Get the word out
Print, broadcast, Internet and other forms of advertising reminds consumers there is an opportunity to find things in a particular store—no matter what those things are. If the business plan is to provide a variety of accessories for backyard fun, then make sure to advertise a broad sampling of the product categories being offered and switch them frequently to convey variety.
A pool store’s ‘off-season’ advertising push should be focused on items people need for swimming pools other than their own (e.g. a health club or vacation destination). Remember, swimming does not necessarily stop when the weather becomes cold, it just moves indoors.
Part of this strategy means quietly advertising items such as swimsuits, goggles, aquatic exercise equipment and water toys during the summer when the store is busy with chemical sales and scheduling service calls. Then as the pool season ends, a bigger push on the items listed above should be made to remind customers to visit the store to purchase these accessories in the winter, too. This can be especially profitable because ‘big-box’ stores will have stopped carrying these seasonal items.
For those pool stores that do significant business with winterizing products and services in late summer and fall, customers who are closing their pools are the perfect audience to provide with coupons and other incentives, which will entice them to visit the store throughout the winter to buy accessories, games and other items.
Send a postcard or e-mail to everyone whose pool was closed this fall and wish him or her happy holidays. This lets them know the store can be a fun place to shop for gifts and items that can be used during the winter.
The sign of success
As a final note to remember, a customer coming into a specialty pool store at almost any time of year is ‘item-motivated.’ They came in because they are out of something they need (e.g. chemicals), or something they use regularly has worn out or been damaged and needs to be replaced. If the store’s product mix and displays lead a customer to purchase something they did not know they needed, like an accessory or gift, then it was a success—both for the customer and the business.
Mitch Smith is the national sales manager for GAME, a swimming pool and spa accessories manufacturer in Scottsdale, Ariz. He has been in the pool and spa industry for almost 30 years, having worked with Muskin, Zodiac and Vogue prior to joining GAME. He can be reached via e-mail at mks@game-group.com.
