Fall 2014 Hardlines Strategies

CUSTOMER FEATURE

inventory, allowing us to be dominant in more categories.” Blish-Mize also helped with the reset by helping Hostetler rearrange the store so it flowed better. Now, customers are more likely to find everything they need at Hostetler’s. “Before, our inventory was kind of spotty—our customers could generally get about half of what they needed,” Hostetler says. “But now we’re more dominant in a lot of areas. We can offer customers just about everything on any

of their shopping lists, and that’s made us more dependable to them.” One of the final changes was the addi- tion of the Blish-Mize Customizable Interior Sign Package. The store previ- ously didn’t have any sort of aisle mark- ers, but the staff knew they wanted to add them during the reset. “They help better identify where things are for the customers,” says Hostetler. “We saw the signage in the Mini-Store at the Blish-Mize Market and knew we wanted something similar in our store. And besides

being useful, the aisle markers really finish off the look of each category.” The staff especially appreciated the help they received from their sales rep, Janet Elias. “She’s been very helpful and went the extra mile during the reset,” says Hostetler. “She was very particu- lar in how the store was set up, and we appreciated it. She’s done a great job.” More Changes Not only has Blish-Mize helped with the look of the store, but it also has helped the Hostetler’s staff set its pricing. “Blish-Mize helped us set our prices across the board,” Hostetler says. “We used to have the same margins for most of our products, but Blish-Mize has helped us see where some products may have lower margins and where we can increase margins on other products that may not be as price-sensitive.” Hostetler’s also began carrying the Hardware House line of products, which has been popular with customers, says Product Manager Micah Swartzentruber. “We recent- ly had one customer who got a name-brand faucet, and he ended up returning it and get- ting a Hardware House faucet instead. He was impressed with it—it worked well, was simple to install and was of good quality.” Going to Market The Hostetler staff regularly attends Blish- Mize Markets and finds value in doing so. They’re also strong believers in the new SmartBook tool. Micah says it’s been helpful as store staff plans its purchases before going to the Market. “We are still building our purchase his- tory with Blish-Mize, but the SmartBook is going to be really beneficial for us,” says Purchasing Manager Sheldon Swartzentruber. “As time goes on, we’ll be able to more easily look back and see what we’ve purchased, how much we’ve sold and what we need to buy moving forward.” Of course, networking is a big part of the Market. “It’s great to see new products and talk to buyers,” Hostetler says. “We can learn more about different products, and just see the latest and greatest and hear more about what we can be doing.”

Not only has Blish-Mize helped with the look of the store, but it also has helped the Hostetler’s staff set its pricing.

Bish-Mize helped the Hostetler’s staff reset the store so it flowed better and had a larger product offering.

20 Fall 2014 • Hardlines Strategies