UK’s leading trade event will help c-store operators and independent retailers flourish across all social and digital channels
December 2017 – The retail landscape has changed beyond recognition in recent years as the digital transformation impacts the way people shop. As the big four continue to push online sales, the convenience sector needs to understand the evolving market and answer consumer demand for digital access, such as through social media.
Next year’s National Convenience Show (16-18 April 2018) will guide convenience retailers through the latest digital advances, helping them to engage more with social media with the aim of increasing footfall, driving sales and boosting revenue.
The show’s informative Retailer’s Hub will return for a fourth year, bringing together a selection of the leading suppliers, retailers and industry experts to share their experience, insights and advice with new and established attendees. Alongside this will be the complementary Digital Hub, where retailers will learn all they need to know about social media from a trading point of view.
Pete Doyle, Founder and CEO of SocialRetail Group, will offer his advice on social media. With 28 years’ experience in retail across successful retailers including Waitrose, Toys R Us and Marks & Spencer, he is well placed to bring less savvy retailers up to speed. He will run five 15-minute demos throughout each day, with different sessions suited to each level from beginner to advanced. Designed for the additional benefit of advice one-on-one or in small groups, the sessions tailored for beginners will cover how to do your own social media health check and how to write more engaging content to encourage customer interaction online.
At the intermediate level, for those retailers who have grasped the basics but need a little more guidance on maximising the benefits of social media, sessions will cover how to run ads campaigns on Facebook and Twitter – a tool that can be very useful in targeting the right users and getting the most out of social.
For those most advanced visitors to the Digital Hub, the focus will be on how to do social media checking promotions in your shop.
Another session will explore which social platform is best suited to each business, guiding store owners in how to communicate effectively with their customers through social media. An expert will break down the differences between each platform from Twitter and Instagram to LinkedIn and clarify when and in what cases each should be used to turn ‘likes’ into lucrative sales. Delegates will also be taught how to execute ‘perfect posting’ for maximum effects – what to say, when to say it and how to hit the right tone of voice.
With any retailer’s ultimate goal being the increase of revenue, there will be a session dedicated to driving customer loyalty online. Experts will share ways to use digital to build strong relationships with customers and create the essential loyalty that translates to more sales and bigger profits.
While social media is of undoubtable importance, creating profit online doesn’t begin and end there. In a session on going beyond social, the audience will learn how to make the most from other digital platforms from using a smartphone app to where to go for a free website for their store.
The Digital Hub is a space created for intimate workshops so attendees can ask questions specific to their needs and receive the bespoke advice that is most helpful. IPads will be provided within the hub so less savvy retailers can get online, make accounts and start practising straight away.
Dan Eversfield from the National Convenience Show said: “Online trading has consistently increased in the last few years with online grocery sales expected to hit £1.1bn by the end of the year and £16.7bn by 2021[1].
“It’s a time of huge change in the retail space and 2018’s National Convenience Show is designed to help retailers keep up with the digital side of retail, as well as exposing them to all the latest products, services and technologies – all designed to contribute to their bottom line and keep the convenience sector strong.”
The National Convenience Show is co-located with four other events – The Ingredients Show, Foodex, the Farm Shop & Deli Show and Food & Drink Expo – the country’s premier food and drink event. Together they will bring together 1,500-plus suppliers from across the whole food and drink supply chain, from retailers to manufacturers, making it the place to do business in the industry.
To register for free, receiving entry to all co-located shows, visit:
http://www.nationalconvenienceshow.co.uk
[1] https://www.retail-week.com/sectors/grocery/online-grocery-sales-to-reach-11bn-this-year/7021738.article
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For further press information please contact Lesley Foottit or Alasdair Copland in the event press office on 020 7240 2444 or email
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