DIY WEEK – MERCHANDISING AND POS
David Clayton, Merchandising Champion at Centurion Europe, gives advice on merchandising and gaining more sales for specific lines of what many consider ‘hard to sell’ hardware products.
“Within the hardware sector, two ranges that many consider difficult to merchandise and stock are chains and tubes. Firstly, the question is where should they be positioned within the store? With chains, we normally advise that they are stocked at the side of ironmongery and close to security products. The reason for this is that they are often bought alongside padlocks and other such items.
The key to selling chains that can be used for a myriad of uses from bathroom plugs to dog chains, is having an effective display and one where it is easy for staff to replenish stock.
Often in some of the more traditional 1m wide merchandising units, chain rolls are displayed on long steel bars which are heavy to lift and require two people just to replace a simple roll. This often means that rolls remain empty until two staff have the time to attend to it.
The way we got around this was to design a more compact merchandising unit, at just 60cm width, that fitted just two rolls across it, which are secured in easy fit chain reel holders. This meant that a roll could quickly and simply be changed by one person and it would take up less space in-store. It is also important to offer a facility for measuring chain lengths, which is easily accessible on the display unit. The chain needs to have cutters attached to it too, so staff can easily cut the chain to the desired length.
The top of the display stand features accessories that can help upgrade the sale, with essential items including S hooks, mending links and spring hooks.
When it comes to tubes and fittings, again, an effective display can help to increase sales significantly. It is therefore important to choose a compact merchandising unit, which takes up less floor space than traditional units, yet allows for a wide range of products to be displayed. Tubes should be available pre-cut in 3”, 4”, 5” and 6” lengths and each product should be clearly marked with its description and code to make this easy when it comes to point of purchase. A wide range of size options should be available in the tubing – for example, we offer ¾ inch increments to suit customer needs, which again increases the chance of a sale. Every tube merchandising holder should come with an extension bracket which gives clearly defined product information with a product code and price, for the benefit of retail staff and customers. A special tray at the bottom of the merchandising unit ensures that the tubes are neatly presented and will not cause a trip hazard in the store. At the top of the stand, it is a good idea to display a range of fittings and related accessories, which engage the customer’s interest and ensure they have within easy reach all the accessories to accompany the tubing.
In all cases, lighting for merchandising units is crucially important. We provide halogen lighting, to the top of the majority of units, which makes it easy to see the display and draw attention from the passing customer. We find that personalised branding to the header board can help to attract attention too and offer the option of personalisation with the company’s corporate logos and colours.
What we are quite clear about is that we merchandise fast moving items on our units and we can advise customers on ranges that sell particularly well, as part of ensuring that they can increase their sales of hardware products.
The margins available to stockists are good on both these product ranges and we strongly encourage any retailer to give that extra bit of time and space to consider display for these conventionally “difficult to stock” products, as the payback should be quick and consistent over the long term.”