Organizing tables into vignettes with themed merchandise encourages browsing (and impulse buying).
In an effort to get visitors to spend more time browsing (a precursor to making an impulse purchase), Regina Cannon Treml merchandized her shop with themed vignettes.
The owner of BellaDonna Florist in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, sets up display tables that group related products. For instance, she has a culinary table that holds items like honey, gourmet snacks and cookbook and another devoted to the fellas, with male grooming products and tools. To keep things fresh, Treml constantly moves furniture and goods around.
On her doorstep, she places containers in customers’ way, urging them to stop before even entering the store. For this purpose, she chooses weather-resistant, colorful pots with blooming plants. She also leaves off a price tag, a decision that prompts customers to stop in and ask questions.
Treml understands that customers appreciate the story behind a product, so she seeks local and sustainably produced merchandise for her non-floral gifts. She also asks employees to learn interesting tidbits about what she carries in the shop and trains them to offer info only after a customer has browsed for a bit.
Letting customers linger is good business sense, said Nicole Reyhle, founder of the consulting company Retail Minded, a contributing author for Forbes and a past presenter at the Society of American Florists’ annual convention.
“Customers want to feel comfortable, welcomed and able to leisurely or quickly enjoy their shopping experience… but without the pressure of you watching their every step,” Reyhle explained. She suggests florists silently take note of customers’ body language. Do they look confused or lost? Do they seem to keep going back and forth between two or three items? This is a good time to speak up, she said.
For a glimpse inside Belladonna Florist, check out the Snapshot column in the April/May issue of Floral Management.
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