Retailer Sophie Williams talks about the power of TikTok
RETAILER Sophie Williams uses social media to great effect to drive footfall at the family’s Premier store – be it for NPDs, promotions or the revamped deli.
She explained: “In 2019, I got a degree in musical theatre and planned a career on stage. Then the pandemic hit and the world stopped. So, I started working in the shop and took over running the social media as a creative outlet.”
Countless hours spent building original video content, which has made characters out of the family and store staff through the use of comedy, as well as studying analytics and trends really has paid off.
Premier Broadway Convenience Store has 3,000 Facebook followers but “like and share” competitions can get up to 20,000 views. The store’s TikTok account has 1,300 followers and the daily video posts get up to 30,000 views each.
And social media trends can be key money makers for convenience stores, so retailers would do well to look into the latest products craze.
Currently, there has been an explosion around Freeze Dried Candy – sweets that have had all the water sucked out of them before being put through a vacuum, causing them to grow in size.
Sophie said: “Our first order of 50 bags sold out within six hours of being in the store, all because we made a video to go up on TikTok.
“We’ve had customers coming up to us for days asking when the next delivery will be coming in. We’ve made more than £600 off the products alone, so I think retailers would be crazy to miss out on this trend.”
Sophie has been prolific on TikTok, to much success for the store, and has urged others to do the same.
She said: “TikTok is the biggest social media in the world right now and retailers can really use it to their advantage. It brings people to your store and it’s all free views to help drive up your footfall.
“People see the videos and come in to buy the NPDs. Companies pay for POS materials that don’t get used in store and aren’t environmentally friendly. Brands should instead invest in social media influencers to promote products to get customers to buy them.”
