Page 12 - SouthEast Marketing Fall 2018

The Secret of Name DroppingPersonalize it to increase sales!By Robin KertEveryone has a story and consumers wantto capture their story through personalized products. When there are over 28,000 Starbuck locations worldwide and 14,000 in the US, the need to express our individuality and uniqueness has been sharpened.Invariably, when strangers meet the first question they ask is “Where are you from?” Our roots matter. We are defined by our memories and the unique activities and interests for which we are enthusiasts. Even the kind of dog we own is self-defining.What does this mean for retailers?Generalized product is not always the answer. Cape Shore has been helping consumers make their vacation memories last since 1946. Cape Shore customizes products with the town, state, resort or store name, for FREE. Over 80% of Cape Shore products can be customized in quantities as low as 12. This allows retailers depth and breadth of selection.So, why would I want to name drop?It’s proven that a product customized with the town name will outsell a similar product that has only the state name or isn’t name dropped at all!Pavilion learned the power of personalization when they introduced custom embroidery for the first time in Jan. 2018. We People caps were always popular but when Pavilion added custom embroidery, sales exploded. By the end of the Jan. 2018 show circuit, custom embroidered hats were the top ranked product in their entire line.Monograming is another way to make any gift special. Take a blanket, a Turkish towel or a soft toy bunny and put a child’s name on it and it is worth twice as much to the family, the child and the retail store. Monogramming creates foot traffic. Consumers will bring in their own items to be embroidered (for which there is usually an upcharge) but invariably the shopper ends up buying something from the store too. Making something personalTheir products are all made in the USA and they make it simple, with no upcharge and no minimum.Don’t forget about name programs.They are an important part of offering personal giftware in your stores. In terms of dollars per square foot, displays like History and Heraldry and Mulberry are remarkably productive. Nothing is more personal than your name.Making something personal creates the opportunity for extra margin, builds rapport between the customer and the store and removes the incentive to comparison shop.creates the opportunity for extra margin, builds rapport between the customer and the store and removes the incentive to comparison shop.Sincere Surroundings has a fabulousstory to tell about localization. A young company, they started with the state pride phenomenon. They found, however, when they started drilling down to even more specific locations their retailers experienced the real power of personalization. Their best-selling sign for several years is customized down to the geographical coordinates. Stores don’t even have to know their coordinates. Sincere Surroundings will look them up for the retailer, whether it be a lake, mountain top, or a resort.Hand a pen to someone and 9 times out of 10 they will write their name. Our namesare special and name products have an important and proven place in the personalized gift business.Retailers can be resistant because name offerings seem SKU intensive. With a good merchandiser they are simply one product offered in multiple flavors, organized in an easy to maintain and compact format. It is truethat 20% of the names do 80% of the business but that is true of all products. With good rep service, a small display footprint and a vendor that ships well, the dollars per square foot can outsell most anything in a store.12 SOUTHEASTMARKETING 2018