising, quality content, standout packaging, engaging social media, and enticing promotions will successfully drive awareness and brand values; however product demonstrations deliver a branded ‘try-before-you-buy’ opportunity at the point of purchase. Executed correctly, demonstrations will communicate your product’s key benefits and influence buying decisions where it matters. They’re the missing link to close your conversion loop which is what impacts your bottom line.

How?

Immediacy

Faced with a choice of apparently similar products and retail assistants with little detailed product knowledge, today’s consumer often retreats to the world of online reviews and buying guides. While these guides have a role, ultimately their goal is to drive any conversion for a commission; they lack the product knowledge and detail to match the customer’s specific needs and to differentiate your product.

Well trained, knowledgeable product demonstrators are a breath of fresh air for customers looking for help with their decision. Not only can they offer a hands-on experience surpassing any online review; chosen and trained correctly, demonstrators can match the customers’ needs, offering your product as a solution. This expertise gives the customer the confidence to purchase on the spot without the need to justify or bolster their opinion with further research.

Certainty

Product demonstrations dismiss uncertainty. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes. If you’ve ever blown up an online image trying to see a particular aspect of a product, or scoured packaging looking for an answer, or been dissatisfied with the response from a retail assistant; you understand uncertainty. Maybe you made a purchase, maybe not. But if you did, you might have felt that your purchase was based more on a lucky guess than on an informed decision. If any of this sounds remotely familiar, then you can see how a product demonstration would’ve offered certainty and the confident purchase on the spot.

Word Of Mouth

No matter how quickly marketing terminology changes, there will never be anything better than a recommendation that is passed on by someone you trust. Demonstrators embody this spirit; yes, they’re paid ambassadors, but it doesn’t stop them genuinely sharing the excitement of their discovery of the product.

Seeing Is Believing

Your product has been developed to meet a specific need which provides a solution to a problem that’s better than your competitor’s. No matter how clearly you communicate the benefits of your product, there’s no substitute for seeing it in action in person. Deliver this experience to a potential customer who is ready to buy, and they’re unlikely to give your competition a second thought.

Engagement

Online engagement is measured with likes, clicks, comments, and shares, however, it’s not true engagement – it’s a response to a message. Quality brand interaction is a two-way street. Face-to-face conversations really engage, and a well-trained demonstrator can close a sale better than an automated pop-up. Even without a sale, the brand interaction drives positive awareness and a future bias towards your brand, which in itself is invaluable.

Trust

Customers only buy from people or brands that they trust. They’ll trust someone who understands their problems and can offer relevant solutions and further insights. And this is precisely what a well-trained field marketer with excellent product knowledge does. Think about it; if you are training for your first marathon, you want to buy shoes from an experienced runner. Demonstrators humanise the jargon and personally identify with the customer’s needs. Potential customers might warm to your brand’s values, but they buy solutions.

Showrooming

Showrooming is when a customer goes to look at a product in store with the intention of buying it cheaper online. Let’s be clear; these customers are still in buying mode, and the key reason for this behavior is to find out more about the product before they buy it. A product demonstration will still capture these buyers; in fact, far from being a waste, it meets their needs exactly.

A showroomer might still buy online, but they’re far more likely to buy the demonstrated product, for the same reasons an in-store shopper does. Define a strategy targeted at incentivizing the showroomer, and your demonstrations could drive both in-store and online sales.

Ultimately product demonstrations offer the chance for potential customers to try your product without any commitment. It is experiential marketing. It’s the only marketing tool that allows you to show rather than tell. And doing this at the point of purchase immediately influences the customer’s choice. Demonstrations drive sales, and satisfied customers fuel your bottom line. Why wouldn’t you connect with your customers this way?

At FMI we are committed to delivering ROI and our team works hard to ensure that everything they do is towards growing the clients bottom line. Contact us today on 01 496 3399 for more details.