In the off season it is okay to take down some of the excessive shelves or racks to give everything else some breathing room. Consumers love to shop in stores that are full and appear to have selection all year-round.
When doing this, position the majority of any summer-related merchandise in the front of the store with winter goods and accessories towards the back. This will help to expose customers to the ‘summer specials’ items first before purchasing the winter-related products they were initially looking for.
When stocking the winter products area, make sure winter covers are in the back corner of the store and only display what will sell out within two to three days. If the space is overcrowded, it will only serve to confuse customers. Further, showing an abundance of inventory takes away the urgency factor of buy now before its gone.
Make sure to offer premium and standard winterizing kits. Make the consumer choose which one they want. In this author’s experience, between 10 and 15 per cent of consumers will choose the premium kit, especially if it has an algae-free pool opening guarantee. Premium kits should be different than what is typically carried (e.g. those that include natural enzymes), and charge a premium for them.
Signage is key
Spend some time to carefully think about store signage, especially when roadblocks are being used. One way of doing this is to use monthly themes in the store. For example:
- Spring into Summer Event
- Summer Suntacular
- Fall into Savings
- The Polar Plunge Event
Change out all of the ‘regular’ signage with new ones each month. It keeps it fresh and different. These themes can be supplemented weekly with additional signage that may include:
- All items under $10
- 2 for $5
- Buy one get one half off
