Imagine this scenario based on a true story: Robert is a grill master and recently purchased a new pellet smoker. He’s ready to try it out and immediately thinks of the grocery circulars sent in the mail earlier in the week. One grocery store offers $2 off per pound for wild-caught Alaskan salmon. With no particular meat in mind and a sudden desire to prepare smoked salmon on a cedar plank, it’s an easy decision. He makes his purchases, he fires up his smoker when he gets home and his dinner turns out beautifully.
But there’s more to the story. This is a classic example of how grocery advertising works and how grocery circulars enhance sales. Using this narrative, let’s unpack how and why grocery circulars and print ads are so successful.
Robert received two grocery circulars in the mail, and as consumers have been doing for decades, he looked at them. It’s human nature. We all look to see what’s on sale, and we observe what’s in front of us. But here’s the interesting part: Robert’s decision on what to cook was inspired by something he saw in a grocery ad. That’s powerful. He saw something, and it triggered an emotional and psychological reaction that made him want to buy it. That’s advertising 101.
When choosing where to buy his salmon, Robert only considered the grocery store with the salmon deal because he didn’t get a circular with a similar offer from other grocery stores. All his preferred grocery stores were within the same vicinity, so the advertising circular offer was what got him through the door. All the other stores likely had salmon, but was it on sale? Who knows? He saw the offer and went for it.
Sure, he could’ve taken the extra time to go online and research all the options, but why would he do that when he had a sudden hankering for salmon right that very moment? He chose to shop based on what was easy, what was affordable, and what was already top of mind.
As you can see from this story, distributing printed circulars continues to influence consumers’ shopping decisions. Advertisements work in subtly powerful ways. The simple fact is that more buyers will visit your store when you distribute circulars than if you don’t. Especially if you’re one of the few grocery stores to put your products out there.
Wondering what ad frequency to use? Learn how often to print ads for your best results here.
Robert’s salmon was advertised on the front page, above the fold, and it was on sale. Immediate attention-grabber. It was featured with other meats, some fresh produce, and a few other front-and-center store items. It got his attention, but more importantly, it got him into the store. That’s the goal, right?
From there, he did what most consumers do. He shopped for his main item and picked up other things that he hadn’t planned on buying. This is the classic loss leader scenario. Get people into the store, and they can’t help but buy other non-sale items. If they see something they need or want along the way, it’s too easy to add it to the cart.
This was precisely the case with Robert. He picked out his salmon and then proceeded to cruise the aisles to see if there were other things he needed. Bottom line? He spent an additional $45 above and beyond the cost of the salmon—and this is a completely natural, predictable response based on human nature. People tend to take the path of least resistance. That’s why he flocked to the deal in the first place.
This same reasoning is why people who try the free product or trial end up sticking with it or buying more if they like the product or service enough. It’s more work to cancel the subscription or to send the product back than it is to keep the subscription and the product, oftentimes whether they like it or not. It’s only once a purchase becomes a genuine hassle that a consumer will choose to change the status quo. As you can see, this same logic applies to shoppers, too. It’s easier to throw other products in your cart since you’re already out and about.
Variety is the spice of life. You never know what people want to buy. When you include a wide variety of items in your grocery ad circulars, you increase your odds that something will appeal to a larger audience of shoppers. The ad Robert saw was a six-page standard with a gatefold—plenty of room to include lots of items. More items mean more opportunities to attract a customer.
While advertising multiple grocery products helps garner a larger audience, it’s also important to note that you don’t have to schedule routine ad circulars. Even grocers who take advantage of monthly print ads do a lot better than grocery stores that never even attempt to try ads. It’s not about quantity, but the quality of the circulars you put out there.
Curious how to design quality ad circulars? Read our blog, How to Design Advertising Circulars.
According to an article by the USPS, print ads and direct mail offer numerous benefits, including:
On top of that, a Forbes article states that print ads can change how consumers remember an experience. It positively changes a person’s attitude toward a certain product or service and has a longer-lasting effect than digital advertising.
The impact of grocery circulars in print advertising is more than you think. While digital is increasing in popularity, it still doesn’t have the same effects as print. Together, you can do incredible things with both print ads and digital. Learning how grocery circulars enhance sales is just the beginning.
If you’re ready to try print ads, our expert team at Signature Graphics can help you. We offer comprehensive services from printing and design all the way to packaging and shipping. Speak to someone on our team to see what print capabilities we have for grocery stores, including advertising circulars and more.
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