Four Essential Buying Questions

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What motivates customers to purchase the products you are selling? The answer to this question is simple: they will buy anything if they perceive the product to have personal value.

Consider in-store signage and even social media to explain why people or their pets need a particular product. Successful merchandising is nothing more than telling the right story about the product so the consumer sees the value and is encouraged to buy.

Why Should Customers Buy It?
How will this product make your customer’s life or the life of their pet happier, healthier or more secure? Even if only one applies, address it with in-store signage and post the information on your social media platform. It has long been known that customers spend less of their expendable cash than they would otherwise simply because they can’t find what they’re looking for or don’t see the products’ value. By merchandising properly, the retailer can pick up extra dollars that have always been available.

What is the Product?
The average person comes into your store to buy because they have an issue to resolve or a project to complete.

A good way to speak to a common problem is to create a merchandising center—a Flea & Tick Control Center or a Water Quality Center—where every problem in that particular category can be addressed using signage and can make it easy for the customer to buy. Another option to boost sales could be a bulk endcap display, which can show store confidence and encourage consumer buying.

How Much is it?
Information is what sells the average hobbyist. They will seek out the price, so it’s not important to be able to read the price from across the room. An example of a good sign would be: “20-Gallon Aquarium Setup with Everything Including Fish: $79.99,” with a list of the contents. The actual price font can be as small as you want, because if the customer doesn’t know that the kit is complete, they will just pass it by anyway.

You may ask yourself, “How do I sell against the big box superstore’s 20-gallon aquarium starter kit that sells for $10 less?” Buy one of their kits, take it out of the box and set it beside your kit. Then place a sign in each kit comparing them, making sure to point out the quality and completeness that you are offering.

Is it Worth it?
Think about all of the aspects of a product before setting the retail price. Can the product be explained to the consumer as a necessary item? Is the product competitively priced? It is important to know what the retail value of a product is in the marketplace. The retailer’s cost isn’t the important issue here. It’s what the retailer can sell it for that matters most.

Take something like bulk millet spray at two for $0.99. If you told a story with a sign saying something like, “Fresh Millet Spray Keeps Your Caged Bird Healthier and Happier, Good for Song Birds: 59 Cents Each,” your sales would probably increase simply because you are telling the consumer the value of the product. Because the consumer has no preconceived idea about what bulk millet should sell for, they will pay more to have a healthier pet bird. I’ve known cases where millet costing the retailer 35 cents has been sold for as much as 99 cents each. It can be done if the retailer is willing to key into products that will withstand market-bearing prices.

Take advantage of the silent sales tool: signage. Telling the story in the store and online will enhance your sales potential with little added expense or effort. Keep in mind that many consumers don’t like asking questions, so if you answer a question with signage and social media, you’re making it easier for your customer to buy what you have to sell.