Today, a local optician or an audiology specialist’s challenge is to reach younger customers and address them with suitable content – because they mainly shop online. That’s why it’s clear to Michael Gschwender from Hören & Sehen Chiemsee that he also needs to have an online presence with his specialty store. He told us how he successfully increased the visibility of his store with the help of socialPALS!
Michael Gschwendner
Proprietor| Hören & Sehen at Chiemsee
Michael, please tell us something about you and Hören & Sehen at Chiemsee - what is your concept or range of services, and what exactly do you do?
I am the owner of a stationary optics & acoustics store founded in 2020 in Übersee at Chiemsee. We are a specialist business and produce eyewear and hearing aids in-house in our expert workshop. Our services include the sale of sunglasses, sports eyewear, and binoculars. We apply and provide modern and effective technology, which is of the utmost importance to me.
What made you decide to participate in the "RAY-BAN® YOU'RE ON" campaign with socialPALS?
We had previously collaborated with socialPALS, and I knew how the platform worked. The online advertising campaign is ready with only a few clicks and individual adjustments. I want to use it primarily to bring younger customers to our store who might otherwise buy their sunglasses online.
How much of a time commitment was it on your end to launch the campaign?
That’s precisely the main benefit – it probably takes less than five minutes to individualize and kick start the campaign!
Did the "Corona crisis" impact the implementation of the campaign, and if so, how did you deal with it?
The “Corona” topic had a small part in making the campaign happen – but only in terms of timing, i.e., when the campaign was to start. I am generally of the opinion that you should not underestimate online advertising and that you should have a presence on the Internet.
Was the campaign successful from your point of view? What factors do you use to measure the success of a sales promotion campaign like this?
In my opinion, the campaign was a success. I was not able to measure this in terms of sales figures – but since our website was accessed more frequently during the campaign, this is a positive sign that we are being seen and that interest is there.
Have you noticed any effect of content promotion with the ad budget?
Yes, promoted content definitely gets more views and clicks than organic content.
What do you see as the benefits of socialPALS for stationary retail? Was the retail marketing platform a helpful tool in communicating the new sunglasses collection?
I don’t see the advantage necessarily in the individual product that we highlight online – but rather in the fact that our company becomes visible on the Internet, which increases recognition. The end customer associates us with the respective product and then hopefully buys their next pair of sunglasses from us.
Will you continue to participate in socialPALS campaigns that you are invited to in the future? Would you like to see more brand partners working with socialPALS?
Definitely yes! It’s so easy and quick to do, yet it brings tremendous benefits. I would love it if as many brand partners as possible would work with socialPALS and invite us to more campaigns.
What do you consider to be the "USP" (unique selling proposition / decision criterion) of stationary retailing compared to online shopping offers, in relation to your industry?
Our sectors, optometry and audiology are both highly consultation-intensive. As professionals, we have the know-how to adapt eyewear or hearing aids to each customer’s specific needs and respond to their wishes and needs when manufacturing the product.