I love kids’ meals! When I was a kid I would have done anything for a kids’ meal. For some reason the promise of that little toy was worth more than the food that it was sold with.
Now that I am older the promise of getting a little something extra still excites me. That could be why a study by Southern Methodist University found that customers who received promotional products reordered 18% sooner than customers who received coupons.
While sales and coupons can be effective, they are intangible. You’re just getting money off rather than getting something more for your money. At the end of the day, most people can’t tell you where the money they saved went. And if they are ordering for their company, they may never personally see the benefit of that coupon at all.
So instead of offering a coupon to promote sales, think about offering a promotional item. Very few people will remember which company had a coupon for office paper six months ago, but they will remember who was giving away paper shredders. Plus, the paper shredder will serve as a reminder that it might be a good idea to go check to see how much office paper is left.
