How to use all 5 senses to sell more seafood Author : John Fiorillo By Roxanne Johnson Studies confirm multi-sensory merchandising breaks through a shopper s distractions and 1/5
preoccupations by getting their attention. Multi-sensory merchandising can influence seafood-buying behavior by motivating customers to spend at your seafood counter. Let s start by understanding the principle of "sensory bundling." People make purchases based on how they feel." Shoppers who experience more sensory seafood inspiration and temptation in a single event feel joy and embrace the memory, causing relaxation and resulting in less discipline when spending. Thus, they buy more seafood. Then they buy more seafood sauces, dips, spices, tools and gadgets! Here's how to tap into a consumer's five senses of sight, sound, taste, touch and smell to boost seafood sales. Make some noise Think of sound as a touchpoint," like a handshake or hug. A sound gets attention. When something is working or running it generates a sound. A specific sound signifies a brand. Sound can provoke a memory or create a bond, an attachment. Start by adding a sound specific to seafood to the entire selling area or specific locations -- the horn of a boat, the sound of waves crashing or seagulls. The sound can be activated by switches, timers or movement. Install at a door opening, on a scale, within a self-service display or on a service case. Select music, your music -- unique to your brand. Play it quietly in the background or sing it loudly everywhere. Draw attention to a specific display or product by ringing a bell or making an announcement. Move noisy operations forward to be heard and noticed. Position a monitor at a location to educate and entertain while your song is playing. 2/5
Touch is golden Humans touch to judge food quality and freshness. Shoppers will pay more for an item if they touch it first. Holding an item creates a bond of ownership. Shoppers viewing associates holding seafood while stocked, arranged or garnished gives the impression of new or fresher. A handshake or pat on the back suggests a meaning of importance and recognition. Encourage handshakes. Touching packaged products should be easy, make items accessible. Create curiosity by how a product is packaged or labeled. Keep the loading, arranging and freshening activities going. Be playful like the guys at Seattle's Pike Place Market, who surprise shoppers by bumping them with a fish attached to a stick controlled from behind the counter. Consider a touching tank with crabs or other species for children and adults to pick their own. It s in the air Smell is the most powerful sense a human possesses. Scent is unique and responsible for taste. The nose can smell directionally. Smell is closely linked to memory. When humans are exposed to a good scent their mood improves. Good smells get the saliva glands working, translating to sales. Fill the air with positive aromas of freshness. Start cooking. Grill, fry or steam using exotic herbs and spices. Sample the seafood to enhance the fusion of taste. Display and sell fresh aromatic herbs, fruits and vegetables. Place them at a level and location to emanate aroma. Position the cooking activity near a product of importance, then direct shopper s noses by the scent. Beware of bad odors that will work as a huge disadvantage. Delight the palate Taste is a fusion of a food s flavor, smell and touch. Everyone s taste is different and changes 3/5
as you age. Taste is social and a part of events. We acquire different tastes as we travel, move and are exposed to other cultures. Upbringing and tradition influence taste. Keep cooking to let shoppers taste your seafood. Educate with recipes, classes and live tastings to experience the flavor. Learn about emerging cultures' seafood, seafood dishes and ceremonies. Cook those dishes and sample and stock the needed ingredients. Feature This is my favorite from a local celebrity, expert or staff to encourage tastings of a new product. Hold tasting events with a theme. Give take away samples. Catch the eye Eighty five percent of a human s information is received visually. Effective visual seafood displays entice, engage and motivate shoppers to make a purchase. Provocative seafood presentations fuse the other senses into a memorable experience. Slow the shopper down by the seafood they see. Use color to catch the eye and focus attention. Include a focal point. Vary the heights and angles. Contrast seafood textures and shapes. Tell a product's story with signs. Garnish as a finishing touch to compliment. Getting a shopper's attention and influencing sales is important. Multi-sensory seafood merchandising influences buying behavior by motivating consumers to spend, so look to stimulate a shoppers five senses simultaneously and you will be on your way to boosting your seafood sales. Roxanne Johnson is Founder and President of RJ & Associates (www.rjandassociates.net), a visual food merchandising service. Providing visual food display solutions designed to innovate and attract. For more information, contact Roxanne@RJandAssociates.net 4/5
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