In Store Advertising

Despite shows like Sex and the City that depict shopping as a life-affirming experience, for most parents the weekly shop can be a pretty trying chore – especially if you have a toddler in tow. But for advertisers, shopping visits aren’t just another opportunity to sell goods to parents through in-store advertisements; they are a chance to develop a relationship with children too.

Why Children Matter to Advertisers

Modern kids are more likely than ever to have their own cash to spend at the store. Statistics show that the average pocket money per week for 5 to 7 year olds is £1.38, rising to £5.66 for 14 to 16 year-olds. But it isn’t just their pocket money that advertisers are after. Marketers know that kids can influence family spending on big ticket items like cars, furniture and computers. This influencing process begins almost as soon as a child first enters the local supermarket with their parents.

How Kids Influence Spending at the Store

For young children the shopping centre is where they first make the connection between the adverts they see on TV and real-life products. As children grow up and get used to the in-store environment they can start influencing their parents to buy the products they've seen advertised on-screen.

By the age of one kids that come to the shops with parents are placed directly in the shopping trolley on a specially-designed seat. From this position, children can see the wide range of consumer goods as they are being pushed around.
By the age of two kids actively start recognising products from the adverts they’ve seen at home. Through basic gestures they may be able to tell parents when they want something.
By the age of three kids can walk beside their parents and make some of their own choices. They are attracted to toys and sweets through familiar characters on in-store displays or on packaging. They may also be able to locate different brands within the store.
By the age of four kids can make truly independent choices and may be able to pay at the cash desk for some items with help from Mum and Dad.
It’s through this process that children transform from passive to active consumers – and all before they even start school!

Kids Events

Because of the way children can influence their parents’ spending, it pays for marketers to attract kids into stores with their parents. One popular way that advertisers achieve this is by holding regular ‘kids’ clubs’ or other in-store events.

These promotions can range from stores employing a local children’s entertainer to perform in-store magic to a national child-friendly celebrity making an appearance. The events are designed to put adults at ease, entertain kids and make sure they both make more purchases in-store – often with money-off vouchers on branded goods linked to the promotion. Creating a welcoming atmosphere for the child means that they’re likely to return much later as adults – maybe with their own children in tow.

The Rise of the Branded Store

Of course, some stores don’t need kid’s clubs to keep children entertained - as the world they create is designed almost exclusively for children. Branded stores such as Disney's are living, breathing adverts for the entire Disney range. As kids enter, they feel immersed in a fantasy world populated by characters, songs, and toys that they recognise from movies and TV programmes. By persuading their parents to buy a toy, or securing their own pocket money purchase, children are buying into the appeal of the Disney lifestyle.

All the in-store advertising methods above have been created to get children (and their parents) spending, and to secure their custom in the future. As Internet shopping grows in popularity and stores become less effective this kind of marketing may dwindle - but as long as parents and kids go to the store together there's still scope for advertisers to tag along on their trips.