You’ve decided to sell a product that may be considered a bit embarrassing by the general public, but it’s necessary for some people to purchase. While selling products in the first place can be difficult at first, selling an embarrassing product comes with its own struggles.
From contraceptives to the bunion cure to lice shampoo, companies are finding creative ways to normalize these purchases while helping customers be discreet. Below, we’ve put together five tips to help you sell your embarrassing product and increase your profits.
Reconsider the Packaging
Forget everything you were taught in school about creating a package that stands out on the shelf from the rest of the products alongside it. When it comes to marketing an embarrassing product, you want to keep the packaging as discreet as possible.
Nobody wants to walk around the store with a colorful package that screams “TAMPONS!” Instead, use softer colors, creative copy, and a minimal design, so your customers aren’t embarrassed to put it on the cash register counter when they go to check out.
Don’t Make the Issue a Big Deal
One of the best things you can do to sell an embarrassing product is to take away the seriousness and embarrassment of the situation. Normalize the issue and use statistics to show just how many people struggle with the problem. This will make your customers feel better about the fact that they have to purchase the product and less like an outlier.
Make It Easy to Purchase
Depending on the type of product you’re selling, your customer may have trouble buying it. For example, contraceptives are usually locked up in large stores, so the customer has to ask an employee for a box. Rather than selling them in a store, use delivery services like GoPuff or Postmates to deliver them right to the customer’s door in under an hour.
The method of purchase greatly depends on the product, though. If it’s a solution for a medical problem, make it widely available in pharmacies and supermarkets. Just remember to keep the packaging discreet.
Educate Your Customers
Many people feel embarrassed buying certain products because they aren’t educated on the issue or the solution. They simply buy it knowing it will help. So, in your marketing, educate your customers about the issue and how your product is the solution they’ve been searching for.
The solution should make it a no-brainer that they need this product and take away the embarrassment of putting it in their shopping basket.
Make Reviews a Priority
Going back to the fundamentals of selling, your product needs social proof to sell well. Therefore, you should make customer reviews a priority. New customers trust previous customers more than companies selling a product. Offer rewards and incentives for customers to leave reviews about your product online and use testimonials in your marketing and on your website.
You’ll be surprised at how much influence other people’s words have on new customers.