Feeding the Holiday Impulse
With the holidays just around the corner, specialty retailers are preparing their seasonal in-store displays to entice shoppers to make those big-ticket gift purchases as well as those ever-profitable impulse buys.
While retailers focus heavily on holiday window and floor displays to lure customers into their stores, once shoppers walk inside, there are numerous ways to get their attention and encourage them to pick up last-minute impulse items without batting an eye. Retailers should carefully select strategic locations in the store to place impulse merchandise, whether through floor displays and endcaps, or countertop displays ideal for the checkout counter.
Jennifer White Karp’s feature, “Acting on Impulse,” page 24, is a must-read for retailers focused on getting shoppers to add that extra something to their shopping baskets. All indications are that consumers will continue to keep a tight hold on their purse strings this holiday season, so it’s imperative to implement smart merchandising tactics to help them loosen their disciplined spending habits.
In this special “Last-Minute Gift Ideas” section, Jennifer gathered some of the newest and niftiest housewares gadgets ideal for impulse merchandising, such as Ravi Solution’s Vacuum Stopper to preserve opened wine, Bottle I.D. Drink Tags by Better Houseware Corp. and Lollipop Ornaments by VIETRI. Joanne Friedrick gathered similar impulse items but on the specialty foods side, such as Infused Culinary Flake Salts by Seneca Salt Co., Winter Berry Mug Gift Set by The Republic of Tea and Pure Maple Candy by Brown Family Farm.
And for those of you with strong baking sections, there are myriad new equipment and tools that the editorial staff of Gourmet Business has hunted down. The good news is that home baking is on the rise as consumers seek healthier foods with less additives and preservatives when they offer their families special treats and indulgences. And, of course, baking is a wonderful activity to share with children during the holidays, and all year long.
Joanne’s article, “Meeting Kneads: Baking’s Popularity Spawns Products, Classes and Customer Interaction,” page 10, explores who the most frequent bakers and purchasers of baking products are, and how retailers can connect with them more regularly through social media and instruction classes.
Be sure to make it easy for bakers to find the newest baking products and accessories in your stores and on your websites all year round. Looking for new ideas? Turn to page 13 for our special baking products section.
Maureen Azzato Managing Editor, Gourmet Business mazzato@gourmetbusiness.com
