I have to admit that I have gotten off the habit of posting. I would imagine all my readers have been really upset. Well I am here to say that I am back and I will promise to be more diligent with my postings. The realities of life have take over my time. We just finished up a new Video Catalog that should be mailing towards the end of the month. I will go home tonight and think of my next article and posting.
New Store Security Mini Catalog
The new Store Security mini catalog is now being sent out with every order. In it there is Specialty Store Services complete line of do-it-yourself security systems and security cameras. Our systems are easy to install and set up. We have also included our line of safes, cash counters and our ever popular cash drop boxes. If you would like to receive one of our new Store Security mini catalogs please call us and we will send one out to you.
In the meantime you can click here to browse Specialty Store Services complete line of store security items on their website.
Article Picked Up By Another Site
One of the articles I wrote has been picked up and published by another website. The site is www.salesopedia.com, “The World of Sales from A to Z”. Click here to see my article. The title of the article is “Leveraging Employees to Increase Retail Store Sales”. This article is about how the retail store owner can increase the productivity of their employees by using simple techniques that increase and improve their comfort, reliability and time management skills.
Getting Customers to Come Back.
How do you get customers to come back to your store? That is a question that even the big retailers and even Specialty Store Services encounters all the time. Is it service? Is it the price of the product? Is it the product line itself? You can get the customers into you store with a sale but eventually the sale ends right? We have been kicking the idea around here these last couple of days and trying to figure it all out. But in the end we have not come up with any answers. Anyone have any ideas?
Retailer’s Roundtable #1 Transcript
Editorial Comments: This is the transcript of an online video we produced this last week. We will be producing more over the next couple of months and hope to make it a regular feature on our website. Click here for a link to the video.
Welcome to “Retailers’ Roundtable.” I am your host Eric and this is Q and we’ll be your guides though the exciting, but often daunting experience of running your own store or business.
In this issue of “Retailers’ Roundtable” we will focus on the challenges of opening up a new store.Over the last couple of weeks we have received e-mailed questions from some of our customers.
First question is from Jim K. from Winter Park, Fl.Jim asks, “I have always wanted to open up my own store.Last week I passed by a vacant building that I think would be the perfect spot.What advice would you give me before I take the plunge?
- Consider the type of business.Make sure that there is a demand.
- Consider the size of the space.Too big or too small could hurt.
- Consider the amount of traffic either foot or vehicle.
Next question is from Denise B. from Hillside, MI.Denise asks: “What can I do to make my store look nice and make people want to shop there?
- Shopping is an experience for the senses.With that in mind you should make sure your store is well lit, clean, and organized.
- Lighting is important because you can use it to highlight products.
- A well-organized store makes it easier for your customers to find what they are looking for.
- Retail store signs are important too and they have a dual purpose: they add color and at the same time help the customer by calling out the product or alerting them to special offers.
The next question is from Charles from Tulsa, OK.“After I finally open my store how should I advertise?Especially since I will be low on cash.”
- Banners and signs again are a great way to communicate to your customer.Let them know you are open with a “Grand Opening” banner.You might even want to have a grand opening celebration and invite your friends and family.
- Get involved in your community.
- Word of mouth and recommendations are worth more that any newspaper advertising you could buy.
- Your local Chamber of Commerce
- The Internet is a great source of ideas.Go to http://www.sba.gov/ for more ideas
The next question is from Carlos from Atlanta, GA.Carlos asks, “Around here shoplifting and theft is a problem.What can I do to help defend myself against it?”
- Organize your store so that there are no blind spots.If you do have a blind spot use a security mirror.
- Door chimes let you know when someone enters.
- Our easy to install video security systems are a great investment.
That concludes this edition of “Retailers’ Roundtable”.Remember Specialty Store Services for all your retail store supply and display items.We have been partnering with business owners just like you for the last 20 years to help them grow their buinesses.Specialty Store Services, Service is in our Name.
Stew Speaks: Point of Purchase Displays
Editorial Comments: Stew Gershbaum is one of Specialty Store Services outside sales reps. In this entry he is discussing Point of Purchase, also known as P.O.P displays.
Our background in POP displays goes back many years when one of the founders of our company (Mal Finke) was a pioneer in retailing with one of the first big-box style discount chains in the midwest. The innovative merchandising style he created in the late 50s in these stores were a real trend setter.
We have a wide variety of merchandising systems or P.O.P displays that are truly beneficial to our clients as very often they can be created from in-stock components. The custom portion of the display really comes from the artwork! Large colorful dome signage, vertical signs, informative shelf talkers are all what drives the consumer to the merchandise. And that is what the STAR of the fixture is.
I think sometime people get caught up in over-designing a fixture and overwhelming the product. When you analyze the product lines and merchandising, I’ll think you’ll agree an awful lot of time and money is spent on incredible packaging.
Effective graphics and signage will draw the consumer to the fixture but the packaging is the clincher. Our modular wire displays can be outfitted with a tremendous assortment of retail store shelving and/or peg hooks to merchandise any products our clients wish to showcase. Most can be outfitted with h/d locking casters so the fixture location can change periodically in the store. I believe stores need to change fixture locations often to keep the consumer interested.
Getting back to POP Displays. We recently rolled out a new exciting process that allows us to PRINT full color graphics on 4′ X 8′ slat wall, Masonite. plywood,etc. This is actually a printing process not a label that sticks. It creates the most vibrant colors imaginable.
We’re currently working with two major suppliers in the adult industry to create an 8′ X 8′ area in stores using this process on slat wall to display their products. If you’d like to see a sample of this process I can send you some. Our Perf-fect perforated metal display system lends itself to exciting high-tech POP displays. Decor panels, 8 varieties of shelves, etc in a heavy duty modular platform that allows us to use magnetic base shelf talkers and signage is beginning to take off in the adult industry.
To summarize I feel that fixtures don’t have to be elaborate. The fixture should be simple and basic. The excitement comes from the signage and graphics and of course the product. The consumer will be drawn to the display. Its our job to be sure he has easy access to the merchandise in a clean and safe environment.
How to “Turn Passion Into Profit”
One of the local giants in the video retail business in the Chicago area, John Sarantakis, President of People’s Choice Video Express, has written a great article in the Video Business Magazine. It is about how video retailers can stay competitive in today’s market. Click here for the link.
In the article he refers to the IDEA Chicago which is a local chapter of the iDEA Group:
“The iDEA vision is to place independent retailers in control of our own destiny. The iDEA is going to empower the independent sector of our industry to grow our businesses through networking, communication, education, and business tools.”
Click here for link for that trade group’s website and where you can find out more information on their nationwide and local events..
A few weeks ago there had been an iDEA event at People’s Choice Video Express where more than 80 independent video store retailers, including Specialty Store Services came to swap success stories and talk to vendors and suppliers. The above picture is our outside sales staff from left to right: Q, Stew, Hope and Lee.
New “Sexy” Mannequins
As I just finished that last post I reminded myself that we have a new line of “Sexy” mannequins. The are very real looking(to say the least). They are more full figured and have a more realistic shape (more curves) than the stereotypical “model” shape of most mannequins. They are perfect for swimwear and lingerie. We have a brochure featuring this new line of mannequins so please call us if you would like more information or you can visit our website. Click here to see more of our new mannequins.
Retail Merchandising 101
We have a new showroom here at Specialty Stores. The other day I went in to it and took a look around. There is gleaming bamboo floors, a wall color that was pleasing to the eye and a series of suspended black grid panels that hang above the showroom floor and give the space a modern appearance. We have some displays out on the floor and shelving on the walls. The problem is there is nothing displayed on them. There was even a female mannequin hiding naked behind a slatwall display.
The room had very little in terms of styling: it was empty, a blank slate. I could imagine a new store owner in the same situation: what do you do to make your product look nice and attractive to the customer? I imagined myself as a customer coming in though the front door of the showroom, was I impressed? To be honest I was not. The sales floor was crowded, there was nothing that attracted my eye(except the naked mannequin) and on top of it all there was no product on the displays or shelves as I had said before. So to start I rearranged the what was on display, clearing path so that the first thing the customer sees when the enter the showroom is our great looking maple showcase display. I raided the photo studio for clothes to hang on the clothing racks and I put a dress on the mannequin and moved it to where it could be seen by customers. And do you know what happened? The mannequin sold two days later and customer asked what was different in the showroom. And this is just the start and I will keep you updated on my progress.
As retailers you have to be always conscious of what your customer sees when they enter your business: what kind of impression do you want to make? What is the “item” you want to promote and sell? The top retailers spend thousands of dollars on designers to make their stores work and by that I mean sell. As an independent business owners we do not have the money to hire fancy designers, but as long as we keep our attention on the customer experience, we can be just as successful. A store is not just a random conglomeration of merchandise; a store is a sensual experience and by that I mean pleasing to the senses. Use color, such as retail signage, to attract the eye, use risers to create interesting displays, and most important keep your business clean and neat.
Specialty Store Services has thousands of items to help you make your stores work for you. Our phone reps can suggest new merchandising ideas for you new or existing project.
We have just had a nice write-up in an industry magazine
A couple of weeks ago an associate editor from AVN Novelty Business, Nate Johnson, contacted me about an article he was working on for the magazine. He wanted some background information about Specialty Store Services. After several e-mail exchanges and a phone call or two I finally got him all the info he needed. The title of the article is “Bringing Special Back: Putting the Service in Specialty Store Services.” It is a well-written article about the company’s history, product line and a little taste of what is to come in the future. One of the best lines in the article is “Several things will always remain consistent: top quality products, low prices and great service.” These three ideas are something that is in the DNA of this company, but it is nice to see it in print once in a while!
Attention: due to the content of the AVN magazine, the following link is not appropriate for people who are offended by things of a sexual nature:
You can go here to check it out: http://www.nxtbook.com/syg/AVNANB/May2007/index.php?startpage=13
One thing he did not include in the article was a picture I had sent of one of our salesmen, Stew Gershbaum. For the sake of posterity I am including it in this post.