Why You Pretty Much Never See Trader Joe's Commercials

With all the love customers have for Trader Joe's, the crowds can be overwhelming almost every day of the week. While you'd think that at least part of this popularity comes from flashy advertisements or some expensive marketing campaign, Trader Joe's doesn't do commercials at all. The chain is active on social media, but you'll never see a billboard or commercial for the store. This is one of the many ways Trader Joe's keeps its prices cheap. 

Some might consider this a bad business move, but Trader Joe's clearly doesn't need the marketing. So, where do all the customers come from? Well, instead of spending money on advertisements, Trader Joe's relies on its loyal customers to spread the word about the store. That's right, this chain is so one-of-a-kind that its customers give it enough free advertising to keep all its locations running. Plenty of customers post their favorite finds on social media, and some even have whole accounts dedicated to Trader Joe's on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. All this entices new customers to come into the doors of a local Trader Joe's. When those new customers arrive, they'll probably be so entranced by Trader Joe's custom signage, friendly employees, private-label products, and free samples, that they'll already be looking forward to their next trip back. 

Trader Joe's does not do commercials or send out coupons. With over 80% of the store's products being private-label, the chain doesn't have brand recognition on its side either. Still, the strategies the chain does use work. While some stores rely on traditional marketing, Trader Joe's chooses to speak directly to the consumer. Instead of enticing customers with ads, the chain lures people in with its unique new products, getting the word out about those items through word of mouth and social media. 

While Trader Joe's doesn't do traditional ads, it has a very active social media presence. It constantly keeps customers updated with new items available at the store and unique recipes and engages with customers virtually. The brand even creates polls and posts questions on its Instagram stories, and each post comes accompanied by high-quality photographs and clever captions. Because of all this effort, the chain's social media pages don't feel like ads.

With all that money Trader Joe's saves on forgoing traditional methods of advertising, the chain can pour more money into its products and customer experience. The rest, its customers will do for them.