COLTON, Calif. -- What's in an in-store sign? Perhaps an incremental sales lift of more than 40% for regular-price products, and 80% to 90% for reduced-price products for Stater Bros. Markets here, Stater officials said.
The food operator is slated to launch a point-of-purchase services program for shelf-edge signs. Stater Bros.' in-store signs, supplied by a Minneapolis-based third-party marketing firm, are linked to a datawarehouse back-end system there with page-layout and print capabilities.
The proprietary datawarehouse system stores electronic data from both Stater Bros. and food manufacturers to help assemble in-aisle signs on a store-specific basis. Datawarehoused information ranges from graphic images, branding and Universal Product Code-specific information to pricing to help Stater Bros. tailor its signs and maintain pricing authority.
The back-end datawarehousing system also enables Stater to keep track of its promotion cycles. Overall, the in-store sign system is designed to supplement Stater Bros.' basic product promotion and the Stater Saver program, which offers discounts from manufacturers to all consumers, said Brian Plein, vice president of marketing.
The signs will begin appearing in all 155 Stater Bros. units by the end of July, Plein said. The in-aisle 5.5-inch by 7-inch signs offer specific product information with a graphic of Stater's logo and three lines of text. Overall, they give "a little about the product, a little about the price," said Plein. Each sign will carry store-specific pricing for Stater's name brands, Plein added.
"Generally, the signs will be unique to each store," said Dennis McIntyre, senior vice president of marketing. Through Stater Bros.' sign program, launched by Minneapolis-based Insignia Systems, both the food operator and food manufacturers will be able to deliver regional messages by the end of summer and store-specific messages by the end of fall, said Scott Simcox, vice president of marketing at Insignia.
For toothpaste, such customized messaging could range from special flavoring information aimed at college students to specific dental-work information pointed at retirees. "For manufacturers, we work with as little as a three-week lead time to enable them to be competitive," Simcox said.
Stater's will refine its look in terms of headlines, borders and format over the next few months, said Susan Atkinson, senior vice president for public relations.
