On a recent sales trip, I was reminded how powerful a logoed sticker can be. At the end of the meal, the server brought the check along with two of the restaurant’s stickers, a survey card and an invitation to join their mailing list. For the rest of the trip through Oregon, the restaurant (6th Street Bistro) was proudly promoted on the bumper of my rental car. In retrospect, I couldn’t recall another time when I had been given a sticker by any business….thus sparking this article.
In my travels, I see stickers from Encinitas surfboards and Ron Jon surf shop on cars from many states. Do they raise shop awareness? YES! Do they increase in-store and online sales? VERY LIKELY!
With rising costs and lots of marketing options these days, stickers are an overlooked yet highly effective investment for any retailer who wants to boost awareness of their shop, build customer loyalty, keep marketing costs low and ultimately grow sales.
Here’s a great example from a company that is boosting the awareness AND sales of its coffee on Facebook by offering free stickers.
Stickers are very inexpensive if you stick to some basics. Be sure to work with a quality printer; there are a lot of very cheap, poor quality stickers out there—they crack, peel and fade quickly and are a poor reflection of your business! You want ones that will last!
- Use one of the “optimal” printing sizes–4.75” x 3” rectangle/oval or 3” square/circle
- Keep logo artwork simple and easy to read—limit to 3 colors or less
- Print at least 2500 units on white vinyl—print 2 or 3 different colorways in the order for variety
- Add city, state if applicable—don’t bother with phone number or website
Here is an example of pricing for a high quality sticker:
4.75” x 3” rectangle/oval or 3” x 3” square/circle on white vinyl
1000 2500 5000 unit cost
1 color $0.36 $0.21 $0.15
2 colors $0.41 $0.27 $0.18
3 colors $0.67 $0.34 $0.22
What about giving a sticker to every person who walks through the door? Keep a pile at the counter, put one in every bag and online order! We all like unexpected gifts, plus it creates a unique opportunity to start a conversation and hopefully build a long-term relationship with that potential customer. Cost to retailer (2 color, 3” square sticker) = 18 cents; potential sales return = HUGE!
How about putting a shop sticker on the back of beach chairs, surfboards, skimboards, skateboards, etc.? This is free advertising while adding exposure for your shop on the beach, by the pool, at the park, in the lakes and throughout the community.
Mahalo,
Dave Seehafer
Specialty Retail Consulting & Private Label Resourcing Firm–Since 2002
949-466-4110 info@globalwaveventures.com www.globalwaveventures.com
BRA note: We are very thankful for the excellent resources that Dave Seehafer delivers to BRA Members through his retail consulting firm Global Wave Ventures. Dave has been a BRA Supporting Vendor Partner from the beginning and is very good at what he does. We encourage you to reach out to him to learn how he can help you improve your operation and open to buy programs (check out a few of the examples of private label products that Dave can assist shops with below).
– Doug Works, Executive Director BRA
If you are not yet a BRA Retail Member, you can easily opt in to either Regular (no cost) or Distinguished ($100/yr.) Membership via this super simple join form