Sales Promotion and its Importance

Sales promotion is one of the four aspects of promotional mix. (The other three parts of the promotional mix are advertising, personal selling, and publicity/public relations.) Media and non-media marketing communication are employed for a pre-determined, limited time to increase consumer demand, stimulate market demand or improve product availability. Examples include contests, coupons, freebies, loss leaders, point of purchase displays, premiums, prizes, product samples, and rebates.

Sales promotions can be directed at either the customer, sales staff, or distribution channel members (such as retailers). Sales promotions targeted at the consumer are called consumer sales promotions. Sales promotions targeted at retailers and wholesale are called trade sales promotions. Some sale promotions, particularly ones with unusual methods, are considered gimmicks by many.

The objectives are:

i. To introduce new products

ii. To attract new customers and retain the existing ones

iii. To maintain sales of seasonal products

iv.To meet the challenge of competition

1. To introduce new products: Perhaps you know that many companies distribute free samples while introducing new products. The consumers after using these free samples may develop a taste for it and buy the products later for consumption.  
2. To attract new customers and retain the existing ones: Sales promotion measures help to attract or create new customers for the products. While moving in the market, customers are generally attracted towards the product that offers discount, gift, prize, etc on buying. These are some of the tools used to encourage the customers to buy the goods. Thus, it helps to retain the existing customers, and at the same time it also attracts some new customers to buy the product.
3. To maintain sales of seasonal products: There are some products like air conditioner, fan, refrigerator, cooler, winter clothes, room heater, sunscreen lotion, glycerin soap etc., which are used only in particular seasons. To maintain the sale of these types of products normally the manufactures and dealers give off-season discount
4. To meet the challenge of competition: Today’s business faces competition all the time. New products frequently come to the market and at the same time improvement also takes place. So sales promotion measures have become essential to retain the market share of the seller or producer in the product-market.

TOOLS OF SALES PROMOTION

To increase the sale of any product manufactures or producers adopt different measures like sample, gift, bonus, and many more. These are known as tools or techniques or methods of sales promotion.

(i)        Free samples: You might have received free samples of shampoo, washing powder, coffee powder, etc. while purchasing various items from the market. Sometimes these free samples are also distributed by the shopkeeper even without purhasing any item from his shop. These are distributed to attract consumers to try out a new product and thereby create new customers. Some businessmen distribute samples among selected persons in order to popularize the product

(ii)    Premium or Bonus offer: A milk shaker along with Nescafe, mug with Bournvita, toothbrush with 500 grams of toothpaste, 30% extra in a pack of one kg. are the examples of premium or bonus given free with the purchase of a product. They are effective in inducing consumers to buy a particular product. This is also useful for encouraging and rewarding existing customers.

(iii)      Exchange schemes: It refers to offering exchange of old product for a new product at a price less than the original price of the product. This is useful for drawing attention to product improvement. ‘Bring your old mixer-cum-juicer and exchange it for a new one just by paying Rs.500’ or ‘exchange your black and white television with a colour television’ are various popular examples of exchange scheme.

(iv)       Price-off offer: Under this offer, products are sold at a price lower than the original price. ‘Rs. 2 off on purchase of a lifebouy soap, Rs. 15 off on a pack of 250 grams of Taj Mahal tea, Rs. 1000 off on cooler’ etc. are some of the common schemes. This type of scheme is designed to boost up sales in off-season and sometimes while introducing a new product in the market.

(v)          Coupons: Sometimes, coupons are issued by manufacturers either in the packet of a product or through an advertisement printed in the newspaper or magazine or through mail. These coupons can be presented to the retailer while buying the product. The holder of the coupon gets the product at a discount. 

(vi)   Fairs and Exhibitions: Fairs and exhibitions may be organised at local, regional, national or international level to introduce new products, demonstrate the products and to explain special features and usefulness of the products. Goods are displayed and demonstrated and their sale is also conducted at a reasonable discount.

(vii)  Trading stamps: In case of some specific products trading stamps are distributed among the customers according to the value of their purchase. The customers are required to collect these stamps of sufficient value within a particular period in order to avail of some benefits. This tool induces customers to buy that product more frequently to collect the stamps of required value.

(viii)     Scratch and win offer: To induce the customer to buy a particular product ‘scratch and win’ scheme is also offered. Under this scheme a customer scratch a specific marked area on the package of the product and gets the benefit according to the message written there.

(ix)           Money Back offer: Under this scheme customers are given assurance that full value of the product will be returned to them if they are not satisfied after using the product. This creates confidence among the customers with regard to the quality of the product. This technique is particularly useful while introducing new products in the market.

Importance of Sales Promotion

The business world today is a world of competition. A business cannot survive if its products do not sell in the market. Thus, all marketing activities are undertaken to increase sales. Producers may spend a lot on advertising and personal selling. Still the product may not sell. So incentives need to be offered to attract customers to buy the product. Thus, sales promotion is important to increase the sale of any product.

From the point of view of manufacturers

i. it helps to increase sales in a competitive market and thus, increases profits;

ii. it helps to introduce new products in the market by drawing the attention of potential customers;

iii. when a new product is introduced or there is a change of fashion or taste of consumers, existing stocks can be quickly disposed off;

iv. it stabilizes sales volume by keeping its customers with them. In the age of competition it is quite much possible that a customer may change his/her mind and try other brands. Various incentives under sales promotion schemes help to retain the customers.

From the point of view of consumers

i. the consumer gets the product at a cheaper rate;

ii. it gives financial benefit to the customers by way of providing prizes and sending them to visit different places;

iii. the consumer gets all information about the quality, features and uses of different products

iv. certain schemes like money back offer creates confidence in the mind of customers about the quality of goods; and

v. it helps to raise the standard of living of people. By exchanging their old items they can use latest items available in the market. Use of such goods improves their image in society.