Holiday sales push needs to start today!
According to the National Retail Federation, 40 percent of holiday shoppers plan to start shopping before Halloween. This means powersports store managers and owners should get their staffs together and plan to do a major merchandising shift for all goods sold in your stores.
Holiday planning is more than just pulling out your holiday decorations, like trees, trimmings and lights. It’s taking your best, newest and freshest inventory and putting it in the store’s best locations so customers coming in will not miss them.
During holidays, break some rules and layout your stores to look different and function different. Make sure you work with suppliers/distributors to bring in items for holidays or refill and freshen good-selling inventory. Also many of your suppliers will have marketing materials POP and branding that will make a bigger impact on your in-store product presentations.
Allow creativity. Allow your staff and suppliers to try new ideas even if you don’t agree with it. Now is a time to wow consumers! Don’t worry about a display that may block a small view of the sales floor or whatever reason you may have for not doing a great display.
Create hype for your products: Use social media to send quick, short messages with photos of products you’re hyping for the holidays. How does Best Buy do it? Kmart is pushing layaway programs; how can you help consumers buy from you?
Other holiday tips:
• Pick technology products like communicators, cameras or GPS products to draw consumers;
• Find products that fit a niche for rider uses, like luggage, windshelds, non-model specific products like grips, foot pegs and mirrors (they hit a comfortable price point and are easy to install);
• Find graphic helmets that you do not normally carry;
• Find products that people ask for, but you don’t carry;
• Look for products that are not often hyped by Internet retailers so you won’t be shopped by consumers;
• Don’t try to have everything: Find six items that would appeal to a wide audience of shoppers.