After months of solely shopping online, a survey by Headkount has reported that 8 in 10 customers want customer service assistance in the store. That means they are looking for real, live, sales associates to help them. This great news however, is met with some major setbacks that retail stores are dealing with. CosPro Marketing has the solutions to help!
Unfortunately many store associates were furloughed or laid off to reduce overhead costs during the pandemic. Some of these employees are still concerned for their health and safety, and some of them have discovered new careers, leaving a gap that has become hard to fill at many retail stores.
CosPro Marketing has over 8,000 brand ambassadors nationwide who are expertly trained to do live in-person product demonstrations, makeovers, and to help increase sales. We also offer a monthly beauty box program with options for custom in-store product tester displays and sample displays to get your product into the hands of thousands of eager shoppers.
Eager customers are excited to get out of the house and go shopping at physicial stores, and expect to be able to bring items home with them at the same time. Disappointment abounds when the product they want is out of stock and missing from shelves.
It’s hard to make up for a product being out of stock. A coupon handed out in-stores that can be used for an online purchase, is a good way to direct the customer to where they can buy the item, plus they’ll be happy to receive a discount. Another solution is to train store associates, so in the case that a product is out of stock, they have the knowledge to recommend a comparable product to the customer.
Even though there are some post-Covid obstacles in retail stores, this is a great time to take advantage of the buying power of consumers who are ready to get back to brick-and-mortar shopping. Don’t miss out on sales because of missing sales associates or inventory issues. Contact us today so we can help!
As all retailers know, there‘s never enough staff to do all the great, inventive and creative things you would like to get done to boost sales and market presence. The solution? Do what so many competitors have done: consider outsourcing that wish list to shopper engagement experts. Here are some great reasons why outsourcing works – especially with CosPro Marketing:
Outsourcing is a great way to explore new programs by giving you access to individuals who bring a fresh perspective and new ideas for innovating your marketing efforts. CosPro Marketing are experts in shopper engagement, with 31+ years’ experience. We can create a complete marketing program or outsource some of your ongoing programs so your team can focus on organic growth.
When you need to act quickly, existing resources may lack the critical bandwidth. Working with CosPro Marketing gives you the ability to scale marketing efforts quickly and know things will run smoothly, on-time and with your branding protected. Our creative team turns jobs around quickly while handling all the approval processes with your internal marketing team.
Outsourcing gives you the manpower and skills you need without the overhead. There’s no need to invest in software or additional staff, because CosPro Marketing brings a deep base of these capabilities.
Outsourcing to CosPro Marketing will lighten your team’s individual workloads and allow them to focus on the parts of their jobs they find most valuable and rewarding. On average, turning over one program to CosPro Marketing saves your company 340 labor hours! You never have to worry again about any gaps in staffing to get programs done.
By partnering with CosPro Marketing, you not only SAVE your company money by reducing labor costs, but since most of our innovative programs are share-funded by the vendors, they don’t cost you a dime since our services are free to retailers. There are NO retainer fees or surprise agency charges.
You have a lot on your plate and focusing on these programs is hard. By using CosPro Marketing, you get a team that is completely focused on designing and delivering successful programs that increase shopper engagement and train your sales associates. Our services can be fully turnkey, freeing your time for more important challenges.
At the end of the day, results are what matter to retailers. With our expertise and our ability to serve as extra sets of hands to support your marketing teams, you can be sure that CosPro expertise will deliver higher vendor ROI while boosting overall sales.
Baby & Pet Clubs
Surprise & delight product sampling
In-store
demo events
One of our experiential marketing events is to execute product sampling programs engaging customers at multicultural and specific events such as women’s shows, sporting events, colleges and more. We also customize Grand Opening Programs for retailers so that they are assured of product sampling on opening day. Online and .com programs are a great way to provide product samples to shoppers making an online purchase. Offering product samples at in-store events is a great way to reach customers who have never heard of a brand or product before. 89% of all first-time purchases were the result of a trial, so there is proof that product sampling works and 68% of the customers surveyed said they had never heard of the brand before they received a sample. There are no testers in stores, but customers still like to try before they buy – correct product sampling NOW can help you stand out from the crowd and allow the customer the experience they are missing because of COVID.
There are many ways to distribute product samples and CosPro Marketing can help; we have distributed more than 90 million product samples and have a variety of affordable programs that can get your product sampling done!
It is time to do product sampling now or plan for 2nd half when the world opens back up. Here are some ways to do product sampling and why:
1. People are still using curbside and instore pickup and delivery – this means they are not seeing your brand at the store. 70% of all purchase decisions are made in store, 30% are unplanned (impulse). By doing product sampling on a regular basis, you are giving your brand the exposure it is missing by foot traffic in store. Consider adding your product samples to curbside or delivery packages – not only does the customer get a delightful gift, but your product also gets trial.
2. Product sampling is relatively inexpensive – for example you can send them direct via the mail – Bulk mail rates are low and you don’t have to pay somebody to stand in a store or at an event and hand out samples. Although we do miss in-person events, that’s a big plus if you’re worried about costs, particularly if your product can be mailed in a small package. CosPro Marketing can handle your product sampling via direct mail for you.
3. Consider shared vendor target product sampling – sharing lowers your product sampling costs and results in higher ROI.
a. The world is slowly opening back up and by back-to-school time most colleges will reopen and by fall we can expect to see concerts again. CosPro Marketing has a college product sampling program that places your product samples (combined with others) on the doors of dorm rooms AND at exits after concerts.
b. By fall community events will be back – even if with masks required – these events are perfect for product sampling and bouncing customers back into stores or your website. CosPro Marketing sends their street teams to different community events distributing product samples that target multi-cultural consumers.
c. Both programs above plus a new men’s product sampling program provide up to 20,000 product sampling bags distributed at these venues for a total cost of $6000 (only 30 cents per sample – less than bulk mail). And these are being distributed in person directly to your target customer. One participant saw a 467% increase in website hits while participating in one of our community product sampling events.
4.Consider adding customized QR codes to your product samples or have CosPro Marketing enhance your product samples with more engaging packaging or adhere to coupons or special discount codes. The QR code can take customers directly to your website or a chains .com for an immediate full size purchase. Or you can gain user generated content by having the QR code direct them to review the product they just sampled. CosPro Marketing can also create tutorial videos that the QR code can link to – there are dozens of ways to make these product samples really work for you. All this can help measure the ROI of product sampling. .
Whichever product sampling program you choose to participate in, product sampling is a winning proposition that will lead to brand recognition as well as sales. Call CosPro Marketing now for your FREE consultation on product sampling, or ways to enhance your current product sampling campaign or discuss any other experiential marketing activity.
What is your background?
I own a company called CosPro Marketing that was started as Cosmetic Promotions back in 1990 using a borrowed computer and my garage as a warehouse. That inauspicious beginning has culminated 30 years later as a leader in Beauty Marketing, working with CVS and Walgreens as well as every mass beauty brand. Today the company (rebranded in 2020 as CosPro Marketing) has 23 employees, operates a 40,000 square foot warehouse, and supports two offsite workshops for mentally challenged adults with thousands of hours’ worth of work each year. Altogether, the Cosmetic Promotions team produces and delivers more than 20,000 beauty kits each month. In addition, I started CosPro Agency 19 years ago to provide makeup artists and brand ambassadors in stores to promote the beauty brands we work with.
What got you interested in Fairy Hair?
About 2 years ago I was in a Bar Method class and the instructor had these shimmering strands in her hair that looked awesome! I was getting ready to go on a weekend girls only cruise and thought it would be fun for our group to get fairy hair. So, I booked a party with a fairy and from that moment on I was hooked. Everywhere I went people wanted to know what it was and where they could get it! I had people following me in Europe!
So, tell us exactly what is it?
Fairy Shimmerhair™ Extensions are delicate, silky, shimmering fairy hair extensions which tie onto one strand of hair. They last until that strand of hair falls out naturally. You can wash them, brush them, comb them, color them, curl them, straighten them, blow them dry, and get a haircut with them in!
What are they made of?
They are made of a high-quality fabric that mimics actual hair. Some companies call it Thai Silk but we had them tested by the University of Florida and it is really a silky polyester that withstands heat up to 350 degrees. There is only one company that manufacturers the strands we choose to use because we wanted the one with the highest quality and largest shade selection.
Can people buy the fairy hair elsewhere and DIY?
There are some on Amazon that are a much lower quality (TINSEL) and usually only offer 12 shades. The issue is not only the product quality but the expertise of putting it in. Doing it on yourself is exceedingly difficult and if not put on the hair correctly, will fall out easily. Our trained technicians know the secret to perfect application so that the strands last longer.
So how long can people expect it to last?
I have one strand in my hair now that has been there since middle of June – over 4 months! But typically anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months. The key is that it is tied to ONE hair and when that one hair falls out naturally so does the Fairy hair.
Why did you decide to start this business NOW – especially during Covid?
Our CosPro Agency was not able to book events into stores because obviously to apply makeup you must touch people and during Covid, that is not being done. That means they had nothing to do and I didn’t want to furlough all of them. I also realized there were all these freelance makeup artists out there who needed work. Fairy hair application is Covid safe – everything is sanitized between clients, there is one person there at a time and both the specialist and the client wear a mask. They are not face to face and the specialist is not even brushing the hair, she is choosing one strand at a time.
But overall, there are 2 more reasons I wanted to start this business:
Is this a franchise?
No, it is more like selling Avon, but better. You buy the kit for under $400 and then reorder the hair from us as needed. As your business grows, you can hire fairies to work for you! The group here in Central Florida has been doing it about 3 years and they are always booked solid! Our company is providing the training, the locations, and the booking platform along with robust marketing. They are earning up to 65% of each session plus tips! A fairy working just 6 to 12 hours a week can earn over $50,000 a year.
Where are you doing these?
Right now, we have launched in Atlanta and Jacksonville. Tulsa is next. We have agreements with several small chains, so we are launching in areas where those chains are and where we have the most agency people. But we are also accepting applications on our website.
How does a store get involved?
If a store is looking for more foot traffic, they can contact us about hosting an event.
Are these only done in stores?
No, we also offer Fairy Shimmerhair™ Extensions private parties!
What types of women is this for?
Every woman who has at least 2 inches of hair! Women of all ages love it, you can’t believe how many over 65 women living in the Villages are getting it done. Some people get it for a party, others wear it constantly. Cheerleaders love it, college students get their school colors done. At Halloween you can wear orange and purple. During Mardi Gras, purple, green and gold. And of course, Christmas you can do red and green or silver and gold.
It can be VERY subtle – I like using colors very close to my hair color that just sparkle in the light. Or you can go all out bling and do our Mean Girls Pink or Pure Sapphire. There is also the very popular Rainbow that the younger gals love.
How much does it cost?
It is just $2 per fusion (which hangs down as 2 strands), we sell them in packages of 10, 20, 30 and so on. For every 10 you buy, you get to choose a color. Most people get 20 to 30 strands and 2 colors.
Anything else?
Fairy Shimmerhair™ Extensions are FUN – something we all need right now. It is a way to feel good about yourself and get tons of attention and compliments!
We also have an automatic loyalty club – for every 100 strands you purchase (over time), you get a coupon for 10 strands FREE. We also do FREE strands on the store employees and hope to start doing free sessions for children in need or at women’s shelters.
Some businesses doing grand openings would hire our fairies for 2 hours to do free fairy hair as a promotion.
Also, some celebrities have been seen with fairy hair.
Beyoncé glistened at the 2010 Grammy Awards and in 2019 not only did Saoirse Ronan dazzle on the red carpet for the 2019 Governor’s Award, but Kacey Musgraves rocked a tinsel ponytail during her 2019 tour with the help from celebrity hairstylist Giovanni Delgado.
Website: www.fairyshimmerhair.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fairyshimmerhair
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fairyshimmerhair/
Jilea Hemmings of Authority Magazine Interviewed Joann Marks a part of a series about “Five Things You Need to Know to Succeed in the Modern Beauty Industry”.
Based on your experience and success, Can you please share “Five Things You Need To Know To Succeed In The Modern Beauty Industry”. Please share a story or an example, for each.
After 30 years in the beauty industry as a marketing partner for chains such as Walgreens, Ulta, CVS and Rite Aid and every mass beauty brand, I have unique insights on what it takes to succeed in this industry. My five pieces of advice:
