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March 15th has been consolidated year after year in Brazil, as the “official” date dedicated to the consumer and in which companies see an opportunity to earn more.
However, especially in retail and due to this “limited” view that it is the opportunity to sell more, most do not take advantage of its full potential, restricting themselves to promotions in the form of discounts and nothing much beyond that, with a few exceptions , it is clear.
If you want to know how to be creative and take full advantage of the existing potential, this content is for you!
What is consumer day and when does it take place?
Celebrated in Brazil on March 15, its purpose is to carry out actions for consumers.
This short line above contains some subtle and important information:
- Despite the fact that many contents inform that March 15th is World Consumer Day, this does not correspond to reality. It was indeed the day on which the then US President, John F. Kennedy, in 1962, defended the creation of a set of basic consumer rights, which would ensure their power of choice, their security in the enjoyment of products and services and that their wishes needed to be heard;
- Reinforcing that it is not a worldwide date, in the USA, the largest global consumer market, there are 4 dates on which that day is celebrated, in the months of January, April, July and October, always on the third Tuesday of these months;
- Actions means that not only promotions/discounts should take place, but a wider set aimed at consumers. We will deal with this point in more depth later on;
- Consumer is not synonymous with client and the difference between one and the other is even relevant to determine what needs / should be done and we will talk more about that too.
What is the week and month of the consumer?
As most can imagine, they are respectively the week and the month that comprise the 15th of March.
For some, it is the opportunity to extend the promotions period, since not all consumers will always have the time/availability to take advantage of them if they are restricted to just one day.
There are advantages and disadvantages to this idea.
The first obvious advantage is precisely to try to reach a larger number of consumers. In turn, the longer the promotional period, the greater the investment of resources to keep the campaign active and producing results that justify it.
On the other hand, those who choose to concentrate everything only on March 15th, can explore the opportunity and character of concentrated engagement and exclusivity.
Therefore, depending on the nature of the business and the planned set of actions, the pros and cons will also vary.
What is the difference between consumer day and customer day?
As said before, March 15th is consumer day. Customer Day is celebrated on September 15th.
In addition to being different dates, customer and consumer are not the same thing, although some people use the words as if they were.
Consumer is every person who consumes a product or service that your business sells, but does so in other companies. Already the customer is the one who usually chooses you.
This important difference must be considered in the actions that will be developed, since on the customer’s day, the aim is to reward them for their choice, for their loyalty and, in the case of consumers, to encourage them to get to know your business and become customers. .
Consumer day care
The date is rapidly gaining space in the annual trade calendar, be it traditional retail or e-commerce, to the point that in some segments, it is second only to Mother’s Day in numbers and thus becomes the main sales season in the first half.
Sales on Consumer Day 2022 represented a growth of 22%, with revenues of BRL 722 million in e-commerce on that date and research on this reflects its importance on Google Trends.
More than not missing the opportunity, it is necessary to surround yourself with some precautions so that the planned actions produce the intended results:
- Infrastructure – always imagine the best possible return, which implies that all the infrastructure (personnel, space, products, gifts, stocks, etc.) necessary to make the action viable, support the increase in consumers that the establishment will have. An inadequately conducted campaign can produce a negative image, which is a disaster for those who have their first experience with the company;
- Website – in the case of a website, in addition to its functionality, it must be fast and stable. If you expect a good increase in visitors, you need to anticipate and make sure that your hosting plan supports this increase. In addition, people tend to stay longer on the site, especially those who are not customers and just came to take advantage of a promotion, since many people are not familiar with it and are not used to navigating it, as well as exploring it for longer in search. of opportunities and know details and rules of promotions;
- Planning – in the name of the efficiency of what you propose to do, plan everything thoroughly well in advance. It’s no use on the eve to run after everything and launch promotions on the date or week. Remember that unlike those who opt for the consumer month, the deadline to obtain the intended return is shorter and therefore, if something fails, there may not be time to correct it;
- Publicity – publicity about and information about the campaign must be done in advance, precisely so that consumers – and, therefore, who are not customers yet – who do not usually follow the company, remain unaware of the opportunities you have prepared;
- After-sales – we are not referring only to after-sales, which is the result of any service provided after the sale is made, but everything that comes afterwards and which also includes support, delivery logistics, returns / exchanges, etc. Many companies are only concerned with selling, but fail at this moment, which is decisive for maintaining the conquered customers;
- Transparency – some trade dates have already produced stigmas and reservations among consumers, due to the inappropriate posture of some merchants, who are just trying to take advantage of the moment and/or think they are “smarter” than consumers. Never make “promotions” that became known as “tudo for half double”. This kind of attitude is worse than campaigning at all and is as bad as not respecting the rights provided for in the Consumer Defense Code (CDC);
Consumer Day Creativity
More than simply giving discounts, which is the most common type of action, it is necessary to act with creativity.
First, because if you restrict yourself to giving a percentage discount, it just seems like a move to sell more. Mainly in cases where it is a month-long action, where you get the feeling that if the company can work a whole month at those prices, why not do it the whole year?
1. Work the opportunity
The promotion needs to be special and it needs to feel like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and in those cases, short events are more appropriate.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t work with month-long campaigns.
But instead of embarking on15% off the entire store Myou from Consumer“, something like “every day of March, a product special and with unmissable discounts”, certainly generates more interest and attracts more attention, after all, those interested will keep an eye out to find out what the opportunity will be tomorrow.
The best things are often rare and coveted. Think about it!
2. Attention to trends and differentiation
Pay attention to the segments that have shown the greatest growth.
For example, in 2022, in the food sector, pizza was the item that pulled the segment and the beauty products category, had an increase in all regions compared to the previous year. Therefore, those responsible for businesses in areas like these need to know how to take advantage of trends, but also know that the competition will too.
This means that if all pizzerias offer free soda when buying two pizzas, doing exactly the same thing only makes you equal to competitors and shouldn’t bring their customers, after all why would I stop buying from who I’m used to, if the same advantage I have in one, do I have in the other?
It is necessary to go further, such as including some more expensive flavors in the promotional prices, or offering free stuffed crust, or anything else that other competing pizzerias do not do. It never hurts to remind you that when turning a consumer into a customer, the return comes with time.
3. Give something without asking for anything in return
From the distribution of gifts as a way to bring a consumer to your establishment or even visitors to your website, to other actions that ask for things that many are willing to deliver, without putting their hand in their pocket.
It can be from giving a discount coupon to those who start following the company on a social network, or registering on the website or better yet, answering a survey that asks consumers about what they would like your business to do for them.
4. Invest in the beginning of a relationship
Think of actions that not only include a discount, but a unique experience that can serve to get to know the company better. Give something unique or something that most people wouldn’t be able to buy under normal circumstances.
Normally in this type of action and which tends to be linked to an entire month campaign, both because efficiency depends on long-term dissemination, and because it is interesting that it has many participants, involving the raffle of goods or services with high added value and /or that represent a dream of consumption.
And it doesn’t even have to be something from the company. It is not uncommon for recipients to enjoy trips, tours, special days or awards that are unrelated to the business itself.
If, on the one hand, the consumer will not be “rewarded” with a product or service from the company, on the other hand, he will experience a special moment that was only possible by consuming from the company.
It is recognition and a unique way of saying thank you for choosing us. When that moment comes to your mind, so will who made it possible!
5. Sew partnerships
One way to make the previous tip viable is to establish partnerships with other companies, in which the partner contributes by providing the “prize” under special conditions to the company that conducted the campaign, in exchange for disclosure or synergy actions.
In fact, a legitimate partnership is characterized when those involved start to produce better results than they achieved individually.
Partnerships with other companies can make loyalty programs, vouchers and discount coupons available for partners, but also serve to conquer new and better suppliers, who work with better products and/or raw materials, better commercial conditions, faster deliveries and everything. that helps to offer your potential customers something better and more affordable than before.
Conclusion
Boosting consumer day is more than just giving discounts. It is to create a set of actions that aims to win new customers.
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