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lessons

from

the

road An Ongoing Series

by Thomas Brown, VP of Business Development

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It is interesting how many different merchandising styles I see when I visit a member’s store, builder’s showroom or prospects’ facilities. I have witnessed everything from “Pile It High and Watch it Fly” techniques to the sparse approach that made me

wonder if the individual was “Going Out of Business.”

Your customers are also aware. The sensory experience they feel upon entering your store or building showroom could mean the difference in added sales or losing a project to your competitor no matter how great your team is at building pools. Purposely organizing your store to engage your customers’ senses is sensory merchandising, and it can work for your store and showroom.

At UAG’s recent retail manager’s education course at the Las Vegas headquarters, the merchandising expert illustrated examples from other industries and spoke on visual appeal, lighting and traffic patterns. (Great Stuff: we need to learn from other industries if we desire success in our own.) If you missed this great educational experience, don’t worry. It will be repeated and you should definitely make it a point to attend.

Essentially, what he spoke about was sensory merchandising. Sensory merchandising is an art. There are experts who study the minds and buying habits of customers and then apply their findings to arouse your sensory triggers and get you to a display or the latest item the merchant wants to sell. Disney is excellent at evoking your sensory triggers. Have you ever wondered why there is a popcorn cart at every ride exit, or a food stand and other merchandising visuals at the ride entrance that somehow magically

get you to spend $80 dollars on a stuffed animal?

I have seen a lot of member and prospect locations, both retail and builder’s showrooms, and when approaching them I have made it routine to observe the surrounding area where the individual I’m visiting is located. Members, when was the last time you looked at your business from the customer’s perspective? I suggest all members conduct this exercise and also solicit the eyes of your employees and steady customers. Ask their opinion about your store or showroom appearance. Tell them to be honest and take action if needed improvements are suggested. The exterior of your store or showroom tells the customer, in a subconscious way, a lot about what they might expect when doing business with your company. This should be taken seriously.

Also, when was the last time you checked your competitors? Take a drive and look at their exterior and then walk inside. If you are friendly with a competitor, tell them you just stopped by to say hello, but while there observe, observe. Take it all in and see what “POPs” in your mind and what sensory triggers are awoken when you walk into their store or showroom.

Now let’s look at what you can do to maximize the customer’s experience, and therefore increase sales success. Here are some tips for improving the sensory experience:

VISUAL: First, be sure your store and showroom have a warm, inviting curb appeal. Make sure the customer focus is well organized, meaning there is a proper flow to the pattern your

customers takes in your sales process. If flow patterns are new to you, there’re easy:

you simply start monitoring your customer flow – do they

generally turn right, left or stop and look puzzled? Watch the customer flow and gauge reactions to your store

or showroom layout. Some merchandising professionals call

this the four foot rule. Customers enter your business and generally walk about four feet then stop and make the decision to go left or right based on your displays or layout. Knowing your customers flow pattern allows you to strategically display the merchandise that you are selling, or the service you want to promote within this four foot entry area. In other words: Have a new service or product you want to promote, display it within this four foot area at the entrance and make it bold.

Next you should make sure any new services or merchandise is easily spotted, like I said above make it bold, if you need signage or other creative display material give Watermark Advertising a call and they can design and print some exciting materials to get you noticed. Remember, customers expect to find the basics in your store or showroom, so don’t display the basics in your hot four foot zones.

Place the high margin products or cool pool features front and center in your customer’s sensory hot zone by making that product or pool feature a star. Check out your hot spot areas for impulse buying and be prepared to change merchandise regularly to link with your promotions, time of year or upcoming holiday. Consider having a TAX Free day for April 15th. It’s only a discount of 6% to 9% depending on your local tax, but it sure has an impact. Just be creative, freshen and renew your displays often. This goes for our builder members as well. The object is to get noticed and be remembered.

SOUND: If your store or showroom is quiet, then you may be missing out on sales. The music you play in

your business does more than entertain customers – it provides a background that entices them to stay longer and buy more. I like music that gives customers a psychological lift. Your aim is for your customers, young or old, to smile. Another plus; the right music can make your staff more

efficient, so if they’re dragging at the end of the day, crank

up the tunes. Here’s a tip: let your staff have a turn choosing some of the music. Just make sure that

every lyric is given the third degree before you put it on

your playlist. You don’t want to offend people, you want people smiling.

TASTE: I know you don’t sell food, but I have been to many retail locations that offer popcorn to their customers; it not only tastes good, it masks the smell of chlorine. But even if you don’t offer popcorn, it’s not a problem if you make food part of your customer’s experience. Place cold drinks near the front door to welcome customers on hot days. Do the same thing in winter, replacing the

cold drinks with hot coffee or hot chocolate. Offer free

bottles of water customized with your own label, (Ask Watermark Advertising for help designing the label).

I always thought it was a great idea for a builder to offer a

free backyard pool party with the installation of a pool or a pool renovation. The heck with giving away a free pool cleaner or some pool feature, simply throw a party for your customer to show off their new pool to their friends and family. It is a great way to get referrals. The ideas are endless. Just remember that when the friends have mouths full you should stick a cool product in their hands or talk to them about a installing a pool in their own yard.

SMELL: Remember that old retail adage: ‘If it

The Simplicity of Customer

A w a r e n e s s

Lessons from the Road cont.

14 | AQUATALK AQUATALK | 15

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smells, it sells’? Maybe not, but it turns out its true! Researchers have found that a pleasant smelling environment has a positive effect on shopping behavior. We all respond to good scents, maybe because they have the power to evoke memory. We’ve all had a whiff of something familiar and been instantly transported to another place in time.

That’s what makes aromatherapy so popular. Now we have

aromacology – the science of scents and their effect on our minds and moods. Grapefruit, for example, will give customers more

energy, vanilla will calm them (a great scent when you have a

disgruntled customer visiting), pine will inspire positive feelings and cinnamon is said to attract money, so use that scent in your showrooms and spas sales area. Just try it, put out the potpourri or spa scents and let the scent permeate the air. Better yet, purchase scent diffusers and place them throughout your store or showroom, I will say it sure beats smelling chlorine in the air.

TOUCH: Make sure that your merchandise displays are set to invite customers to play. Instead of an intricate display, ensure they’re touchable. Blow up some inflatable toys and have them around your store. Choose an ‘Item of the Day’ that your employees carry with them as they engage customers. Encourage them to show the item to customers, inviting them to take a look or try it

out. Make the visit to your store or showroom a fun and

interactive experience and people will buy. Think about how fun it is to visit the Apple store.

Remember, choose to engage your customers through all their

senses. It’s up to you and your team to create a retail store and showroom experience that’s uniquely your own.

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