The Pohly Company
Keep the Traffic Flowing
Don’t let high gas prices slow your retail business

BOSTON, September 12, 2007 — Engagement marketing leader The Pohly Company announced today the release of its September marketing newsletter Fuel.  A recurring section in Fuel - thebigidea – focused this issue on how to keep consumer traffic flowing through the doors in the wake of high fuel prices.

40% of shoppers are taking fewer shopping trips in 2007 versus 2006, and 38% say they are shopping closer to home when they do go out a recent consumer confidence poll conducted by BIGresearch found. “Customers are not bound solely to brand loyalty. Retailers have to find other ways to get customers into their stores,” says Dexter Manning, partner at Chicago-based market analyst Grant Thornton.

Here are three things companies are doing to build loyalty and traffic:

1. Offer different inducements, including rebates, special promotions, or more personalized services.  One Minneapolis-based management company that runs several hotels is giving each traveler who books a stay a $20 gas card.

2. In the food-related business, many eateries have found that healthy food is both a lure for dinners and a cost-saving solution. A beef stir fry, for example, can be an appetizing alternative to a sirloin steak.

3. One of the best ways for businesses to overcome high fuel prices is to eliminate the automobile as an impediment.  Linkage between shopping malls and mass transit is a national trend. In Washington, D.C., some 31 malls are listed by name as part of the city’s Metro and bus line network.

About The Pohly Company
The Pohly Company is a diversified marketing and publishing services company that specializes in engagement marketing and customer communications - creating and advancing programs that drive emotional relationships with a company's customers and best prospects. Services include communications consulting and market research, custom publishing, media sales and consulting, and design communications. The company works with world-class brands, publishers, and major associations, including Continental Airlines, Coca-Cola FoodService, UAW-DaimlerChrysler, Boston Whaler, Western Union, and the Association of National Advertisers. The Pohly Company is also the publisher of Fuel, a bi-monthly newsletter for marketing and communications professionals that focuses on unconventional ways in which to reach and influence key customer groups. For more information on the Boston-based company, visit pohlyco.com.

« Back to Press Releases