What is Synchro Marketing: who will suit and how to launch

What it is? Synchro marketing is a set of techniques that help a business stay afloat when supply and demand fluctuate. Most often, this approach is used in the field of seasonal trading, but the methods can be useful for any entrepreneur.

What to pay attention to? Conventionally, synchro marketing tools are divided into two groups: those that are used to increase demand, and those that are used when there is insufficient supply.

The concept of synchro marketing

Synchro marketing is a marketing strategy aimed at smoothing out changes in demand. There is a discrepancy between the time when the product is offered on the market and consumed. This problem is typical for goods and services of a seasonal category, such as tourism, clothing, footwear, drinks and ice cream.

The goal of synchro marketing is to achieve stability in product sales.

Synchro marketing includes the following tasks:

It is possible to face financial losses if the organization does not take timely action and use marketing strategies to attract customers.

How synchro marketing works

The marketing operations model is a set of analytical tools that are constantly used. Synchro marketing includes the following processes:

Consider a situation where an online store is faced with a large number of orders out of season. At such a moment, managers do not have time to process all requests, the warehouse cannot cope with the packing of parcels, and suppliers cannot deliver products on time. In this situation, the online store may lose customers, because, without receiving an order, the majority will go to competitors who prudently prepared for peak demand in advance.

Conditions for the use of synchro marketing

Synchro marketing is actively used in the retail, education, entertainment industry and other industries where there are fluctuations in demand. To attract potential customers, companies offer significant discounts.

Synchro marketing is not limited to seasonal demand management, it is applied in other situations:

Obviously, synchro marketing is applied in different circumstances. In case of insufficient response of the company to changes in demand, this is often accompanied by a decrease in the financial performance of the business.

When Synchro marketing Fails

The effectiveness of synchro marketing is limited if it is not able to change consumer behavior. The reasons for this can be related to a variety of factors:

Synchro marketing Techniques to Increase Demand

Synchromarketing cannot miraculously boost sales overnight. The main way to use it is to develop and apply the company's strategy to balance demand. It is an integral part of the organization's integrated marketing and is used in emergency situations.

To be effective, synchro marketing requires deep market analysis, competitor pricing, and a careful assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of your organization. After completing these actions, you can develop a strategy for solving the problem and propose specific measures.

There are certain ways businesses use to increase demand during times of seasonal change. Let's consider each of them in more detail.

Special offers

Is a classic approach to overcoming a downturn in demand. It is applicable both in the case of seasonal changes and to stimulate sales during normal times. Offering discounts always attracts customers - this is a universal rule that always works.

There are different types of stocks, each of which is able to equalize the demand:

Finding the Right Compensation

Temporary factors are an objective phenomenon, which is useless to fight. It is necessary to actively look for replacements for goods and services that are temporarily losing popularity due to seasonal factors.

During periods of warm weather, for example, sporting goods stores may trade all ski-related products for balls, swimming gear, and scooters. This approach to the assortment takes into account seasonal factors and helps to maintain profits.

Often, catering establishments, including restaurants, often come alive in the evening, but remain empty in the morning and afternoon. To solve this problem, various formats can be organized, such as business lunches or special events. Additionally, you can offer special promotions that will be highly appreciated by guests.

During the cold season, companies can diversify their assortment by including family ice cream, which customers usually prefer to eat at home. This action will help reduce climate-related losses.

In order to effectively adapt in challenging times, it is important to restructure the business while maintaining its overall focus. For example, window installation companies may be actively engaged in construction during the winter. This approach is an excellent solution that allows you to save employees and minimize financial losses.

Seasonal odds

This is one of the strategies for applying the discount system. The basic price of the product remains unchanged, but an additional coefficient is introduced, which varies depending on the time of year. As a result, during a period of increased demand, the client will pay more, and during a reduced period, the cost will decrease.

Thanks to the introduction of coefficients, customers are stimulated and the organization's income is equalized for 12 months. The application of this approach is widespread in various industries, including television advertising, Internet marketing, and railway and aviation companies.

Discounts with pre-sales

One of the main synchro marketing strategies is pre-sales, which not only increases sales at the wrong time, but also allows you to predict demand in advance.

The main idea of this method is that enterprises provide their products at favorable discounts in advance, before demand begins to decline.

This method is also used in ticket booking systems. People are offered discounts if they book a hotel room or air ticket in advance.

Price variation

Tariffs for goods or services fluctuate depending on the season or time of day. For example, during the high tourist season, the cost of living in hotels in resort areas reaches a maximum level, but in winter it drops significantly. The same can be said about the pricing of electricity. At night, when the demand for it is minimal, the cost per kilowatt-hour is the lowest.

Compilation of sets

This method is reminiscent of the traditions of the Soviet era, when customers were offered "bonus" goods along with the main purchases. The idea is to create a bundle that includes two popular products and one that has less demand due to seasonality. It is important that the price of the set is more profitable than if the buyer took each item separately.

Development of unique products

In this situation, they do not use a decrease in cost at an unfavorable time, but make unique offers that will become popular. For example, McDonald's, to increase sales in the morning, when demand is usually low, launches specialized establishments that offer breakfast.

Release of new products

The time when demand is falling presents an ideal opportunity to introduce new products to the market and expand the range. Such a strategy will help both to maintain the interest of buyers and to test new items before the season. The use of special offers and discounts in combination with this approach can work even more effectively.

Marketing experts recommend using the off-season to tackle tasks that were put off during active sales. During low demand, you can do the following things:

The low volume of sales due to the season is a temporary phenomenon. Lessons should be learned from failures and prepared for new successes and achievements.

Additional Sales Boosting Strategies

It takes a creative mindset to work in synchro marketing. It happens that the use of unusual tools can be an effective method.

For example, you can organize a product trial at the point of sale or create an exciting event. For certain product groups, a variety of virtual presentations work great. If your activity is related to the production of building materials, then you can conduct a live broadcast dedicated to the creation of the perfect bath or cottage.

Successful advertising campaign

The approach is based on a carefully planned long-term marketing strategy. Additional investments in the advertising campaign and effective budget management are needed. But if done correctly, these expenses will bring significant profit.

It is very important that advertising not only perform its direct function, but also show new methods of using the product. With this, you can achieve the attraction of a different audience, smoothing seasonal fluctuations and the emergence of other customer needs.

Changing the target segment

The essence of this approach is as follows: with a low demand for a product or service in an unfavorable period, the usual target audience should look for a new market segment.

Let's take synchro marketing as an example. Some Bulgarian resorts in the summer attract active tourists and couples. In winter, they provide medical services, since seaside holidays are not relevant.

In this case, this activity is aimed at older people with health problems. Vacationers are told about the healing effects of mineral water in well-known springs. They present new healing procedures, pay special attention to the level of comfort of living and the high professionalism of medical personnel.

The use of such a strategy allows you to maintain a constant influx of tourists throughout the year. This is an effective method of changing the audience.

Stationery sellers successfully use this method. Before the start of the school year, they focus on school supplies, and in the remaining months they focus on the needs of offices. Based on this, they develop a marketing and pricing strategy.

Synchro marketing with insufficient supply

1. Automation

2. The use of automated tools allows you to effectively manage demand. For example, using CRM, you can analyze data on past customer activity and stimulate their future consumption.

   Let's say you're selling travel packages and you have access to a customer database through a CRM system. It contains information about the trips of customers: who, where and when went on vacation, what categories of tickets they bought, as well as their preferences and wishes regarding the rest. This valuable information allows you to create personalized offers for regular customers.

   Let's take an example. You can provide an opportunity for people who visited Turkey that year to purchase a ticket to Egypt with a 20% discount. And for those who have visited Austria twice for winter skiing, offer a ski tour for ⅔ of the price in Sochi, since the country is under quarantine restrictions.

   To stimulate demand, in addition to analyzing and personalizing offers, automated delivery tools can be useful. For example, within CRM, you can set up bulk sending of template SMS messages or emails to inform customers about available promotions or discounts. In this case, the system will automatically insert the customer's name and the amount of his individual discount in the appropriate place.

   The advantage of automation is that it helps to retain each potential client and achieve a deal with him, even when managers can no longer cope.

   Consider other benefits:

   • dividing the audience into segments depending on various factors: income level, preferences, place of residence, gender and age;
   • adaptation of marketing promotion scenarios for each group;
   • automated sending of messages based on the client's activity on the site;
   • identification of the most significant and effective channels of interaction;
   • launch of promotions and loyalty programs, including the introduction of systems with cumulative discounts;
   • aggregation and centralization of data on user interaction with the website from the web analytics system.
3. Increase in the number of employees during the season

Companies often face a shortage of workers during times of high demand. Hiring permanent staff is inefficient from a financial point of view, so it is advisable to turn to the services of a seasonal employee, and after a decrease in activity, interaction with them can be stopped.

4. Product stock

The use of predictive tools allows you to predict the periods when customers will need certain products. Once prioritized groups have been identified, prior arrangements should be made with the supplier to avoid a situation where customer requests are not satisfied due to out-of-stock items.

It is important to pay attention to working with the website of the online store along with organizational issues: check the download speed, determine priority traffic sources (for the optimal selection of advertising channels). During peak shopping periods, sales can increase by 80% or more, but smart economic solutions are always valued by customers.

Competitive analysis should be carried out to offer consumers more attractive offers and start sales a few days earlier for maximum benefit.

An example of synchro marketing in sales

Consider examples of synchro marketing. Kvass is a seasonal product, with demand peaking during the hot summer months, while demand declines in winter. To stimulate customers, chain stores make promotions, offering discounts on goods ranging from 20% to 30%. To inform customers about ongoing offers, flyers with a visual presentation of promotional products are distributed at the box office. The old price is crossed out, the new one is highlighted in red, and the savings percentage is also shown. The visual aspect plays a very important role.

A strategic decision of synchro marketing is also to offer a bonus when buying, for example, a free bottle of kvass when purchasing several units of goods or if there is a check for a certain amount. In particular, they use advertising, which emphasizes the benefits of drinking a native Russian drink created on the basis of natural ingredients.

What type of demand is synchro marketing used in the service sector? In case of irregular, which is subject to seasonal changes. For example, the need for sea tours is growing in summer, and in winter there is an interest in ski tours. To smooth out fluctuations in demand, booking of hotel rooms and offer of discount travel packages are carried out in advance. Thus, a balance is achieved.

Consider another example of synchro marketing. The travel company sells vouchers in advance with seasonal and holiday discounts. The cost reduction for all types of services is 3% - 8%.

Let's take travel companies as an example and consider a change in emphasis in advertising that is aimed at a specific group of people. Golden Sands is a popular resort in Bulgaria. In the summer, "Mecca" is a priority, as it offers recreation for lovers of activities, this place attracts families with children.

During the cold season, attention is focused on the wellness profile, especially on older people suffering from health problems. As part of the advertising campaign, hydrotherapy courses are offered and the beneficial effects of procedures carried out in indoor pools using mineral springs are described. Health-improving treatment complexes are being promoted.

Particular attention is paid to the level of comfort of living in hotels, the healing properties of mineral springs and the benefits of the ecosystem are carefully prescribed. This ensures a stable influx of tourists during the off-season.

Synchro marketing Approaches

Synchro marketing relies on careful consideration of the known and significant changes in the business cycle that are characteristic of a particular industry.

In the field of audit, this is a well-known phenomenon, since the provision of services for the preparation and presentation of financial statements occurs with a certain frequency, and it serves as the basis for the development of a specific commercial proposal.

Some experts see synchronization as a mechanism that contributes to the formation of integrated marketing communications. They represent a single and coordinated interaction through several channels, which combines three areas: relationship, identity, reputation (marketing, advertising and PR). In this context, the concept of synchronization in promotion is used to create a complex of various marketing communications, the function of which is to influence the consumer with a common impact.

Synchronization in this situation is aimed at coordinating and harmonizing different marketing communications so that they interact and support each other. This allows you to achieve a single and holistic impact on the consumer through different channels, including sales, advertising and public relations. Synchronization in marketing means the horizontal coordination of the techniques and strategies used to achieve a single target result.

In the classical approach, marketing work takes into account both the readiness of a product or service for use, and the buyer for purchase. However, the situationally synchronous method is focused on changing the state of clients and their needs, which may be unconscious. In case of difficulties, it is not always possible to offer the right solution - this is an ideal option. In this regard, there are difficulties in promoting services that promise a reliable solution to the actual problems of the company. In addition, such offers may be seen as empty promises that are difficult to keep.

At the same time, the offer to provide assistance and demonstrate their competence in solving the problem that has arisen is a reasonable approach on the part of professionals who have the necessary knowledge and skills in a particular subject area. In the field of audit services, when applying synchro marketing, active interaction with clients should begin even before the provision of a specific service and be maintained at all stages of its implementation.

Since it is almost impossible for a firm to predict external events, although some changes in accounting procedures can be seen, it is important to maintain control over internal events and use them as the basis for a prompt response to the impact of external influences. Audit experts can help you apply an internal resource.

From this perspective, the situationally synchronous implementation of marketing competence involves the creation of a communication system with the client long before the need for a specific service arises, which makes it a tool for promoting innovative methods for solving accounting problems.

The main problems in synchro marketing

These problems create difficulties for marketing work. It should avoid excessive aggressiveness and empty promises, and instead argue only with reliable conditions for the provision of services and focus on the needs of the client.

All these factors put forward certain requirements for communications when promoting management decision support services. Within synchro marketing, special attention is paid to the conditions of consumption of decision support services in management, since this serves as the basis for the formation of an effective set of marketing communications.

Synchro marketing is an effective tool for crisis management in the field of seasonal business. It allows you to predict demand, flexibly scale and adjust the assortment, as well as choose effective advertising tools.