Page 79 - Spring Into Markets

Free services
These are the ‘icing on the cake’ benefits of making a purchase in that the trader/retailer offers free gift wrapping, free delivery, free maintenance check after first year, etc. on the item that has been bought.
Loyalty/Introductory vouchers
This is very often used to encourage numerous repeat visits — just think of the coffee shops who offer a free coffee, via a loyalty card, when you have purchased nine other coffees.
It can also be used to encourage shoppers to ‘tell’ other people about a product or service. A number of large firms use the ‘...£50 voucher when your friend signs up to a 12 month contract...’ approach to selling their product.
Try before you buy/Buy now, pay later
Some companies will offer customers a set number of days to try out a product, without any obligation to buy. They know that many customers will not be able to do without the product or will be too
lazy to return the item so guaranteeing a
sale! There is also the option of allowing customers to take a product home and
pay for it later — a selling tactic used by
a number of home furnishings
companies. This, initially, makes a
product seem more attractive to the customer, although it requires complex financial dealings/a large cash flow to enable this sort of customer benefit to work successfully and profitably for the operator.
Guide 11
Creating ‘Good Value’ 79