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Category: Merchandising

Four (Cheap) Ways to Make Your Store Look Fresh

When was the last time you changed things up? Is everything where it was last year? Even if the products have changed, if you haven’t moved the categories around since last year, your store looks soooo 2012.

Yet, in a store like mine, where we have huge sections and categories, just changing the merchandising around can seem a daunting task.

Here are four simple and inexpensive things you can do that will make your store look fresh, new and exciting.

  1. Paint a Wall. Not the whole store, just one wall. Paint it a wild and fun color. Something that ties into the merchandising of that area. A gallon or two of paint and a Sunday afternoon is all it takes to brighten up the place.
  2. Put a Planter with fresh flowers out front. Fresh flowers equals fresh store. You can even talk to a local florist or nursery about having them supply the planter and flowers in exchange for putting “Flowers by _______” on the planter.
  3. Put a Table Cloth on your main display. Not only does it change the look and feel, while also covering up the cracks and scratches, it highlights the product on that display and raises their Perceived Worth.
  4. Refresh the Signage. Take down every paper sign in your store and reprint them from your computer. (The investment in a good color printer pays for itself on this one). 

People want to shop where the buzz is. People want to shop where it feels like things are happening. If your store looks like last year, you won’t get that buzz. You’re already buying new products. Might as well send a few more signals out that your store is fresh and exciting. You’ll probably get some Word-of-Mouth, too, so consider anything you spend as an advertising expense.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS I have some other ideas I will share later, but they cost just a bit more.

The Four Questions a Buyer Should Ask

One of my vendors did a survey of retailers to get ideas how they could service us better. I told them that there were really only four questions my buyers ask about a vendor before placing an order.

  • Do I like the product enough to want to sell it?
  • Would my customer buy this product?
  • Will selling this product benefit my company?
  • Do I have the room for this product?

Answer yes to all and we place the order. So a smart vendor would look at those four issues and find ways to make me answer yes.

Do I Like the Product?
Yes, it starts with the product. You better make something good, something smart, something simple that fills a felt need of the customer. If I don’t like it, I can’t sell it. Period.

Would My Customer Buy This Product?
I can love a product, but know deep down in my heart that my customers won’t. In fact, a good buyer knows the difference between what she loves and what customers will love, too. I have turned down some fabulous products because I knew they wouldn’t make sense for my customer base. A smart company understands this and markets their products to the right stores. A really smart company asks why and then decides whether it is worth it to modify their offerings or simply stick to their niche.

Will Selling This Product Benefit My Company?
This is where a number of factors come together.

The first is money. I need to make money. I have major bills to pay including rent, payroll, insurance, utilities and taxes. Are the margins and dollars good enough to help me pay my bills? Will the inventory turn fast enough to make it worth my while? Are the terms such as dating, freight and quantities realistic for my cashflow needs? Is the product one that all my competition is selling at unrealistic prices?

The second is image. Will selling this product enhance the brand or image of my store? Sometimes I am willing to take a financial hit on a line if it has other benefits. For instance, we are an official licensed dealer for Boy Scout and Girl Scout merchandise. Prices are controlled by the scout groups. Margins are paper thin. But the traffic it brings me and the prestige it brings me are worth it. Some products “legitimize” your store, which makes up for the financial shortfalls. Some products enhance the look or prestige or reputation of your store.

Companies that can sell me on the benefits of carrying their product from both a financial and an image basis have a better chance of getting the order.

Do I Have the Room for This Product?
When I speak of “room” I am talking display and storage. I am also talking room in the open-to-buy budget. I am talking room in the cashflow of the store. Companies that help cashflow with extended dating or low minimums will get a stronger look. Companies that have easy-to-display-and-store products will get a stronger look.

If you come to me with your product, you better be able to sell me on all four issues. It only takes one NO on any of those questions for me to walk away.

That’s the advice I gave one vendor who asked. I hope they listen.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS Yes, you may forward this to your vendors. Better yet, you might want to forward this to your buyers, too.

Reading List (Short Version)

For some reason, I have found myself recommending the same three books over and over the past couple weeks. So before anyone else asks, here are those three books.

Why We Buy by Paco Underhill – Buy this book if you want to be better at merchandising your store. Buy this book if you want to think about merchandising and traffic patterns and aisle widths and aisle lengths and sight lines in a whole new light. Buy this book if you want to read fascinating case studies about retail successes and failures at merchandising. Buy this book if you have any plans at all to change the layout or design of your store.

Drive by Daniel H. Pink – Buy this book if you want to understand how people are motivated to do their best work. Buy this book if you want to find different ways other than money to reward your staff. Buy this book if you want to find ways to make your trainings stick better. Buy this book if you want your staff to work harder.

Pendulum by Michael R Drew and Roy H Williams – Buy this book if you think the world has changed dramatically over the past ten years. Buy this book if you want to see what the next thirty years will look like. Buy this book if you want to know why your advertising that worked in the past isn’t working today. Buy this book if you want to see how society changes every 40 years from one extreme to another and how to navigate each of these extremes.

It will be the best reading you do all year.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS I purposefully did NOT include links to any of these books.

  1. Print out this list (or keep it on your phone) and walk into your local bookstore (if you still have one). 
  2. Order these books through the local store. 
  3. While you are there, browse the business section for one more book that catches your eye. 
  4. Buy that book, too.  
  5. Then buy one more book, just for fun.  

You are as good as you read.

Every Picture Tells a Story

I took these photos in the book department at our local Meijer’s store.

Although it did give me a chuckle, I am not sure I want the kind of “self-help” that Captain Underpants might supply.  Nor do I think Michigan Chillers is going to get anyone on the right track in their lives.

But it reminds me that we need to always keep an eye on our merchandising and signage.  This display sent me a strong signal that the book department would have no rhyme nor reason and that signs in this store were not to be trusted.  Neither are good messages to send you customers.

Take a good, solid look around your store for signs that are misplaced or misused.  Some of your signs have been there so long they have faded into the woodwork for you.  Count and document each sign.  You will be surprised how many signs you find out of place, expired, or just needing to be freshened up.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  Signs sell!  Rick Segal claims they increase sales of a product by 43%.  But make sure you do them right.  Horrible signs, old signs, and signs in the wrong place can send the wrong message and ultimately hurt your sales.

When and What to Change

Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender challenged me and a whole bunch of other toy store owners to change 10% of our store each and every year.  The premise being that what you do that is special today will seem ordinary and expected tomorrow.

The famous gymnast Mary Lou Retton tells the same thing.  What wins Olympic Gold this year will be the compulsory routine at the next Olympics.

But what do you change and when?

Let’s start with what not to change.  Don’t change your Core Values, your Character Diamond.   Not.    Ever.

But everything else is fair game.

Product
You should be changing your product by at least 10% each year.  Did you know that Mattel changes over 75% of its Barbie lineup every year?  A classic toy like Barbie goes through a major makeover every single year.  Look for new items that compliment your mix, too, not just the latest version of last year’s commodity.  Look for the latest and greatest on-the-edge products that fit within your Character Diamond.  You are the indie retailer.  People expect cutting edge from you.  Don’t disappoint them.

Services
Raise the bar!  Those special services you started offering a few years ago are now part of the expectation.  If you want to WOW your customers you have to go above and beyond their expectations.  Do things unexpected and wonderful.

Merchandising
Move things around.  Shake things up.  I know a store that paints one wall a new color every quarter and then merchandises that wall to match the color.  You think people notice?  Of course they do!  Take down every sign that has been up more than a year.  No one is reading it any more.  Make new signs to replace the worn and faded ones.  Change your window displays regularly.  Make them fascinatingly attractive.

Staff Training
I have more ideas on that than worth writing in this blog.  Download my free eBook Staff Meetings Everyone Wants to Attend and you should get enough ideas to change way more than 10%.

There are plenty of ways to make changes for the better.  After a little thought, I’m not sure 10% is enough.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  Not sure that change is necessary?  Ask yourself what is different about the way you do retail compared to ten years ago?  A whole lot has changed around you.  Change with the times or they will pass you by.

Raindrops Keep Falling on My (Son’s) Head

For the last 2 hours my 13-year-old son and I have been on a search of a raincoat.  We live in Michigan, one of the top ten states for # of rainy days per year.  All we wanted was a simple raincoat with a hood, size adult small.

We went to four department stores, no luck.  Only one even had a raincoat of any kind and only in L or XL.  One of the stores told me they sold them but only during the season.  What season?  April showers?  Last I checked we get rain in MI from January through December with the bulk of it from March to October.

We went to both sporting goods stores.  One had only ponchos.  Really?  The other had the same style and brand as the department store, oh yeah, and same sizes, too – L and XL.

We went to two mass market discounters.  400,000 square feet, zero raincoats.

With gas prices the way they are, I don’t see us driving 45 minutes to Lansing or Ann Arbor to the bigger sporting goods stores.  Hello Internet.

The Lesson In All This
Do you have seasonal items in your store ALL season long?  Do you have seasonal items even after the season is over?  Do you have hard-to-find items that the national chains just don’t think is worth carrying any more?  (Do you have a plain colored simple raincoat with a hood in an adult small?)

Are you advertising that knowledge like crazy?  You should.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  If you need a raincoat in Jackson, MI, don’t go to Target, Meijer’s, JC Penney, Sears, Elder Beerman, Kohl’s, Dunham Sports or MC Sports.

Someone Is Lying to Me

My favorite gas station just changed all their pumps to Pre-Pay.

The clerk told me it was a corporate decision. She had no choice in the matter. She also told me that she had been getting flak all day long for it. She did not like it. Neither did the customers.

But somebody at the home office thinks that pissing off customers and upsetting the employees is a necessary way to do business.

The part I really do not understand is that every time the general public complains about price-fixing in gasoline, we are told by these gas stations that they do not make any money on the gas, only the soda and snacks they sell inside the store.

Yet, they just gave me an excuse to not have to set foot in the store again. I just swipe my card at the pump, get my gas, and go. Probably will be good for my diet. Probably will not be good for their bottom line.

So either they are having a rash of drive-aways or they really are making money on the gas. I think we would have heard about the former. Somebody is lying to me.

But it begs the question we all should ask about our business. Where do we make the money? And are we setting up barriers to our customers that keep them from giving us that money?

I think that second question is the driving force behind this corporate decision.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS Yes, you should put your best, most profitable merchandise in the best location in the store. Start there and build everything else around that focal point. That is the number one rule to merchandising. For more rules and thoughts on merchandising, download my FREE eBook Merchandising Made Easy.

The Busy Season

As a toy retailer everyone expects that my busy season is December. They would be wrong.

December is the store’s busy season. My busy season is right now. Here is my October To-Do List:

  • Place all my orders for product I expect to sell in December. If I wait too much longer, many of the best items will already be sold out.

  • Hire and train my seasonal staff. This involves writing and placing ads to attract applicants, weeding through all of the applications, scheduling and doing interviews, doing background and reference checks, setting up a training schedule, updating the employee handbook, and doing the actual training. It also includes refresher courses for the regular staff.

  • Place orders for all selling supplies. I need to make sure I have plenty of bags, giftwrap, price tags, receipt paper, toilet paper, paper towels, layaway string, tape, etc. to get through the holidays. Do it now or forget and not have it when you need it.

  • Prepare my marketing campaign. I need to write/create/produce/schedule all of our marketing for November and December. This includes promotional events like Neighborhood Toy Store Day, the Downtown Christmas Parade, Discover Downtown Again Day, and the Toys for Tots Breakfast. This also includes writing radio ads and planning a Facebook campaign.

  • Carefully plot out cash flow. The money rolls in during December. The money rolls out during October and November as we stock up for the holidays. That means I have to pay close attention to every penny I spend.

  • Clean up. The entire store needs a fresh and thorough dusting. Displays need to be upgraded or moved out. Merchandising needs to be plotted and planned for all the new products coming in.

Yes, my busy season is right now. After I accomplish all those things over the next few weeks I’ll have plenty of free time in December to do what I do best – sell toys.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS I wrote this list as much for MY benefit as for YOURS. For me, it is a reminder to stay focused on the tasks at hand. For you it is a reminder of all the things you need to do to make this the most successful selling season ever.

A History Lesson About Change

I give talks to mother’s groups and other organizations about how to shop smart for toys. The talk is always well-received and praised for the smart and practical information. Most of the participants are surprised at how much thought should actually go into each toy purchase, and how easy it is, once you know what to observe, to get the right kinds of toys for your kids.

The lessons in that presentation are the same lessons my grandfather was teaching sixty years ago.

The lessons have not changed, but the toys have.
The principles have not changed, but the products have.
The core values have not changed, but the way we present them has.

The point worth making here is that while you need to hold onto the the same principles, the same core values, the same ideals about the products that got you to this moment, you need to update the packaging.

Make sure your product mix continually includes new items, fresh displays, and updated categories. Rotate your merchandising around to give your store a new look. Add a fresh coat of paint to give the feeling of new in your appearance. Dust every single week! Try new products and new categories that make sense for your store. Try one that doesn’t make sense. It adds a little excitement and surprise. Sure, keep the basics and staples, but give your customers reasons to come back to see what’s new.

You’ll never hear a customer ask, “So what’s old and dusty?”

The principles do not change, but the way we implement them always needs a fresh face. Make sure you are constantly updating and improving your product selection and displays. Keep the “history”, but ditch the “old and dusty”.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS Sometimes it is hard to read the label from inside the bottle. Have a spouse or friend give your store a critical look, preferably someone who hasn’t been in your store in a while. Ask her to label things as either “old” or “fresh”. If she calls it “old”, get rid of it, move it, or update it.

Notes From Visual Merchandising & Store Design Sessions

I love attending conferences with excellent presentations and workshops.

At the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association Marketplace this week I got a chance to attend two sessions on merchandising and store design put on by Linda Cahan.

Although I have already published a Free eBook called Merchandising Made Easy, I wrote down a ton of notes from these sessions either as reminders or as advanced ideas from what I already know.

Here are some of the key takeaways…

Focal Displays
Your store merchandising should be built on a series of Focal Displays that are visually attractive and placed where they will be easily seen. For instance, at the end of every aisle there should be a Focal Display. When a person enters the store, they will typically look straight ahead first. You should have a Focal Display against the back wall directly in front of them.

People also scan a store in predictable patterns. First they look straight ahead. Then they scan from left to right. Therefore you should stand in their shoes and see how many Focal Display areas you have from the front of the store and what are they seeing.

Your Focal Displays tell the story of who you are, your product selection, your core values, etc. Make sure that you are using those spaces wisely. If you have nothing interesting where a Focal Display should be, you are telling your customers that your store has nothing interesting for them. Make your Focal Displays fun and the rest of the store will seem fun.

Light Makes a Difference
Stores with really bright lights and lots of product everywhere are considered more affordable than stores with a mix of lights or bright lights with little product. If you are going for the boutique look, mix up your lighting. If you are going for the affordable look, add some wattage.

The best light of all, however, is Natural Light. Windows, skylights, etc. Natural light makes a store feel cleaner, lighter and more relaxing. It also helps your staff feel better.

Even if your landlord won’t let you put in more natural light, you can make a difference just by painting your ceilings light blue with a cloud or two. It will expand the space and make it feel like there is more natural light.

LED lights are the new wave of the future, offering brightness at a fraction of the energy, and they last forever. Get away from the hot halogens, expensive incandescent, and even the fluorescent lights in favor of LED when you start switching out your light fixtures.

Round is a Shape
Get rid of your sharp corners. If your cashwrap sits in the middle of the store and has corners, soften them somehow. Put a plant or a round fixture at each corner. Use round tables instead of square tables for displays. Sharp corners are irritants, not only dangerous physically, but also psychologically. Rounded corners and rounded fixtures are much more comfortable and pleasing.

Thanks to Linda for these great ideas (and so much more). I know there are some things I need to change.

How about you?

Phil
www.PhilsForum.com

PS Check out Linda’s book 100 Displays Under $100 (not an affiliated link, just a shout out to say thanks for two wonderful presentations)