If you ask one of the owners of a professional lighting manufacturer why stocking lighting in a retail environment is important and profitable, you should…well…probably expect a certain amount of bias. Nevertheless, that’s exactly what The Retailer did. So, to try to counter that bias, I’ll tell you about one of my favorite customers: a DJ/lighting store owner in the northeast, whom we’ll call “Rob.” For us Midwesterners, his accent and “straight to the point” style are a source of endless hilarity.
A typical conversation often starts without much formal salutation: “Hey, Mr. Snowflake! Listen…when am I gonna get that stuff for the guy with the thing over here? This friggin’ guy is bangin’ on my head!” I don’t bring up Rob’s banter for comic relief, though; he’s here because he moves our product with good, old-fashioned, get-your-butt-up-off-the-couch retail sales.
So, what’s his secret? Merchandising! Through careful purchasing and layout, he’s created an environment where the products in his store do the selling. Not only do they sell themselves, but they also sell all the rest of the products in the store! Walking through the door instantly gives me the sensation that I remember feeling when I walked into my first music store: heaven. There are lights, sounds and buttons to press everywhere…and all those buttons have price tags on them.
The atmosphere is no accident, nor would it be possible without a significant investment in stocking lighting products. Rob’s store pulls you in, entices you to explore and, ultimately, makes you slap greenbacks down on the counter.
Lighting provides engagement, and it even helps sell non-lighting products. Moving lights dart around the room, illuminating other products in their paths. The lights cross and stop, highlighting a mobile DJ setup. Instantly, the setup looks 100 times more impressive. Now even I can picture that setup in a club way too exclusive for me to be allowed into.
Another thing Rob knows is that lights look better in multiples, and that translates into multiple-item sales. And that leads me to one final thing: Rob’s store doesn’t just have demo lights hanging on the truss. The lights are controllable by the staff and customers, and there is additional stock neatly arranged around the store. It just screams, “Buy me now! And, while you’re at it, buy a controller, some cables and some of my friends, too!” And what do you know? It actually happens that way!
Rob’s knowledge of his customers’ ever-changing tastes has kept him in business for decades. However, his ability to create genuine purchasing excitement among his customers is the true key to the store’s ongoing success. Lighting is capable of creating that excitement in your customers, too.
If you’ve ever hesitated with stocking lighting, or overlooked it in the past, give it serious consideration. You’ll profit from it, and probably have some fun.
Will Komassa is The Guy Behind The Desk at Blizzard Lighting.