Automatic. Supersonic. Hypnotic. Funky Fresh.
But these terms don’t just apply to the ‘beat’ (if you know, you know) – as these are also great ways to describe the impact of field marketing software on brands the world over.
But what is field marketing software? And how can you get the most out of it without spinning multiple plates and going utterly bananas in the process?
Don’t fret, our pet. We’ve got you.
In this guide, we’ll touch on how you can use the latest in marketing technology to boost customer experience in your chosen retailers – using it to create successful field marketing campaigns with the help of image recognition and data solutions.
We’ll also talk about:
- What field marketing software actually is
- Examples of field marketing ‘in the wild’
- The golden benefits of field marketing
- How you can use the latest software to boost your brand’s offering
- Using Reapp for supercharging strategies (and a bit about us)
You see, with data-led software that revitalises your product offering, Reapp gives brands complete visibility into what’s happening on the shelf and beyond.
We obtain real-life insights that translate into freshly squeezed, clearly comprehensible data, so if you’ve ever questioned if compliance is strictly followed in a certain store, want to keep an eye on field marketing activity, or are interested in learning what’s stopping your SKUs from moving, we can help.
It’s all about removing the legwork, so you have a crystal-clear view of your products in stores up and down the country – available at the push of a button.
From experiential marketing plans to building customer relationships in-store, Reapp’s impressive technological offering makes light work of the guesswork.
Promise.
But let’s get into the good stuff, shall we?
So, what is field marketing, anyway?
As Julie Andrews once sang, “let’s start at the very beginning, as it’s a very good place to start.”
To review, field marketing is the practice of raising brand awareness, helping companies backup their marketing claims and goals set out in the strategy, and – ultimately – sending sales into the stratosphere.
While marketing strategies outline the actions that aim to nab the target audience from the shelf, field marketing aims to close the deal within the store itself, creating conversions in this section of the sales pipeline.
Although digital marketing and conversational marketing seem to dominate most conversations about how best to get your customer’s eyeballs on your shiny, shiny products – how they interact with those ‘IRL’ can’t be understated.
However, field marketing strategy does follow similar principles, such as:
- specification and personalisation
- building authentic relationships
- nailing niche target audiences or the wider public
- translating ideas into tangible assets
Essentially, although digital marketing enables businesses to reach a larger client base through the magic of the internet, field marketing demonstrates to customers exactly how the product helps them and earns their trust.
When it comes to building brand awareness and product notoriety, you need to do the groundwork first.
Lucky for you, we’ve come a long way since the creaky field marketing solutions of yesteryear.
We’ve gone all techy – and it’s transforming the way B2C Brands get their products seen, shelved, and sold.
What is field marketing technology?
Back in the olden days, brand managers had to go from shop to shop in order to glean tangible data from branding efforts.
As you can imagine, traversing the retail equivalent of Mordor and back might not be the most efficient way to log and implement your marketing goals – which is why the technological revolution has been a Godsend for brands and store managers alike.
Technology forms a huge and vital part of wider field marketing efforts.
Over the past ten years alone, the development of software, data-handling facilities and image recognition capabilities has shot through the roof (and is only set to increase) – meaning it’s never been easier to find the actions that bring in the wonga.
In the hands of a marketing team, software can improve a brands’ ability to work across multiple retail channels. This is because technology can provide a ‘bridge’ between a retailer and brand, wherever either party finds themselves, giving both the power to gather fresh data, organise next steps, view and deploy actionable insights at the touch of a button.
All those difficult strands of communication can be dealt with from a central system, pulling together all the important people on your account to one place.
Brands can put their brands on the map – and keep them there – when they use field marketing software to supercharge their operations.
Sorry technophobes, but the days of sending carrier pigeons (or calling up the retail manager at all hours) are well and truly over.
How effective is field marketing software for brands?
“Alright clever clogs”, we hear you cry – thanks, by the way – “other than being super-fast and all that, how will it actively improve my brand’s offering in-store?”
We’re getting to it.
Sure, our software’s speed and efficiency is not to be sniffed at, but it does more than crunch numbers quickly.
Essentially, marketing software taps into all the key components that make up effective campaigns and product launches. This can be anything from meeting targets, providing concrete data that certain plans are working or giving brand managers a heads-up that something in the sales pipeline is amiss – by quickly creating customisable data reports that can be accessed anywhere.
These true-to-life insights are gold-dust when it comes to proactive management, giving marketing teams the chance to cancel or pivot activity that might spoil your products’ chances.
Let’s explore other areas where Field Marketing Software can come in handy:
Customer relationship management
One of the biggest challenges for brand managers is trying to keep up with the ‘demand generation’.
The shop-scape has transformed dramatically over the space of a decade, with electronic perks like EPOS and contactless payments fuelling the way customers interact with products.
Software can help you trace and understand where conversions are lost (or taking place) on your target audience’s journey through the store, allowing you to implement improvements exactly where it’s needed.
Brands can also use this tool to track and make use of customer feedback faster and more effectively, enabling them to make stand-out changes that will keep shoppers’ baskets full time and time again.
Improve return on investment
Budgets, baby.
We know the stress that comes with trying to quantify your actions in the real world. So when final sales numbers aren’t cutting it, you’ll need leverage – something that field marketing software provides in absolute spades.
When it comes to discerning your brand’s success in the real world, our software makes it easy to get an overview of super-rich data through the use of super-smart and super-simple reports and dashboards. These help you analyse any – or all – units of performance, streamline sales pipelines and pinpoint areas that need work ahead of next quarter’s strategy.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, but software can help you figure out what’s working when it comes to maximising growth and stopping the dreaded mid-campaign plateau – all at the touch of a button.
Nail those marketing goals
While we’re on the subject, marketers should assess the effectiveness of their merchandising strategies by focusing on their opportunity win rates, average sale size, and sales-to-revenue ratios.
Luckily, software makes super light work of getting all the numbers and figures to help you get a true picture of these goals – so there’s plenty to pop in the quarterly report.
We even make it easy for you to share and save multiple reports, with over 26 pre-programmed questions and data sets available for your marketing team to get their teeth into.
Time consuming? No. Mind blowing? Yes.
But are you still unconvinced? Don’t just take our word for it, check out our case studies to see how Reapp’s smart solutions have made sweet dreams of marketing nightmares.
How can it help a brand in the wild?
Don’t let the data byte. That’s more our thing.
So, how does this software actually work?
It’s no secret that our tech has to handle a lot when it comes to keeping up with the fast-paced needs of today’s consumers, with their tap-happy way of shopping and beady-eyed budgeting.
Field Marketing Software champions at-a-glance results or data collation at the touch of a button, helping you understand how your products are handled at shelf side.
Through automation and top-notch management ability, it can also understand and crunch the numbers of effective promotions, pricing, inventory tracking, product availability and overall shelf-side compliance – pulling up quality data on planograms and overall strategy in a shockingly fast response time.
But that’s not all. Software can also help you keep stock (get it?) of what customers are looking for and actively buying across multiple retail locations, tracking each product throughout the pipeline.
From the comfort of the screen, brands are able to see how retailers deploy their strategies.
Then, through the use of all that clever data, they can make your stores as efficient as possible by incorporating the next steps based on the information gleaned through field sales software.
In a nutshell, this tech enables you to increase customer satisfaction while simplifying processes with field marketing software that can turbocharge your brand’s service quality in-store.
With our platform, you can do it all at a click, boosting your profits and retaining clients.
You heard it here, folks – the days of tedious manual audits and awaiting action are over.
Field Marketing success, fueled by Reapp
Field sales technology + Reapp = a match made in marketing heaven.
Brands can harness our incredible suite of software and make use of cutting-edge data analytics to understand, predict, and action how products can be revitalised in-store.
How?
With Reapp, we analyse information from various points in the retail environment and incorporate it into our cutting-edge analytics tools to produce insights that can be put into practise and result in remarkable improvements. There’s no limit to our power, with the ability to handle whole ranges or hone-in and spot-check specific lines or wastage in a few simple clicks.
From EPOS to product range availability and visibility, store compliance to shelf share, we go above and beyond to deliver real outcomes from exceptional data points.
Looking to make marketing magic? We’re the secret ingredient.
Want to see how we can help your brand? Get in touch for a free availability audit and report today to Reapp the benefits.
