As a retailer, it’s your job to get customers in the door at both your brick-and-mortar store and eCommerce site. But that means you might be spreading yourself thin trying to connect with customers in-person and online.
In a fast-paced industry like retail, where every detail matters, just one error could cost you thousands of dollars. In fact, 80% of customers say their experience is just as important as your products, so your business has to operate at 100% at all times.
Instead of spending all of your working hours marketing the business, get your time back with a retail marketing consultant. The right consultant will help you work smarter with the resources you already have so you can finally see returns on your retail marketing efforts.
What is a retail marketing consultant?
Retail marketing consultants are similar to marketing agencies. They’re specialized not just in marketing and business, but also in the nuances of the retail industry.
Retailers frequently turn to a marketing consultant for product launches, rebrands, store expansions, or when they need help finding more customers. A consultant will help you run a better business with services like:
- Content creation
- Budgeting
- Marketing plans
- Hiring guidelines
- Sales metrics
- Competitor analysis
- Collecting customer feedback
At the end of the day, a retail marketing consultant gives you a more holistic view of your retail business, starting with marketing. With the right consultant, you’ll be able to optimize your business by routing your resources to what’s working.
5 ways a retail marketing consultant improves your business
Not sure if hiring a marketing consultant is the right move? Your business can get ahead of the competition in these five ways when you work with an experienced retail consultant.
- Tackle the big decisions
Retail is a cutthroat industry. Sometimes you have to make difficult decisions like:
- Laying off staff
- Restructuring your business
- Overhauling the inventory tracking process
For example, if you’ve been investing thousands of dollars into Facebook Ads and haven’t made a return, a consultant will help you find other strategies that work. It might be difficult to stop what you’re currently doing, but in this case, change is good.
A marketing consultant doesn’t make decisions rooted in personal bias. Their critical, objective eye is meant to build your business up, not to tear it down. They will challenge you to overhaul your marketing so you can finally get real results.
- Get an expert’s guidance
If you aren’t a marketing expert, it can be difficult to know if you’re making the right decisions. When you hire a consultant, you get someone with decades of retail marketing experience. You have someone to consult when you aren’t sure where to go, which will give you greater peace of mind.
Hiring a retail marketing consultant is like gaining a mentor. You don’t have to deal with the stress of managing a retail consultant; they guide you through a proven process that’s informed by their years of experience.
- Measure marketing performance
Are you tracking your retail marketing performance? Many retailers aren’t tracking their data at all, but those with analytics in place are often tracking the wrong metrics.
A retail marketing consultant takes a data-driven approach. They help retailers set up attribution models so you can prove which marketing efforts had an actual effect on sales. Over time, this will help you invest your marketing resources into the most profitable channels.
A retail consultant will also use this data for accountability, so they can see if your marketing initiatives are really working. Meet with your consultant regularly to assess the data and make changes as needed to meet your goals.
- Move faster
Retail is a fast-paced business. You likely don’t have the time to train an internal marketing team for your next product launch.
A retail marketing consultant is able to start work immediately. They have the software, knowledge, and team to get the job done quickly. Thanks to their years of experience and readymade processes, a consultant gets work done as quickly as possible to hit your goals.
- Save money
Internal marketing is great for day-to-day activities, but in-house team members are very expensive. On average, retail marketers earn nearly $50,000 a year. If you factor in benefits, training, and PTO, in-house employees are one of the most expensive ways to market your retail store.
A marketing consultant, on the other hand, is immediately ready to work as a vendor. There’s no need to pay for training or benefits, which makes retail consultants a more affordable option for marketing your business.
In fact, 70% of businesses outsource their marketing to save money. A retail marketing consultant comes ready with the technology, licenses, and systems necessary to do a good job. Don’t buy these things yourself; outsource to a consultant and let them handle all of the expenses.
The bottom line
Retail marketing consultants offer a valuable outside perspective on your retail marketing strategy. Try new things, set trends, and optimize your marketing dollars with an experienced consultant at your side.
Aside from these benefits, a retail consultant will also give you more of your time back. Work on inventory, manage your team, and give customers a fantastic experience. Your consultant will handle the rest. Isn’t it time to try something new? See how the Nitrous Effect helps retailers design data-driven campaigns that increase sales.
