Retail Marketing Redefined: The Receipt

“Save your receipt.”

When the tall, authoritative sales associate spoke those words to the ten-year-old me, I didn’t ask any questions. It wasn’t a suggestion. It was a directive. So I did as I was told and saved that little slip of paper. I didn’t think I had a choice. This woman had a nametag and a key to the register. As far as I was concerned, Arlene was the boss.

She haunted me. For far longer than is probably reasonable or healthy, I worried that the all-powerful Arlene could appear in my room at any time to do a spot check. I clung to that receipt.

I probably have it stashed somewhere. Though now that I’m grown up, I hardly ever worry about officious, spectral salesladies appearing at my bedside.

But I still save my receipts (hard copy and electronic). A lot of people do. Those retail marketers who see this little communiqué as simply a throwaway record of a sale aren’t looking closely enough. Or thinking creatively enough.

As the retail business continues its consumer- and digital-driven transformation, marketers have the opportunity – and the responsibility – to redefine and re-imagine the basic tenets of shopper/brand interaction.  A standard retail experience no longer satisfies; it has evolved into the Shopper Moment.

That evolution touches all aspects of retail marketing. As the concepts of retail “classics” (like the experience, the free sample, the shopping bag and the store window) are advanced and altered, so should that of the receipt.

It doesn’t have to be a lonely scrap of paper languishing at the bottom of a bag. Set it free. Hold it to the light. Give the shopper a reason to save it. And talk about it. And post it. And appreciate it.

Here are 33 things a receipt can also be:

1. Collectable
2. Work of Art
3. ID
4. Golden Ticket
5. Inspiration
6. Mini Newsletter
7. Calling Card
8. Loyalty Program CTA
9. Clue
10. Souvenir
11. Proof
12. Confirmation
13. Free Pass
14. Currency
15. Love Note
16. Reminder
17. Coupon
18. Fortune
19. Secret
20. Invitation
21. Bargaining Chip
22. Piece of a Puzzle
23. Memento
24. Special Offer
25. Thank-you Note
26. Link to a VIP offer
27. Link to an Expert
28. Link to Resources
29. Link to Other Shoppers
30. Link to a How-to Material
31. Link to Behind-the-Scenes Video
32. Link to Social Media
33. Link to a Branded Game