Turning Shoppers into Buyers—Before They Even Touch the Product.
In-store marketing isn’t about looking good—it’s about making people buy. Shoppers don’t walk into stores looking for POS materials. They walk in looking for solutions. But when aisles are crowded, messaging is unclear, and everything blends together, they do what’s easiest—stick to what they already know. Instead of relying on flashy displays and gut feelings, a leading personal care brand partnered with Hotspex to turn shelf messaging into a high-precision sales tool.
The Challenge: When Everything Looks the Same, Nothing Stands Out.
The brand’s POS claims and packaging had one job: Make shoppers stop, understand the value, and trade up. But here’s what was happening instead: Overlapping claims confused buyers instead of guiding them. Sub-brand differentiation was weak, making products blend together. Consumers weren’t upgrading—they were defaulting to their usual choice or looking at competitors. The question wasn’t just “What do we say?” but “How do we make shoppers actually act?”
The Strategy: Turning POS Into a High-Conversion Sales Machine
The brand and Hotspex didn’t just weak messaging. We built a POS framework that maximized trade-up behavior.
Step 1: Test What Works—And Kill What Doesn’t.
Conducted quantitative research on multiple claim variations.
Mapped consumer eye-tracking to understand what grabs attention first. Tested how wording, visuals, and shelf placement impacted purchase behavior.
Step 2: Optimize for Trade-Up & Trade-In.
Created a tiered “good, better, best” messaging strategy that made upgrading feel logical. Used simple, high-impact wording to cut through shelf clutter.
Designed claims that resonated with BOTH current users and competitive brand switchers.
Step 3: Validate in Real Shopping Scenarios.
Simulated real-life shopping trips to track what actually converted.
Identified the best-performing claims that increased trade-up to premium products.
The Results? POS That Actually Drove Sales.
The optimized claims didn’t just change perceptions—they changed behavior. Significantly increased trade-up to premium products. Fewer shoppers defaulting to lower-tier options or competitor brands. Stronger sub-brand differentiation, making the premium lineup more desirable. Key Wins:POS with white backgrounds attracted more attention in a visually cluttered aisle. Short, powerful claims performed better than detailed explanations. Icons worked—but only when they were simple and intuitive. Trade-in messaging was a game-changer—competitive users switched in test environments.
The Takeaway: POS Isn’t About Visibility—It’s About Influence.
Too many brands treat in-store messaging as an afterthought. This brand made it a competitive advantage. They simplified decision-making. They made trading up feel easy. They stopped selling products and started selling better experiences. If your POS isn’t actively converting shoppers, it’s wasting space.
At Hotspex, we build in-store messaging strategies that don’t just look good
—they make people BUY. Let’s talk.
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