Fall 2016 Hardlines Strategies

CUSTOMER PROFILE

Niche Opportunities While BES is known for its service and selection of power tools, hand tools, safety supplies, and more, its strategy for diversification has prompted the addition of several niche lines that started as a way to drive footsteps to the store but has turned into adding more style and flair to its offering. “Anne brought in some designer-brand jeans,” Baze says. “I wasn’t sure about it, but they are selling very well.” “They are fashionable, and they are high dollar,” says Shoemaker. “And they are popular. Men really do care about style.” They’ve also added other niches, ranging from an enhanced selection of Milwaukee tools to ice, and a variety of other products. “Other people in town carry Milwaukee, but not the larger, more diversified selection we do,” says Baze. “And ice has been fantastic. Customers come in and get cases of water and two or three bags of ice on their way out the door.”

Finding New Ways to Serve Customers While the addition of niches and expansion of product lines has helped smooth out some of the ups and downs caused by the oil industry, the store’s business from the oil fields certainly hasn’t gone away. In the oil industry, safety is a must, and BES has positioned itself as the go-to source for safety supplies and gear. BES Supply Store sells safety signage, protective clothing, fire extinguishers and more. Along with these safety supplies, the BES team also considers other product offerings that can help the oil crews run their operations more smoothly. For instance, the BES staff delivers several pallets of water each week to the workers in the fields. “That’s one more service we can offer,” says Shoemaker. Reaching Out In addition to seeking out ways to differentiate their store with the

products they offer, the BES Supply Store staff also thinks outside the box when it comes to merchandising and promotions. “We are slowly theming our store,” Shoemaker says. “We’re embracing employees to help us merchandise in creative ways. We all have great ideas and work well together. It’s been fun.” Developing unique displays catches customers’ eyes while they are in the store, but to keep the BES brand in front of customers throughout the year, the staff also engages in several unique promotions, including a monthly raffle. Each month, the BES staff picks a seasonal item that corresponds to that month. Customers can enter a raffle to win this prize, and the store keeps them engaged and collects their information. To further expand the reach of the business and to better service existing customers, BES launched

Pelican coolers are a popular seller at BES Supply Store, especially for those who work in the oil fields and need to keep drinks cool throughout the day.

14 Fall 2016 • Hardlines Strategies