LESSON 12: PROMOTIONAL PLANNING

Regular promotions will increase sales and encourage customers to try new items. Customers are more likely to buy in multiples if they’re on sale or give a new item a shot if it’s offered at a discounted introductory price. It is very important to be prepared by planning well in advance for upcoming holidays and promotional events. This includes reviewing past years’ sales, taking advantage of published promotions, Holiday Booking opportunities, and reviewing current mix of products.

Regular monthly promotions are offered via several different avenues.

• Ad Bulletins – Published monthly promotions available to all customers attached to the Ad Bulletin program. Check with your TFF sales rep to see if you are eligible.
• Customer Specific Allowance – Allowances entered by the broker or vendor to support product at the retail level
• Distributer Shows (physical or virtual) – Several shows throughout the year provide access to new items as well as promotions on established favorites.

Holiday Bookings

Offered at key times throughout the year, bookings are essential in order to provide seasonal specific bakery products not otherwise available. These bookings are typically done six months ahead of the delivery date as dictated by the manufacturer’s lead times for production.

Promotions can include:

• In-store promotions, published or not
• Weekly flyers that are generally published
• Online specials such as emails, loyalty programs and coupons

Event promotions

• Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
• Occasions: Mother’s Day, Back to School, Mardi Gras
• Sporting events: New Year’s Day games, World Series, World Cup, Super Bowl
• Holidays: Christmas, Easter, Passover, Fourth of July
• Store Created event – Anniversaries, grand openings

Promotions can run from one week to a month at a time. Some retailers run quarterly promotions on key items or lines.

Whatever the avenue, communication between retailers and their respective reps is key to a successful promotion. Care must be taken to ensure promotion is in place and an adequate supply of product has been secured. Communication between the account and the sales rep, and ultimately the buying staff at UNFI/TFF, is absolutely crucial to the promotion’s success.