Advertisement Ideas: Diversity Is A Necessity!!!
In a sports apparel, accessories, and memorabilia store diversity is a necessity. Many entrepreneurs of these type of stores get caught up in what they like that they do not diversify their offerings and as a result lose sales. The key is to see what is selling and to order accordingly. I saw a store where it appeared that FSU Seminoles items were outselling University of Miami Hurricanes items at a 2 to 1 ratio yet the entrepreneur of the store insisted on stocking up on Hurricanes items. This same store had only 3 hats for Notre Dame where Notre Dame is one of the top-selling schools in America. The key to having a successful sports apparel, accessories, and memorabilia store is to have a diverse selection of teams that the consumer is seeking with full size runs. If you have one item that is selling well make sure you are replenishing that item regularly so that when a customer comes looking for it you have it so you can make the sale.
Advertisement Ideas: Ways to Create Diversity!!!
One way to create diversity is to look at your Point of Sales Reports and see what are your top sellers and to stock items for those teams.
Another way to create diversity is to look at your local team schedule a month ahead of time and know what opposing teams fans travel well and stock your store with some visiting team merchandise.
Being that the sports retail market is based on what sports are being played at the time make sure you have merchandise for the sports in season. Still carry some of the out of season sports merchandise to have diversity but do not overstock the out of season items.
If you have a large stock of one team trim it down with a special sale so that you can diversify. Do not get to locked in to one player or one team.
Know what is trending like The Color Rush Items and make sure you have a diverse offering so that you can offer them to your customers. For example if your top five teams are Steelers, Giants, Patriots, Jets, and Dolphins and they are playing a Thursday Night Game make sure you have the items in stock a few weeks before the game.
Another area where you need diversity is in your marketing and advertising so that you can get a good return on you investment in this area. When you do an ad make sure you feature a few products with the different teams you offer to show your diverse selection. Look at what you have in stock and how you can reach the consumer who will purchase the items.
Make sure you have some unique items that your competitors do not have so you can stay ahead of the curve and be the leader in your area. In having a unique and diverse selection you will drive traffic and increase your sales.
Advertisement Ideas: Making Diversity Profitable!!!
Now that you have created a diverse product offering the question is how are you going to make it work so you are constantly moving items and turning a profit. First you must not carry too much of a team item. As popular as The Seahawks might be you do not need to carry twelve hats for the consumer to choose from pick a snap back and a flex fit in the two primary colors for the team. If you are selling a powder blue jersey make sure you have a plain powder blue tee-shirt to offer the customer. Another great thing to do is to carry a modern-day player’s jersey and a past popular player jersey. In creating unique selling propositions and being diverse you will increase traffic flow and thus exceed your revenue goals. Do your best to be diverse and the profits will follow.
