Receipt Marketing: A Powerful Tool to Boost Your Business

A crumpled receipt at the bottom of a shopping bag is one of retail’s most powerful marketing tools. About 92% of Australian consumers check receipts before recycling them, and forward-thinking retailers are transforming this afterthought into a strategic advantage.

Receipt marketing is a low-cost, effective marketing technique. It involves adding promotional messages to the point-of-sale (POS) receipts businesses issue after a sale.

This article will discuss receipt advertising, its features, and some methods for utilising receipt promotion to support your business.

Reasons for larger receipts

Small businesses often do small receipts as it is cheaper to print a small receipt than a larger one, but you notice that majors tend to use large receipts. Could you take a look at a supermarket receipt today? They have done their figures. If you'd like something to think about this, you can check out this video.

While small receipts are financially savvy, more significant receipts offer many advantages. 

What Are Its Advantages for Business?

Receipt promotion is a low-cost method businesses can use to increase. Special offers are added to the receipts given to clients after the sale.

Receipt promoting offers businesses a few advantages, including:

> A savvy method for contacting the people who buy from you.
> Receipt messages are a minimal expense item.
> Be very flexible with the message, which can urge your customers to return and make extra purchases.
> Offering customised offers and advancements to your customers.
> An easy method for building your shop by adding your shop details.

No matter what the size of your business, receipt promoting offers a financially cheap method for drawing customers.

Ideas for utilising receipt messages

Coupons

People are searching for cash savings, so put an exciting offer on the POS receipt. 
> Try to make it engaging.
> Keep the offer straightforward. A modern consumer will not sit down and try to figure out what you are trying to say. A helpful tip here is to ask a kid about ten years old to read it and tell you what you want to say.
> Make it simple 
> Make the offer real. You have an opportunity to sell; the last thing you want is for the customer to think it's ridiculous. I can assure you the customer will remember that.
> Put a cutoff date on the offer. It creates a need for your customers to move soon.
It may end a common legal problem when an offer is valid. 
> Try to make the offer something that drives more sales to the business. Some items have excellent added sales value. 

Marketing season

There are times of the year when people buy unique goods. You can use your receipt to let your customer know you are in this market, too.

Customer feedback

You can use the receipt to get customer feedback, but I will discuss this in another post as you need special equipment.

Thank you message

Thanking customers can be an easy way to foster business loyalty. Showing appreciation may make customers more likely to buy from your business.

Could you consider saying something like this?

"We appreciate your support for our small local business! Your patronage means a lot to us, and we are grateful for customers like you who help keep us going. We look forward to serving you again soon and wish you all the best!"

Creating Your Receipt Advertisements.

You should work out your message first by following this rule.

The 7-3-1 Rule

Today, receipt marketing thrives on simplicity.

7-Day Maximum Validity  

Change your message every week; there is no point in sending the same message unless it is particularly good. 

If you are going to add a special offer, make it only available for a week. For example, "$5 OFF your next purchase. Valid 7 days from this transaction."  

3-Sentence Maximum Copy  

Shoppers today scan and don’t read. The message is three sentences tops.

One Call-to-Action  

Do not confuse people too much; it should have only one call to action. 

Once you have worked out your message,, you can just go to the main menu and select the Cash Register section.
Choose Register Setup.

After that, select the Receipt option (see the green arrow below) from the menu. 

Now there are many other options available, which we will discuss later.

In this section, you'll see that we've done much work recently.

The first option we'll discuss is adding an image to the receipt's top. You'll often use this feature to put your logo on the top of the receipt, but only some use this function.

The next choice is to include an image at the bottom of the receipt. In this instance, the illustration is a Valentine's Day advertisement. The file came from the supplier. 

The last option is the one that is used the most. You can quickly add advertisements to the receipt here. Use this to promote your range of products, items on sale, and/or marketing seasons.

The receipt below illustrates such an advertisement. It promotes the store's extensive inventory of inkjet cartridges.

Conclusion

> Receipt showcasing is a minimal expense. A viable showcasing procedure that gives reasons for a customer to come back.
> Bigger receipts offer many benefits that little receipts can't.
> Receipt messages promoting offer advantages, including connecting with clients.
> Thoughts for receipt messages incorporate coupons. Make the offer genuine, put an end date, promote marketing seasons, thank your customers, and get criticism.

Proper proof of purchase practices are critical in retail today. We witness this firsthand through our support channels for retailers who contact us with questions and concerns about proof of purchase issues.

I am not a lawyer, and I would suggest asking the appropriate authorities if you have any queries.

The Significance of Proof of Purchase

• Customer Assurance: Providing tangible evidence of transactions enhances customer confidence.
• Legal Compliance: Adherence to proof of purchase regulations is a legal requirement.
• Conflict Resolution: Proper documentation significantly streamlines dispute management.

Australian regulations

Transactions $75 and above

Should be supplied immediately

Transactions under $75

Proof should be provided upon customer request made within seven days. This can be a problem if they pay in cash. 

Acceptable Forms of Proof

Some examples of proof of purchase:

• Cash register receipts
• Handwritten receipts: I recently had a client whose customer demanded extra detail. He felt that the cash receipt did not have enough detail to show the tax implications of the transaction explicitly, so my client rewrote it in an invoice book and stapled the cash receipt to it.
• GST tax invoices
• Financial statements (credit/debit card, bank)
• Lay-by agreements
• Digital receipts (email, SMS)
• Photographic evidence of receipts
• Warranty cards with purchase details:
• Serial numbers linked to supplier databases can be a problem. A client disputed that he had sold the item, while a supplier stated they had.
   

It's crucial to note that Australian Consumer Law doesn't explicitly define "sufficient proof of purchase. The requirement is that customers must reasonably demonstrate proof of purchase. 

Modern POS software can help you; one client showed a computer listing to a tribunal on the day the person claimed to have brought the item, but his shop had not sold this product. Another report that no sale for the claimed amount had occurred. We're moving towards a world where digital receipt proof of purchase will become the norm rather than the exception.

Essential Receipt Information

All proofs of purchase must include:

Managing Complex Scenarios

Late Requests and Itemized Bills

While charging for receipts after seven days is permissible, it's generally inadvisable due to potential negative customer impact.

For itemised bill requests:

These tend to be customers with specialised needs, and often, the retailer needs to go manual. In this case, I suggest keeping a record of that receipt. In a dispute, and the customer demands an itemised bill, you should immediately inform them that you reserve the right to charge them for the difference if it exceeds the original amount.

Dispute Resolution

In cases of disputed purchases without clear proof, it's essential to:

1. Thoroughly investigate your POS System transaction records to check the transaction
2. Consider alternative forms of evidence
3. Inform customers about potential additional costs in itemised bills
4. Balance customer rights with fraud prevention measures
   

   Handling Difficult Situations

   Several times, people have come into shops with what they claimed were faded receipts—essentially blank pieces of paper. In such cases, it's crucial to ask for alternative evidence. Remember, if a customer can reasonably demonstrate they purchased an item, denying their rights could be breaking the law.

Effective Record Management

The ACCC mandates a 5-year record retention period. To manage this effectively:

1. Implement a reliable POS system
2. Regularly back up data
3. Archive old records before deletion
4. Keep the backups; you never know when you need them.

Best Practices

1. Staff Training: Ensure a comprehensive understanding of policies and procedures.
2. Digital Transition: Utilise electronic receipts for improved storage and retrieval.
3. Customer-Centric Policies: Prioritise customer satisfaction within legal boundaries.
4. Clear Guidelines: If in doubt, seek advice from people who can help; most employee organisations can help here.

Conclusion

Adequate retail compliance practices are fundamental to building customer trust and safeguarding business interests. While legal compliance is crucial, the ultimate goal is to foster positive customer relationships while protecting the business.

If you want to know more, click here.

​Small receipts save paper, so most select the options to give a small receipt like this!

But is this wise? It does save paper and does give the customer what they want a record, but what about the shop? Have you noticed that the majors' receipts include shop offers, opening times etc.? They are not worried about the paper.

Would a larger receipt serve your shop better?

If you want something to think about this, check out this video.

Now let me know what you think?