STAGING
The real estate industry is utilizing a technique called "staging" to help sell homes more quickly and it's a concept that lends itself well to the grocery business and will help to create record-breaking sales this holiday season.

The Basics of Staging
In the real estate world, a home stager will fashion an appealing home, using proper light and neutral colors to create a sense of order and emotional warmth, which creates buyer appeal. The stager will use accessories, furniture, inviting scents, while remaining faithful to the style of the home. If necessary, repairs, cleaning and renovations are recommended and supervised; and the stager will provide additional furnishings to help make the sale.

Realtors find that staging increases the speed at which a home sells and by adapting these techniques to your store, you'll find that your merchandise is moving more quickly as well.

Ways to Utilize Staging in Your Store
One staging technique that will work well in the marketplace is using the power of the sense of smell. Do you have a bakery in your store? If so, make sure the aroma of freshly baked bread, cookies, roasts, etc. are wafting through your store! Put some spiced apple cider in a crockpot to warm and bring people in! You might have a customer come in with a very small shopping list, but if you can entice that person's nose, you may see him or her check out with some store baked muffins! You'll want to appeal to the customer's sense of sight, as well. Can you use incandescent lighting instead of fluorescents, at least in certain areas? Market research shows that dimming the lights a bit helps to slow down your customers, which will keep them in your store longer, which means more money for you. Related to lighting, how are your floors? An "organic" floor, like those made from hardwood or attractive ceramic tile - or a good imitation of either - will create a sense of harmony for the consumer; she'll stay longer in your store, and will purchase more.

Is it feasible to have a resting spot or two in a corner of your store where customer can sit for coffee? Maybe your store is planning to add a coffee or snack shop? This is a great idea, especially during the holiday season; it gives your customers a chance to relax and regroup, reducing stress, and making them like and appreciate your store. It helps to build loyalty.

Along the same lines, you might want to make use of certain props here and there throughout your store. Consider placing a kitchen table, dressed up for a holiday meal, somewhere in your store. Fill it with samples and treats, if you'd like. Evoke holiday cheer in customers, treat them a bit like guests, and they'll repay you by purchasing more.

How are the acoustics in your store? What sort of music do you play, if any? Do some research to see if it's the sort of music that appeals to the demographics of your customer base. Does the sound of the heating/cooling system and intercom overpower? What about the registers and price scanners? There are quick and economical ways to help cut background noise, primarily by placing banners and signage in key spots to help absorb the sounds.

A huge part of staging in a store is how you "use" your employees, too. They must work with you, every step of the way. You want to foster an environment to let them know you care about them, so they'll treat your customers well. All over, people are complaining about the way they're treated by sales clerks. Make sure your cashiers aren't getting complained about! But to ensure great customer service, make sure you're treating your people well, make them feel part of the team and proud of their work. Often this takes very little effort on your part: words of encouragement for a job well done, incentive programs for good workers, and so forth. In turn, your employees will pass the kindness on to your patrons. It could be a matter of a simple gesture - like a smile at a crying toddler, for instance - that keeps the mother, who's about to abandon her filled cart to head for home, in your store and through the checkout line. Educating employees is also key. Busy shoppers don't want to spend precious time searching for items they need and store personnel with no knowledge of a products location and use add to everyone's stress.

These common sense philosophies will keep customers in your store longer and increase their impulse purchases. Market research estimates that approximately $1.89 is spent for every minute a consumer is in the store, so you want to keep them in as long as possible!

Using the internet
Despite the fallout in the internet business a few years ago, online shopping has become the norm, especially this time of year. Online shopping is a great way for people to avoid the hassles of long lines and crowds. These days, more and more people are utilizing this shopping option. How can you use the online shopping trend to enhance your holiday earnings?

Do you have a web page? Are customers able to purchase items? Does your store offer a local delivery service? Or if you're a larger store, can you ship? If you've answered yes to these questions, promote your online services! If you don't have a web presence, now is the time! Set-up costs for domain registration are reasonable; the initial web design might cost you some money, however, upkeep won't be cost-prohibitive at all. Over time, you'll find that it's more than worth the costs! Grocery shopping is often a sensual experience and many people do enjoy it; however, at this busy time of year, having an online service can only help your sales a bit more. Consider getting linked to other sites popular for holiday shopping, like amazon.com, eBay.com, overstock.com and so forth. Let your customers know that they can order certain goods online.

Gift Baskets
Gift baskets are an old standby that make great impulse purchases. Also, gift baskets fit into the newest trends like staging and online shopping. Make your baskets available for purchase online and place them in prominent places around your store. You may even want to stage a custom gift basket area where customers can special order gift baskets filled with the exact treats they want.

The beauty of the gift basket is that they lend themselves to boosting sales in every area of your store and fit any price range. You can appeal to those with a sweet tooth by making baskets filled with cookies and candies; the health-conscious will enjoy organic products and energy drinks; great cooks will love baskets of marinades, spices, dip mixes; coffee drinkers savor different types of good coffee, add-in syrups, biscotti; folks who like to entertain would love a basket of treats like olives, roasted red peppers, pickled asparagus, and so forth.

Your Haddon House sales representative can help you with ideas for boosting your holiday sales. For more information, feel free to call the Haddon House marketing department. And, as always, happy holidays from Haddon House.

Photo by Gwen Hauser.