The role of retail partnerships in a till slip campaign

A till slip campaign engages shoppers, drives sales and shows you what they bought. In South Africa’s FMCG market, whether it is a good campaign or a great one usually comes down to the retail partner.

Why the partnership matters

• Reach. Shoprite, Pick n Pay and Woolworths already have the stores and the shoppers. A partner like that puts the campaign in front of people who are already in the aisle.
• Trust. A promotion that sits with Checkers or SPAR borrows credibility the brand would struggle to earn on a poster alone.
• Execution. The retailer can put the campaign on the floor, highlight the right products, and help get the material up.

Choosing the partner

• Match the audience. Middle-income families may be better served by Shoprite or Checkers than by a luxury banner.
• Match the brand. A sustainability story sits more naturally with a retailer shoppers already associate with that, such as Woolworths.
• Match the footprint. Pick n Pay or SPAR, with stores across the country, will carry a national mechanic further than a handful of doors.

How to structure it

• Give the retailer a reason: footfall, sales of the featured lines, or loyalty they can feel.
• Keep the conversation open through the campaign, so a problem on the floor can be fixed.
• Share the marketing. In-store displays, social, newsletters and the retailer’s site, not only the brand’s.

Line up the incentives

• A sales target with a bonus if the retailer hits it, so they promote the campaign rather than host it.
• An offer that only exists in that banner, which gives shoppers a reason to go there.
• A debrief afterwards. What worked, what did not, and what the next one should change.

Partnerships that have worked

• Coca-Cola and Shoprite. Buy a set number of products, enter on the till slip, and Shoprite’s network did the reaching.
• Knorr and Pick n Pay. Vouchers, in-store promotion, and a customer base that already matched the brand. Participation and sales both moved.
• Cadbury and SPAR. Instant-win prizes on a Cadbury purchase, using SPAR’s loyal shoppers to drive both the visit and the brand.

Brazen Labs runs Smartslip.ai with both the brand and the retailer in mind, so the campaign stays fair and the slips can actually be read. A worked SPAR Express example is Coca-Cola at SPAR Express.

To plan one, email andrew@brazenlabs.co.za. The short version of how these campaigns work is in till slip campaigns explained.