As Rick and I have been pondering the content of our blog (not to mention consulting activities), we’ve had a wonderful time going down “Memory Lane” when we had our store, American Homestead. Those years of daily store operation were no easy task, but we loved every minute of it. And we’re still gratified, flattered (and frankly, a little surprised) when customers recognize us at local restaurants, movie theaters or school events and comment on how much they miss our store. At times, we miss it too…
So we’re organizing our blog content around what we think makes retail great – both at our store, and at other stores that we visit. And we’ll share some ideas around generating excitement, appeal, and activity in your retail business, special event, or even family gatherings and “to-do’s”.
Today’s blog is dedicated to a topic that we think was one of our strongest suits: Special Events. If you ask anyone about what they remember about our store, they will frequently answer – “HALLOWEEN!” And I’d have to humbly admit that when it comes to Halloween product, merchandising and special events, we did it well. Our Halloween Open House was always the single biggest day of the retail calendar for us, and American Homestead was featured in local newspapers and national magazines because of it. What made it so successful?
Planning – This event was top of mind every day we were in business – choosing the theme or “hook” of the event, looking for new merchandise, picking the right date, determining advertising vehicles, and getting the word out EARLY! We literally had customers asking for the August event date in January so they could mark their calendars. Use inexpensive “save the date” postcards, emails and social media to announce the dates and times of the event.
Product – Because Rick and I are such Halloween enthusiasts, we are always on the lookout for new products every year – even now, long after the store had closed. Our assortment was expansive, well organized and balanced with perennial favorites as well as hot new items. And we chose to keep our Halloween assortment family friendly – we would never give our customers a reason to be uncomfortable when shopping in our store.
Merchandising – When our doors opened on the first day of the event, we were full-out Spooksville! All staff members were in costume, and our daughter Katie greeted customers at the door with candy. Halloween product permeated almost every department in the store. Still photographs of famous 50’s monster movies were added to our photo frames. In the Gourmet food section, we signed our samplings with spooky Halloween names & distributed recipes and instructions for each goody. Spooky music played throughout the store, and Rick spun his merchandising magic in every display.
Publicity – When customers saw the store during the Halloween event, we frequently heard, “I bet your house is really decorated to the hilt!” If they only knew…to say that we decorate for the holidays is an understatement. So we set our Halloween décor up early, photographed it and featured those “in-use” shots as idea starters for our customers. This led to feature articles of our Halloween home in the Kansas City Star, and several national décor magazines. Great free publicity that paid off during the Open House.
So special events give your customers a reason to make an extra trip to your store – whether large or small in scale, they can add extra visibility and $$$ to your operation. Next stop on the Retail Roadtrip – Event Ideas for both Seasonal and Everyday occasions. Happy Travels!
