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Tips for putting more “pop” in POPs.
By Scott and Ann Springer
Stepping inside the door of most pet boutiques can send a customer into sensory overload. The vivid colors painted on the walls and
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Display Idea: Store Brand But Not Bland
Repackaging bakery items with materials using the boutique name can help build a boutique’s reputation and further its brand name. |
sprinkled throughout the merchandise, the upbeat music playing and the signs calling out to customers to come hither and fro can easily feel like visual and auditory clutter. With so many items competing for attention, customers may miss out on hidden gems that aren’t properly and prominently displayed.
Dan Headrick is always amazed to see which items in his Raleigh, N.C. shop, Wag Pet Boutique, grab his customer’s attention and which do not.
“They have so many choices they don’t always know where to go,” Headrick says.
Attractive and organized POPs (point-of-purchase displays) can help alleviate the chaos. POP displays direct customers to targeted products and act as an entry point to merchandise in which they may not otherwise have been interested, Headrick says.
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Display Idea: Out of the Box
Taking products out of their original packaging can breathe new life into what was once just an ordinary brush or pet toy. |
“A POP is like a pit stop,” he says. “It allows them to be interactive with the merchandise and invites people to touch and play with the products.”
Some items work better to highlight in point-of-purchase displays than others. Fun, non-essential items, such as health and beauty items or toys, should be put under the spotlight to attract the attention of customers, says Kristie Lewis, visual merchandising manager for the Midwest-based small chain of boutiques Moochie and Co.
“Items that people don’t know exist but serve a really great and practical purpose can easily be missed,” Headrick says. “But if you create a little zone for it, then it will give people a few more seconds to look at it and think about what it is.”
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Display Idea: Dreaming Up
A Theme
Themed displays can be an effective way to help highlight unique products year-round instead of just during the holidays. |
Items that carry a lower price point can also be the ticket for boosting add-on sales at the register, Lewis says. Moochie and Co. offers customers a canister of paw rub or a minty-fresh toothpaste as a promotion for those who buy a high-ticket item, such as a doggy bathrobe or a pair of pajamas.
“While the free items are a lower price point, it always adds up to higher add-on sales and also reflects in added sales of bigger ticket products as well,” Lewis says.
The key to a successful display is not just in creating it but also in changing it often, Lewis says.
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Display Idea: Kid in a Candy Store
Using baskets turned on their side or oversize, clear jars to hold treats and toys can make a pet owner feel more like a kid in a candy store, says Farrel Freeman. Freeman even separates Lush Puppy’s toys by size and color to keep things easy on the eyes. |
“I recommend changing point-of-purchase displays every two weeks so customers who come in weekly aren’t seeing the same thing over and over again,” Lewis says.
Farrel Freeman, buyer and merchandiser at Lush Puppy, a boutique in Las Vegas makes changes easily in her shop because she’s had wheels p ut on the bottom of all of her display fixtures.
The key to flawless displays is to be playful and fun, Freeman says.
“Use the merchandise to make it tell a little story,” she says. “It will catch customers’ eyes.”
Jeff Magsitza knows women, and he’s made his living targeting products in the cosmetics industry to them. As the senior vice president of m2 Pet Products, a Stanford, Conn.-based manufacturer of pet products, Magsitza is now using his intuition to help increase sales of products to female pet owners.
“Women buyers are always looking for something new and different,” Magsitza says. “They want to be the first one to have something.”
Magsitza recommends boutique owners focus their attention on creating attractive displays. This may also help target female customers, since the majority of products are purchased by female customers.
“Women like things that are attractive and pretty,” he says.
Most women can’t resist a great item even if it’s not on their shopping lists, Magsitza says. He recommends cross-merchandising impulse-buy products on aisles with practical items, such as food or treats.
Changing the layout of a shop frequently may also keep women coming back.
“If the endcap shows you some
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Display Idea: Center Stage
Lighting creates more than just ambiance—it also creates a spotlight on merchandise, says Freeman. |
thing different, you’ll stop,” Magsitza says. “The consumer will say, ‘I know this store, but I’ve never seen this before.’”
Creating awareness about new products can appeal to women who are looking for the next best thing for their pets. Using signage and speaking with the customers face-to-face also can help spread the word and increase sales of new products.
“Embrace the idea that people are looking for new products,” Magsitza says.
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