Spring 2019 Hardlines Strategies

OPERATIONS

Come On In! The Value of the In-Store Shopping Experience

But there are a few things an online shopping experience can’t provide. By coming into a store, customers can touch and feel products, talk with experts (your employees) and experience top-level customer service, so when they leave, they’re happy with their purchase and plan to shop there again. To help make your customers’ shopping experiences the best they can be, keep these tips in mind. And stay in touch with your sales rep as Blish-Mize gathers information from its customers as it develops an e-commerce website for each of its retailers. a customer can research products, order what they need and have it delivered to their door—all without leaving the couch. purchasing decisions before they even set foot in your store. They may have done their research online and know the items they’ll need to complete a project. They might not be coming in to shop casually; rather, they’re just making a quick purchase. What You Can Do: Greet customers as they come in. Ask them what they’re working on, and what they’re looking for. You can ensure they’re getting exactly what they need—and they’ll remember that high level of customer service. O nline shopping topics across the home improvement industry. By shopping online, and e-commerce are popular Making a Decision Sometimes, customers have made

of customers—anyone from a DIYer on a tight budget to a contractor working on a client’s high-end kitchen remodel. Check the Traffic Flow Take a look at your store layout and make sure it’s set up in a way that it takes your customers through to see all your store has to offer, and that the way it goes from one category to the next is logical. What You Can Do: Most people are right-handed and will usually look to the right when they enter a store. That first display on the right is the first one they’ll see—is it making the impact you want? Also think about your checkout displays, which should be located at the end of the “journey” your customers make through the store. If you use a single-queue checkout, take advantage of that extra merchandising space for impulse items your customers can grab as they wait in line. Learning From E-commerce Many retailers see e-commerce as the competition, but use those online retailers as teachers, too. You can’t completely replicate the online experience in a store—and you probably don’t want to—but you can implement some ideas you find. What You Can Do: Look at the Amazon app, or check out the websites of some of your favorite stores, and see where you can find some inspiration. For example, when you click on a product online, there’s often a suggested list of related or popular products. Keep these ideas in mind as you merchandise the store. Try creating a display of products needed for a popular DIY project, or show off some of your biggest sellers across the store. Take the popularity of YouTube and bring it in your store by creating how-to or project videos that you can show on tablets within your store. These types of displays offer customers a chance to look at products in a way they wouldn’t otherwise.

The True Meaning of Good Merchandising

Merchandising is much more than putting items on shelves or creating displays to show off the product selection you offer. It’s about creating an experience for your customers. What You Can Do: Show the breadth of your product selection by creating an endcap that highlights similar or related items from a number of vendors. For example, you might build a display of cleaning supplies that includes all-purpose cleaners, window cleaner and kitchen and bath cleaner from multiple manufacturers. Another idea is to put together how-to displays of common projects around the house and highlight the products you sell that customers will need to complete that project. By using merchandising as a way to tell the story of what your store offers, rather than just stocking product, you can give customers new ideas and garner add-on sales. Offer products at different price points, so customers can have good, better, best selections to choose from, and so you can cater to different types

26 Spring 2019 • Hardlines Strategies