Mega Deals are proving a hit with wholesalers and retailers, writes TAN PARSONS
Some Today’s Group depots have boasted sales soaring to almost £1m in just one day, thanks to the Mega Deals programme launched earlier this year by the group.
There are several reasons why this season of promotions has been successful and why Today’s is looking at extending it next year.
Above all, customers are attracted by the fantastic deals on offer in depots running Mega Deals. But there are also activities, such as video gaming and tricks with Bernie the Magician.
But there’s also the £100K in total prize giveaways. The top prizes include four Citroën Berlingo vans, an iPad and a small-business package. Scratch cards are given away on each Mega Deals day, with mystery products and cash prizes to be won.
Today’s will announce the winners of the Mega Deals prizes in September at its Supplier Presentation and Members Forum at the Royal Armouries in Leeds.
According to Anita Oakhill, Today’s brand marketing manager: “It’s about rewarding the customers we have already got, but you are also bringing in customers who are interested and you are also potentially winning customers from competitors.
“In providing them with something exciting and different, we are driving sales, which is what we are here for at the end of the day. It’s about selling more cases through the depots.”
Mega Deals is also a chance for Today’s to promote its own-label package, launched in October last year.
Oakhill said: “Our own-label range is doing really well but we want to get greater penetration and raise awareness of the ranges – by sampling the products and giving them away as prizes, we are getting the ranges into retailers’ hands.”
Mega member viewpoints
Elbrook Cash & Carry in south London saw turnover on Mega Deals day hit four times the usual total for a Thursday. Elbrook buyer Bikal Shrestha says when people came into the depot on the day, they were looking for the special offers, but they also noticed other items on the depot floor.
He said: “It’s great to have promotions like this. It’s like when people see an advert for PC World on the TV, people will have it in mind and be more likely to shop there.”
Dhamecha’s Croydon branch saw sales jump 40% during its Mega Deals day. “The presence of the Today’s team, including the magician and the activities like the lucky draw, were fantastic,” said Dhamecha’s Deepak Pattani.
One of the best things about getting a promotional day right is that it brings new customers. Pattani says customers are mainly looking for multi-buy deals like ‘buy two, get one free’ or ‘buy two, save £5’ – as well as linked deals, like tea and sugar or soft drinks and crisps.
“It’s these kinds of events that get people through the door – and they are also brilliant publicity,” he says.
Khanjra International Foods’ managing director Altaf Khanjra earlier this year (BW July 2013) said Mega Deals day had eclipsed its other promotional days. Part of the reason it has worked so well for him is that the group now holds this type of promotion on Thursdays, rather than Saturdays, because it works better with traffic on the motorway – it always pays to think how you can make a great day even better.
