Month: April 2011

Retail Sale Idea: Boss is Away Sale

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

Here is a fun and creative idea to generate interest in your store, courtesy of The Cozy Nest in New Hampshire. The employees at the Cozy Nest had a “Boss is Away Sale”, and just look what great results they had when they were given permission to go wild, have fun, and create sales in her absence!

“I wanted to share a promotion that my staff had while I was at the June Retail Success Summit. I borrowed the idea from someone that said she had a “While the cat is away the mice will play” promotion while she was away from her store. I asked my employees if they would like to plan a similar event while I was at the Summit and that I would trust them to handle it and didn’t want to know anything about it.

“It was a huge success. They had a 237% gain over last year.

“Here are some of the things they did:

  • Wore little glittery mouse ears with a pink bow the whole time I was gone
  • Sent out a daily e-mail about the deal of the day (borrowed idea from the 12 days of Christmas)
  • Had a big poster for the customers to sign and leave me a message
  • Created a poster with a thermometer that they filled in every day to show how they were progressing
  • Asked neighboring businesses to send their customers over and gave those customers an extra 10% off. Plus, the business that sent the most people received a gift certificate
  • Raffled off a gift basket worth $300 (all clearance items)
  • Held a daily raffle for 4 gift certificates ($25 each)

“I gave them a hefty sales goal and if they met it, I’d give them each a day off with pay, and they met their goal. They had a blast and were really proud of their event. The customers also had a blast.

“I had a friend drive by and they told me it was like a feeding frenzy and the parking lot was a mob scene. I am sure that created some buzz around town, plus it brought in some new customers that wanted to see what was going on!”

What a fun idea! I especially love the Deal of the Day email, the reciprocal program with neighboring businesses, the message poster for the boss and the mouse ears. Gosh, I guess I loved all the ideas. Please me know if you try this out. It sounds like a hoot!

Candy: The Ultimate Impulse Item!

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

Okay, show of hands. Who does not like chocolate? Hmmm, not many hands up. Chocolate and other candies are popular treats year round and that makes them excellent candidates for your impulse purchase displays.

Although chocolate is tasty at any time (Chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast washed down with chocolate milk? Yes, please!) it doesn’t always store and ship very well in the summer heat. Enter Specialty Store’s annual chocolate sale! That’s right, all of our chocolate is on sale right now so stock up and satisfy your peckish customers’ hankering for a sweet snack after shopping at your store. Candy isn’t just for convenience stores and food stores any more. If you look at many big-name department stores you will see candy for sale at their check out counters and believe me when I say that it is hard to resist. I speak from experience (but never with my mouth full).
Check out our chocolate sale items including Snickers, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Twix and M&Ms, just to name a few. But why stop there when other favorites such as Twizzlers, Skittles, lollipops and Sour Patch Kids are available? Give impulse candy a try if you haven’t already. Your sugared-up customers will thank you.

Calming the Retail Customers’ Fear of Purchasing

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

You have customers walking through your door every day. They are cordially greeted by you or your staff, they browse, they ask questions and, if all goes according to your plan, they purchase your merchandise. But sometimes they do not. Hmmm! What could be the reason for this? Perhaps you don’t have quite what they’re looking for…or perhaps they’re afraid. Not afraid of you or your oh-so-not-scary merchandise, but afraid of the item not working out for them, after all.
Let’s look at some reasons a customer might be afraid to purchase. They are afraid that:
    • the item may be less expensive elsewhere

 

  • their significant other won’t like it

 

 

  • it won’t match (their sofa, their pants, etc.)

 

 

  • they won’t know how to use it

 

Have a meeting with your staff and ask them why customers may be hesitant to purchase in your store in particular. Once you pinpoint possible reasons, you can prepare your solutions. For instance, if the customer fears they will find the item cheaper elsewhere, you can implement a price-matching program if you don’t already have one in place. People may be more inclined to purchase if they know that they will be reimbursed the difference if the same item is found to be cheaper somewhere else within the next 30 days (or whatever time frame you choose). If the item doesn’t match or their significant other doesn’t approve, let them know they’ve got nothing to lose by trying it out since they can always return their purchase for a refund or store credit. If the customer is nervous that he or she won’t know how to operate whatever it is they are purchasing, offer them a training session and let them know they can always call the store for assistance.

As we’ve all heard said “The best offense is a good defense”. Being prepared for any objection or fear that may pop up means that you don’t have to fear losing a sale.

Mother’s Day Sale Signage

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

The day honoring Mom is coming. The woman who tucked us in at night, kissed our owies, grounded us just because she didn’t like how the dog looked after he was shaved and colored in with marker. She may not have an artistic bone in her body, but she’s Mom. And people are going to be crawling out of the woodwork to purchase her yearly “Thanks for not strangling me when I was a mouthy teenager” gift. You’ve probably got all your sale ideas in place but make sure people know that you’re even having a sale.
A beautiful sign in your window will draw attention, remind people that Mom’s day is coming and get them in the store to take advantage of your fantastic sale. Your Mother’s Day Sale sign will be shipped out the day after you order so it will be hanging in your window in no time. You can see our sale sign above and, as you can see, I wasn’t lying when I said it was beautiful.
Have a great sale! And give Mom a hug for me.

Custom Labels = Customized Anything

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

Would you like customized bags, cups or packages to send home with your customers but do not want to spend big bucks? Then custom labels are the way to go! You can have custom labels printed for mere pennies. Pennies, I tell you!
“I put stickers with my company logo on all styro cups in the cafe – works great and is a very economical way to have customized cups!”. Those are words right out of the mouth of a business owner who was quite pleased with a 2″ circle custom label. In addition to the circle labels we also offer rectangle, square, oval and triangle shaped labels to suit your needs exactly. The custom labels are available in a variety of label colors, ink colors, shapes and sizes so your options are nearly limitless.
Looking for a little more flash? Check out gold foil custom labels or silver foil custom labels. These labels look fantastic with the contrasting black ink and are especially effective with a logo. Send us a high-resolution image of your logo to print on the label or, for a small fee, we will create a professional custom logo for you.
Here is something you don’t see every day: 8 1/2″W x 5 1/2″L custom labels! These beauties really dress up paper shopping bags and plastic shopping bags. See the label above and notice how it really draws attention to the bag and then imagine your customers walking down the street with these custom labels on your bags. They will advertise your store for you! Nice. These labels are white and can be printed in full color. Design your labels with your logo or a photo, store information, advertising message…it’s your custom label so go nuts.
So, think outside the bags…or box or cup. And never underestimate the big power of a little label.

Retail In-Store Event Ideas

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

So, everyone with cabin fever is looking for something interesting to do. Why not hold an in-store event? They will have something to do and you will have potential customers walking through your door. It’s a win-win! Now, let’s start tossing around some ideas.
Invite people in. How about an open house or after-hours event? Provide some beverages and little snacks and invite folks to take a look around. Put on a fashion show if you own a clothing or jewelry store. Give a demonstration or presentation about services you offer or merchandise you sell. If you’d like to liven things up a little, recruit a musician or two from the local college or music school to provide some entertainment or background music. You could have a door prize raffle, the prize being an item from your store or gift certificate for a service you offer. When participants fill out the raffle ticket, ask for email addresses so you can inform them about upcoming events and promotions.
Play nice with others. Contact a local non-competing business and create a reciprocal program. If you own a clothing store you can put a coupon to the local dry cleaner in your customers’ bags and the dry cleaner can return the favor by providing a coupon for your store. If you own a pet supply store you can work in cahoots with a hotdog stand. (Ha!) Although working with a business in the same sphere would be ideal, the businesses do not necessarily have to complement each other. Everybody has a wide variety of needs so a hardware store could very well work out a program with a restaurant, for example. You can easily print up coupons on your printer but remember to keep the font and text simple. Be sure to specify any restrictions, such as expiration date and maximum discount amount. Make sure the coupons make it into the customers’ bags and are not just sitting on the counter; otherwise people may not see them.
Spread the love. People like to get a good deal and they like to feel good about themselves. Helping others makes us all feel good and there are plenty of organizations that can use help. For instance, a local animal shelter will certainly need food, towels, kitty litter, bleach, toys and other items. You can let the shelter know you’d like to help, ask them what they need and work your promotion around that. Ask people to bring items for the shelter to your business and in exchange they will receive a coupon for a certain percentage off their purchase or a free little give-away item. When promoting this event, state the benefiting organization, the date(s), items needed and what people will receive in return (a discount on their purchase and a smile in their heart!). Ask the shelter to post information about this event on their website and to spread the word to their volunteers. This is also an excellent idea to benefit food pantries, veteran’s services, homeless shelters and battered women’s shelters. Not only will you get people in your door, you will also be creating a sense of good will and caring in the community that people will remember and appreciate.
Get the word out. Start publicising your event weeks in advance if possible. People will not show up to your event if you do not tell them about it so send out your emails, print up those flyers, put up your signs and, if it’s a charitable event, your local newspaper will likely put the event info in their calendar of events for free. Post the info on your sidewalk sign a few days in advance and especially on the day of the event.
Please let me know about any events that you have and how it went. Good luck and have fun!

Lighted Showcases – Shedding Some Light on Your Merchandise

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

So, you have got some lovely merchandise that you’d like to highlight but are leery about having it be too approachable. What to do, what to do? Display it in a locked and lighted showcase, of course.
A showcase that I find to be elegant yet functional is the Rectangular Lighted Tower Showcase which includes a bottom mirror deck shelf. This Tower Showcase comes with three adjustable tempered glass shelves and frameless locking doors so your merchandise will be safe. This display case allows a 360-degree view of your jewelry, collectables and any other small, valuable items you would like to display. The double halogen spotlights in the top canopy and the six adjustable halogen mini-spots on the sides ensure that your merchandise will be displayed to full advantage. This 39.5”W x 13.75”D x 78”H showcase includes a 20” high locking cabinet on the bottom to keep your overstock safe and tucked out of sight. Look at the photo above to see how brilliantly this showcase not only displays the shop owner’s merchandise but how strikingly it complements her decor. If you like this cabinet but the size isn’t quite what you are looking for then you may want to explore the Rectangular Lighted Tower Showcase with more glass display space or the Square Lighted Showcase Tower if your display area is limited. All these display cases ship fully assembled so you will not have to monkey around with tools.
Another very pretty lighted cabinet is the elegant Hexagonal Glass Countertop Showcase. This darling showcase has strong, black aluminum framing with tempered glass so it is sturdy but will look lovely while displaying your merchandise with elegance and style. It also includes six 20-watt halogen lights and three tempered glass shelves. At 35”H x 16”D x 18.5”W, the display case is roomy but won’t take up very much valuable counter space.
If you already have showcases that your are happy with but are wistfully thinking “Gosh, if only my showcases had LED lighting”, be wistful no longer. Cool White LED Strip Lights are available in 11.8” lengths and can be connected end-to-end to meet your lighting needs. These lights are super easy to install with the included mounting clips, do not build up excess heat and have a life span of 8 to 10 years of continuous use. Team up the LED Strip Light with the LED Strip Light Controller and LED Strip Light Lead and you are all set to light up your current showcases beautifully!

LED Signage

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

A light can be a beacon in a window. Light gets our attention and draws the eye. So it makes sense to have lighted signage to get your customers’ attention, no? When choosing your lighted signage, you will want to take LED signs into consideration. LED lights are fantastic! They are long lasting, inexpensive to operate, super bright, safer and sturdier than neon lights and they don’t get hot so you can leave them on 24/7 if you want to.
The Multi-Color LED Single Line Message Display and Multi-Color LED Double Line Message Display are very effective in getting your message across. Just program your message with the handheld remote keyboard to let people know what you’ve got going on in your store. This display boasts yellow/gold, red and green lights that can be meshed into a multi-color rainbow message. These message displays have 25 display options, 8 available fonts, multi-motion speeds, and can display international characters as well as time, date and temperature. And the display is password protected so no jokesters can mess with your message! This sign can also help you save on marketing expenses, too, because you can just change your message at will rather than having to make up a new sign every time your specials or sales change.
If you are not currently in the market for a Message Display then you may want to consider some appealing non-moving LED signs. An attractive, brilliantly lit LED “Open” sign will let customers know when they can pop into your store. If they stop by when you are closed, just inform them of the hours with this lighted LED “Open” sign with static cling numbers so you can post your hours of operation. One of its notable features is that the hours will stay lit even when the open sign is turned off!
Have an ATM? Let everyone know with a nifty LED “ATM” sign. Own a pet supply store? A cute LED “Open” sign in the shape of a bone will be sure to generate some smiles and sales. There are so many LED signs to choose from! Check them out and see which ones will work for your business.