Easy Everyday Events
Events for slower seasons and why shows still matter.
By Carol L. Schroeder -- Gifts and Dec, 1/1/2010 12:00:00 AM
Q: Every November we hold a holiday open house for our best customers. But we don't have anything planned for January. Should we lay low while business is slow?
A: Good for you for doing a big event during the holiday season. As the old advertising adage goes, "you should sell peanuts while the circus is in town." But that doesn't mean that you should not have something special happening in your store during the slower months as well.
Keeping up an active calendar of events is especially important if you are taking advantage of social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, and are using an email list of your customers to send them regular newsletters. All of these inexpensive advertising media require that you come up with something newsworthy on a regular basis.
Happily, since it costs little or nothing to publicize store happenings through these social media, together with in-store signage and postings on your store website, you can put together low cost events frequently. Not having to pay for costly print advertising, invitations, etc., takes a lot of the risk out of event planning.
The most clichéd store "happening" is a sale, and with all the discounting around us every day, a sale is not likely to generate much buzz. But new arrivals are always worth highlighting, especially if you get in a quantity of merchandise from one source. The store next to ours is hosting a trunk show to show its latest imports from Mexico, and the big banner in the store's window is capturing a lot of attention.
You might ask one of your sales reps to help you host a trunk show, bringing in merchandise beyond your usual stock of their line that can be sold on consignment during the event. Sales reps are also sometimes willing to partner with their best accounts to do product demonstrations at no cost to the store.
A book signing is another inexpensive promotion, especially if you are able to buy the books on a returnable basis. Many publishers will do this for special events. We recently hosted a book signing by former employee Micaela Preston, whose book Practically Green: Your Guide to Ecofriendly Decision-Making features crafts and foods for the whole family. Micaela brought samples and helped spread the word about our event through her own blog and social networking.
If you do an event offering a portion of your sales to a local non-profit, you can expect the beneficiary organization to help with publicity. Be sure to send out press releases to your local media when you plan something to benefit your community. Free publicity is the best kind of advertising!
Get 2010 off to a good start by creating lots of reasons to be present in your customers' lives on a regular basis.
It's Show Time!
Q: We're hearing a lot of grumbling from our vendors about how show attendance and order writing is down. As a result, it seems there is a decline in the number of exhibitors. Should we keep show attendance in our budget?
A: Indeed, the times they are a-changin'. In addition to the challenges of the economy resulting in fewer stores and fewer buyers, the buying habits of those who attend the trade shows are also changing. But that doesn't make gift shows any less important to serious retailers. Hopefully exhibitors will take that into account, and keep showing their lines — and I definitely think you should keep going.
A recent survey of retailers conducted by Benno Duenkelsbuehler of (re)ALIGN for the Gift and Home Trade Association (GHTA) revealed that in-store and online ordering is preferred over trade show ordering by a majority of buyers. But this data can't be taken as gospel, in part because the survey was conducted online — slanting the results in favor of those who use the Internet.
Another factor to take into account: Though buyers may not be placing orders at trade shows, it doesn't mean they don't go to shows to look for new merchandise and specials. Most of us are still bricks-and-mortar retailers because we believe that seeing and feeling the merchandise is an essential part of the shopping experience. Trade shows are where we go for that experience.
Trade shows are also a place for retailers to connect with one another, especially through seminars, and to look for display and promotion ideas. We get to give our input into product development, and compare the offerings of different lines. This doesn't happen online.
One of the concerns we all have about trade show ordering is whether our local reps will get credit, and I admit I am worried about the answer "ordering with sales reps" coming in at number 4 on the GHTA survey. The rep system that provides vital support for retailers is endangered, and we need to do all we can to support it.
I'm sure I'm not the only buyer who saves my show time for ordering new lines, and lines that don't have sales reps, catalogs or websites. I might order a regular line if there is a great show special, but only if I'm sure my rep will get credit. Vendors and rep agencies concerned about the future of trade show orders should take into account that many rep, in-store and online orders are strongly influenced by seeing the product at a show.
After all, it is not as important when or how they get our orders, but that they get our orders.
We would love your feedback!
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