Some statistics out there have said that 10% of all engagements in the U.S. happen on Valentine’s Day. This number seems a little high, but the bottom line is that many use this romantic day to pop the big question and that means ring sales! Even if you’re not a diamond selling store, in today’s economy, it is not unusual for women to opt for a non-diamond engagement ring. And really, any store that sells rings can benefit from effectively displaying products. In addition to making rings standout against a flattering background, having ring displays keeps these small items in front of your sales associates.

Depending in your store’s needs there are several ring displays to choose from. And because each of these displays are available in either black velvet or faux white leather, store owners will be able to choose the best color backdrop for featured merchandise.

To display many rings at once we recommend using the five finger ring display, twelve finger ring display, foam ring insert with 72 slots, foam ring inserts with 36 slots or foam ring pads with 8 sections. To highlight a special ring or to let a customer view a ring alone, the single finger ring display is available with either a round or square base. If your goal is to add some interest to your displays, the polystyrene display hand or the horizontal display hand are great options that will make rings sparkle.  the horizontal display hand are great options that will make rings sparkle.

72 Ring Foam Display |   5 Finger Ring Display |  Polystyrene Display Hand |   Single Ring Display

Also, don’t forget a plastic ring size measuring stick and a finger size measuring ring set with 25 plastic rings on a chain so customers know exactly what will work for them.

Ring Size Measuring Stick | Finger Size Measuring Rings

How do you display rings you sell? Do you display single rings? Multiple rings? Or both?

Like many things, it’s not surprising that men and women have different shopping behaviors. It is beneficial for store owners to cater certain displays toward women and others toward men, depending on the item featured and the season. Valentine’s Day is a perfect time to test how creating displays targeted at gender can increase sales because both men and women will be out in search of gifts for their significant others.

You can find countless articles about the different shopping habits between men and women. I would advise glancing over a few of these because they are very interesting. You will find information such as:

• Women spend $4 trillion annually and account for 83% of consumer spending in the U.S. (from WomenCertified.com)
• “A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs. A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn’t need.”
• One of the most important aspects for men when shopping is checking out fast. One of the most important things for women is the experience and feeling like an important customer. (from a 2007 study done at Penn State)

Knowing some of this information, you may be asking yourself how do you translate this to your displays. Here is what we recommend thinking about when displaying for men:

• Make sure items that your popular items for men are very easy to find and in stock. Because men have a “get in, get out” shopping mentality, they may give up at your store if they cannot find exactly what they are looking for quickly. Instead of creating cute, decorated displays we would recommend focusing on visible signage and keeping products organized.
• Men are less likely to ask for help than women, try to make all products available on the floor. Though it may look better to display an item without the clutter of having multiples of that product, men may not go looking for that displayed product if it is not readily available.
• Especially during Valentine’s Day, men may be a little out of their element when shopping for wives or girlfriends. To make them more comfortable, keeping popular Valentine’s Day merchandise in one area might be a good idea so they are not overwhelmed having to walk and search through the entire store.

Women are a little more eclectic in their shopping style, so you have more freedom with your displays. Here is what we recommend thinking about when displaying for women:

• Because women love options and deals, displaying a plethora of merchandise can be advantageous when targeting women. You can utilize a mix of dump bins, tables and racks to feature lots of merchandise. Displaying products at different price points will allow women to measure their options. Most women are not overwhelmed by a large inventory.
• Make sure that you let your female customers know that you appreciate their business and ask for feedback from them. You can do this by adding things such as comment boxes or survey slips in your store.
• Women are more likely to buy multiple items when they can see them together. For example, when a woman is shopping for her husband, pair that great wallet with a snazzy watch.

How do you make displays more appealing to men verses displaying for women?

With Thanksgiving and Christmas past, after holiday shopping is in full gear. Shoppers are still looking to save money where they can, which means they are out coupon hunting and sale searching to find the best deals out there. Independent retailers are going to have to price items very competitively to drive customers toward the registers.

According to the National Retail Federation, the number of shoppers was up but spending was down on Black Friday. If you were disappointed with Black Friday and December 26 sales, there is still time to increase your December/January figures. Independent store owners can take advantage of the holiday foot traffic by effectively highlighting marked down merchandise and displays.

The key for store owners is not only to get customers into your store but to spend money there as well. The first thing to consider is communicating to roadside customers or passersby that your store is featuring sales. You have about three seconds to let people know what they can expect to find inside. Especially as mid-January approaches, shoppers will still be looking for those holiday signs. Key places for signage are in window fronts, sidewalks and by the road. Remember to keep your signs simple, direct and professional. Easy-to-read, attractive signs will relay important messages to your target market.

Along with coupons and mailers, stores will attract more buyers by featuring merchandise with store fixtures and supplies that are designed specifically for highlighting sales. We have always recommended using a mix of hanging racks, bins and shelves. Round racks and dump bins are an economical way to feature a large amount of items and do not require lots of maintenance throughout the day. Because these fixtures stand alone, they are optimal to place in high traffic areas and draw customers to a particular area of the store.

Sell holiday merchandise quickly to make room for new 2010 items. We also recommend setting goals for employees and rewarding those who are keeping a positive attitude.

Everyone have a safe and happy New Year’s!

From decorating to cooking, people always get into the holidays. So this is your chance to capitalize on holiday merchandise sales. Just putting out your seasonal merchandise is not going to put you above your competition. You have to go the extra mile and really make your seasonal merchandise stand out. Appeal to your customer’s senses and put them in the holiday buying spirit.

Sight
Your displays are going to be a huge factor in attracting customers to your holiday merchandise. People are going to go towards attention grabbing things like lights, moving objects and sparkle, not a tower of boxes. Here is where you should let your creative talents shine. If you are not very artistic, consult employees or friends who can help.

Smell
Draw customers into your store with a holiday scent like gingerbread or pine. This would be especially helpful if you’re selling holiday candles or potpourri. Many people associate the holidays with certain smells, so put them in the holiday mood with the sent of their mom’s fresh baked apple pie.

Sound
“Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la, la la la …” Nothing puts people in the holiday spirit more than Christmas or holiday music. Make sure it’s not too loud and try to have a variety of music play. Also try to avoid religious music and play songs such as Frosty the Snow Man, Let it Snow, Winter Wonderland, etc. or make sure you represent all traditions in your musical selection in order to keep all customers happy.

Taste
Everyone loves samples. If you have a special holiday drink mix or dip consider putting out samples. This is a great marketing tactic because people won’t have to guess at what they are buying. And it shows that you believe in your products enough to put it out and know that people will like it enough to buy it. This will also make people stay in your store longer and lure in others who are wondering what is so interesting.

Touch
If your merchandise is packaged in a box, we recommend having a display out of the box so that customers can pick things up and touch them. If you don’t, people will end up taking items out of boxes themselves. This could potentially damage several products.

Think of what would appeal to your customer’s senses this holiday and you might be pleasantly surprised at the difference it makes in your store.

How do you attract customers into your store?

Many people who order online want to have their purchase sent directly to the recipient for the holidays. Offering gift wrapping services for online sales is a good strategy for these buyers, making your online store a one-stop-shop for holiday customers.

There are many different pattern options of gift wrapping to match your customer’s tastes. The following are offered as half ream rolls measuring 24” W x 75’ L.

• Red-Gold Holly Leaf
• Candles
• Metallic Gold Pine Cone
• Metallic Poinsettia
• Metallic Silver Stripe
• Metallic Snowflake
• Ornaments
• Holiday Block Print

Offering customers different wrapping options will personalize the gift and experience for them. Usually people ship gifts to people they cannot see over the holidays, so any amount of custom options you can offers will be appreciated. We recommend stocking up on your packaging material such as stretch film, bubble wrap and Kraft paper.

For more information on packaging, refer to previous blog posts in the packaging category.

Stemming from Black Friday, Cyber Monday falls on the Monday after Thanksgiving. This year Cyber Monday will be on November 30, 2009. With entire websites dedicated to help consumers find the best deals for this year’s Cyber Monday, it can be very competitive to get your sale noticed. Obviously if you don’t have an online store, Cyber Monday is not as big of a “selling holiday” for you, but it doesn’t hurt to be knowledgeable about online sales.

Here are a few facts about Cyber Monday to keep in mind:

• Victoria’s Secret’s website was completely down between 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. during Cyber Monday in 2008, resulting in a decrease in sales and backlash from customers.
• Cyber Monday sales were up 15 percent in 2008 at $846 million compared to 2007.
• The term “Cyber Monday” was coined by shop.org in 2005 as a marketing tactic.

The number one, most important thing for eCommerce sites is to be able to remain functional with high amounts of traffic on Cyber Monday. When sites are down, customers are not willing to wait around, they will simply find what they are looking for with a click of a button to a competitor’s site. Though, some situations cannot be helped, do everything you can to test and retest your site to make sure it does not crash right as a customer clicks purchase.

Perhaps one of the most important things you can do this holiday season is to use appropriate Holiday Signs to lure customers into your store. Because your store won’t be the only one with holiday signs up, sign placement and message are extremely important.

The Store Supply Warehouse website makes it easy for retailers to shop for holiday store fixtures with the holiday items listed together. With all the options as everyday store signs, holiday signs come in many varieties.

The 11 Piece Holiday Sale Promotional Sign Kit and Holiday Sale Super Sign Kit features “Holiday Sale” and friendly snowman. The Economy Burgundy Sale Sign comes in packs of 100, available in two different sizes and feature holiday present images. Economy Snowflake Sale Signs also come in packs of 100, available in two sizes and are printed with snowflake images. The Holiday Sale Companion Sign comes in packs of 50 with “Holiday Sale” and snowflakes.

These festive signs will let customers know that these are not your everyday sales. Special sale signs mean special sales and discounts. Because the signs are dateless, you can use them over and over again. Try pairing them with holiday displays and keep the discounted merchandise close by.

The day after Thanksgiving, commonly known as Black Friday, officially marks the first Christmas buying day of the year. This year Black Friday will be November 27, 2009. Black Friday can be a retailer’s best and worst dream. While traditionally this day brings in the most foot traffic of any day in the year, it has not always brought in the most sales. Usually the day before Christmas rakes in the highest amount of profit for store owners.

Here are a few facts about Black Friday to consider as you prepare your store for the crowds:

• The term Black Friday originates back to the 1960s in Philadelphia, referring to the overcrowded sidewalks and busy streets.
• At the top of the selling list in 2008 was the Nintendo Wii, Ugg boots, Sony Blu-Ray Disc Player, Samsung’s 52” LCD TV and Nintendo’s Wii Fit.
• Black Friday is not an official holiday, however most employees get the day off (except those working in retail and banking).

The key for retailers is to turn window shoppers into buyers this holiday season. Some tactics to consider are utilizing holiday signs, advertising early bird specials, giving freebies with a certain purchase or offering a percent off at a certain time of the day.

What are some of the best and worst experiences you have gone through with your store during Black Friday? We would love to hear your retail stories!

In an uncertain retail market some store owners may be hesitant to invest in more expensive merchandise and advertising this season. However, a recent article by the St. Louis Post Dispatch titled, “Bustling Halloween market has retailers seeing back” reports that customers are expected to spend more than $50 on Halloween this year.

The article features retailers from Halloween store owners to haunted house operators to pumpkin farms. They all report that profits are expected to match and even top last year’s sales. One Halloween retail store said their sales are up 20 percent from the same time last year.

With a majority of Halloween spending taking place in the last two weeks of October, it’s not too late to cash in on this holiday surge in spending.

An efficient way to manage the high volume of customers you are expecting this holiday season is investing in some portable posts and barriers for easy crowd control. Avoid massive mobs of people blocking key walkways in your store and keep lines to the registers in designated areas. Not only will these items maintain order in your store, they also help protect against theft. Posts and barriers can deter people with un-purchased merchandise from going out of your store.

There are several options in this category to match any store’s needs and budget. We would recommend measuring how long you need your posts to stretch within your store. Also consider if you will need to use these posts for outdoor use, because plastic is a better material for outdoor use than metal chrome.

Available in black and white, Portable Plastic Posts and Plastic Chains are an economical option for interior or exterior access control. For maximum stability, sand should be kept in the base. The Plastic Chains are sold by the foot. A seven foot length chain is recommended to use with the Plastic Posts.

The Portable Post with Tape is a simple, no-nonsense solution for temporary or permanent control. The belt is self-retracting and connects slowly and safely when detached. A three year warranty is included with purchase. End a line with either a Beltway Portable Receiver post or a Retractable Tape Wall Receptacle.

A Chrome Metal Portable Post has a classic, sleek design for any interior application. This light weight post goes with any style hook or snap. The Velour Rope with Chrome Snap Ends matches perfectly with the Chrome Metal Portable Post. This six foot rope will add an elegant look to any décor.

Portable posts and barriers are your solution to keeping order, hosting an event or deterring people from certain areas. Try them out in your store and let us know how it goes!

The holidays are the busiest time of the year for retailers. While the season of buying can be very stressful, it is necessary to put in the work now because it will carry you through some of your slower months. You can not plan for everything, but going into the season organized will only help create a smooth holiday season.

Add extra staff on the weekend and during peak store hours. It can reflect poorly when your store is full and you are understaffed and can’t accommodate customers. Get detailed schedules of your employees and plan for some sick calls. If necessary, begin looking for seasonal employees now. College students are ideal seasonal workers since they usually have around four weeks off from school.

Set-up a system for back stock and damaged merchandise. Chances are workers behind the counter will be swamped and not have time to put away unwanted or returned items. Designate a specific place for each of these and have someone keep an eye on the piles.
Keep your store room organized. Don’t try and control everything, you’ll drive yourself crazy.

Post important messages to customers. These can include:

• Return policy
• Holiday store hours
• Gift wrapping availability
• Holiday events you are sponsoring

Because your employees will take their cue from you, if you stay positive even when things are rough they will follow. Think about doing little things that will put your employees and customers at ease such as adding music to your store, having refreshments in the break room or making sure there is a greeter at the entrance.

How do you make the holidays in your store go by smoothly and successfully?

It’s better to start planning for the holidays early than to frantically throw things together a week before. And the better prepared you are, the higher the return will be in holiday sales. We recommend using what works, but remember that there is always room for improvement. Think about incorporating some of these tips in your holiday routine, you may wonder why you weren’t doing them all along.

Get your employees excited about the holiday happenings in your store. Employees can be some of your best customers, walking displays and talking endorsements, so use them! Offer incentives for employees and reward those that go beyond the call of duty. Even encouraging words will let your staff know that you are behind them and there for support. Happy employees will rub off and translate into happy customers.

Set-up holiday advertising initiatives and budgets early. If you haven’t already, compare your past advertising budgets to the season’s profits and determine the most successful opportunities. Get in touch with advertising representatives and get estimated pricing so you know your options.

Stock up on gift cards. Last year retail saw around 40 billion in gift card sales. Refer to past StoreSupplyGuy blog article, Making a Profit with Gift Certificates, for more helpful tips.

Conduct a sweep of your store. It’s a little late for spring cleaning, but the more organized your store is, the smoother you holidays will be. Hopefully your store will see a great deal in foot traffic this season, so give your customers the best impression you can by maintaining a clean, attractive store.

What have you found works well for getting ready for the holiday season?