Experiential Marketing and Why Physical Experiences Sell

The Rise of Digital Convenience

The way that we experience the world is different to how it used to be. The rise of the digital world has meant that it is so convenient to order something online rather than tangibly experience a product in a store, and many avoid the haunting smile of a sales assistant in a shop. Marketing is less about momental persuasion and more about personalised experiences that increase your awareness and value of a product.

Customer Loyalty Post-Pandemic

A few years ago travelling for work was the norm, and physically going to a shop was expected. The pandemic definitely had a large social impact on how we source the things we need, but we’re slowly coming around. Regardless, brands are struggling to create customer loyalty. If you want something, you buy it - but how do you get customers to continue supporting your brand? How do you emphasise what makes your brand special? And how do you increase awareness by recommendation or referral?

Influencers and Parasocial Relationships

A large solution to this is through influencer marketing. We can now see brands shipping influencers across the globe, taking them on week long excursions to film and post about all the food they eat, the products they use and showcasing how the brand made them feel. Many refer to watching influencers as having a “parasocial relationship”, i.e. you feel like you know them personally and you trust in their thoughts and opinions. If they get a brand deal, followers may feel inclined to support them and buy their products. But on the flip side, what’s in it for them?

Many consumers feel disillusioned by the disproportionate way brand experiences are offered and are re-prioritising physical experiences. Often influencers are being paid to go and promote the products, but where are the true positive reviews and where is the value for the regular consumer? This is where experiential marketing comes in.

Experiential Marketing to Foster Value

Experiential marketing takes the physical shopping experience and goes the extra mile. This is perfect for events, conferences, exhibitions, festivals - you name it. It could be anything from an interactive trade show stand to a unique pop-up experience where users can try products and receive free incentives. Experiential marketing makes the consumer take notice, but furthermore get an idea of what your brand is like - whether it’s fun, innovative, knowledgeable. The user can not only interact and trial products, they can speak to staff, recognise the branding and share their experience with their friends. Tangibility creates memory and positive experiences create loyalty. This creates better brand recall and increased conversion rates when consumers are ready to buy. 

Consumer Engagement and Awareness

Experiential marketing is also a fantastic way to gauge consumer insights and behaviour, learning about what your customers enjoy and their likelihood to interact with you again. It offers lots of opportunities such as surveys, interactive games and competitions to get insight into your brand through first party data. It’s all about taking incentivisation and turning it into value. Users may want freebies, but how can true engagement be fostered? What can you learn from your audience?

Examples of our Work

At Mosaique, customer experience is something we consider at every stage of our work. From targeting the correct consumer audience, to data-backed insights; we create experiences that engage and add value to both the customer and the brand. Our in-house design team is amazing at taking a brand and making them shine. From point of sale (POS) to conference stands and in-store experiences, we create tactile and attractive displays that are cost effective and timeless.

Here are a few examples that we’re particularly proud of…

Karcher Virtual House

Karcher Game Fair

SodaStream Currys VR Experience

John Lewis In-Store Shopping Experience

Learn more about the Experience focused services we offer.