Maximising underlay sales can make over £10,000 extra profit for the average retailer.
In ancient China there was a saying, “May you live in interesting times.” Well, things are, to say the least, “interesting” right now. The current economic climate is tough, consumer spend on flooring is down and the prevailing mood is gloomy.
And yet, according to underlay and flooring accessories manufacturer Interfloor, now is the time to be positive. Why?
“When demand is down it’s critical to maximise the selling opportunities we have. It might be difficult to increase footfall into the store but we can do something to increase our selling productivity with the customers we’ve got. Underlay and accessories give the retailer a significant opportunity to improve profits and there’s never been a better time to do this than now,” says Interfloor marketing director Steve Woodhead. Here’s how…..
- Increase your underlay conversion rate. Most consumers don’t buy a new underlay with their new carpet, mostly because the benefits of underlay weren’t fully explained to them. If you sell 50% of your carpet with a new underlay but improve it to 60%, you will have increased your underlay volumes by 20%. That’s worth about £10,000 in extra profit to the average retailer.
- Encourage customers to “feel the difference”. When customers are encouraged to stand on a carpet with an underlay they can “feel the difference” that a new underlay will make. Interfloor’s Profit Ability programme includes an underlay stand that helps customers to do this. It works! Retailers are reporting a 20% increase in underlay volumes on average.
- Sell the right product. Most customers want an underlay to feel comfortable. However many require different things – such as a hard wearing underlay for hall, stairs and landings, an acoustic underlay for wood and laminate floors, a double stick underlay for customers with walking aids or a specialist underfloor heating underlay. Customers are more likely to buy an underlay if it meets a special need.
- Sell the most comfortable underlay. Customers really will pay a little extra for luxurious underlay especially if they can “feel the difference.” Don’t assume that they won’t. Sales of Interfloor’s premium underlays are still growing!
- Use point of sale. There’s plenty of point of sale to get the underlay message across – as well as the underlay stand there are swatch books, hanging boards, posters, leaflets, desk stands, door decals, carpet swing tags and, of course, hanging samples. They’re all specially designed to promote the benefits of underlay to the customer.
