Exclusive products drive customers to stores they may not otherwise visit.

“Exclusivity marketing harnesses the potent principles of scarcity and uniqueness to create compelling reasons for customers to engage deeply with your brand,” according to Zigpoll.

It can be an exclusive brand, or a product only available in one retailer that drives customer traffic.

“Retailers are increasingly turning to exclusive brands as a strategy to stand out in a highly competitive marketplace. With price and convenience no longer enough to secure loyalty, stores like Walmart, Target, and Amazon are focusing on offering products that shoppers cannot find anywhere else,” International Supermarket News shared.

It’s a strategy that forces fans of a brand to visit whatever retailer happens to offer the exclusive.

“This strategy is designed to encourage repeat visits, deepen brand attachment, and differentiate retailers from their competitors,” the magazine added.

Walmart has used this tactic often and its latest deal with Pepsico’s Mountain Dew brings it a new exclusive offering from the soda brand, but it’s not what you may be expecting.

Walmart adds new Mountain Dew products

While Walmart has offered exclusive Mountain Dew soda flavors in the past, this time, the retailer and PepsiCo brand are partnering in a different way.

“Three all-new Mountain Dew items have popped up in Walmart stores, just in time for summer. Whether you’re looking to protect your feet from hot, sandy beaches or stay cool in boiling temperatures, there’s now a Dew-themed product for that,” AllRecipes.com reported.

Walmart is selling a Mountain Dew-themed Snuggie wearable blanket the chain on its website, described as a limited-edition Americana design with lightweight ‘cool touch’ fabric and hands-free sleeves for everyday use.

The website described it:

• Cool Touch Chill Fabric: Lightweight, breathable material for warm weather.
• Limited Edition Americana Design: Red, White & Mountain Dew graphics created to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the USA.
• Hands Free Comfort: Signature Snuggie sleeves let you relax, read, text, snack, or use a laptop without slipping or adjusting.

ALSO READ: Walmart makes key move to target a new type of customer

“Fans on social media have also spotted Crocs-style Mountain Dew clogs in Walmart stores, as well as Baja Blast slides. At $24 for the clogs and $22 for the slides, the vibrant footwear is perfect for Mountain Dew fans looking to upgrade their summer look,” AllRecipes added.

Popular food reporter Markie Devo shared pictures of the Croc-like shoes on his Instagram page.

Related: Pub food favorite retailer and restaurants file Chapter 11

Walmart sells a large selection of Mountain Dew flavors.

Shutterstock

Exclusive merchandise drives foot traffic

Basically, if you are a Star Wars fan, and the latest Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker collectible was only offered at Target, you would have a compelling reason to go to Target, even if you were not a regular shopper there.

I’m not a Walmart shopper, but would visit the chain if it had an exclusive Kit Kat or M&Ms flavor I wanted to try, and I might be other things while I’m there.

Exclusive brands and products can drive consumers to a retailer.

“Exclusives can encourage a shopper to pick one over another. If a shopper really likes one of the exclusives, they have to make that store their main shopping venue,” Retail Consultant Allan Mottus told RetailWire.

With its massive buying power, Walmart has leaned into this strategy.

“Walmart has aggressively pursued exclusivity across categories. It has launched partnerships with new brands and expanded its own private labels to create a product ecosystem that customers can only access through Walmart stores or its website,” according to ISN.

Faye Brookman, in a guest column on RetailWire, did point out the downside to exclusivity (although it’s one Walmart does not have).

“There is a downside to the exclusive and that is the notion that retailers must also be marketers — a tough balance. Some chains, rather than try to manage that feat, turn the exclusive over to third-parties to move the items,” she wrote.

Related: Home decor and fashion chain closes all stores, Chapter 7 next