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LAST MINUTE ITEMS 1 2 KITCHENWARE NEWS & HOUSEWARES REVIEW n NOVEMBER 2015 n www.kitchenwarenews.com Think of fun gadgets, like the Trudeau zester that features a retractable handle that doubles as a protective sleeve for storage. These make great stocking stuffers. "This is one of the places where brick and mortar retailers have a real advantage versus online retailers," says Goodwin. "Online shoppers tend to be very planned … they go on and they shop by price, and then they're done with it. Whereas in brick and mortar retail, they might come in on a mission, but 40 percent of all customers actually spend more money and purchase more items than they had ever planned to. That's what impulse selling and buying is really all about, getting customers involved with something that is new, or novel, or that they see as a great value, or it solves a need for them." When it comes down to encouraging the impulse to buy, both Goodwin and F leener agree that team members who interact directly with customers play a large role. Sales representatives on the floor must show and engage customers with products that go beyond just what they came in for, says F leener. Proactively pointing out products that are new, or complementary to what they are looking for, can incrementally increase sales. While some sales reps might see this as being pushy, this is really only the case if the customer declines and the associate persists after that, says Fleener. Otherwise, it's just plain good service to mention an item that the customer might not have otherwise known about. Goodwin suggests making sure that staff are on board with impulse purchases by getting them involved in the process as a best practice. When he ran retail stores, he would get the team together ahead of the holiday season and plan a list of 10 or 20 items they felt as a team they could get behind and sell hard, he says. "When you do it with your team members, you get them on board and they're buying in. So it shouldn't be just things that you think are cool, or things that you think solve a problem, but things that your sales reps think are cool or solve a problem. For many independent retailers those people work for us all year long, they 're ver y trusted employees, so they're not going to make a mistake. They know what their customers want," says Goodwin. Creating a sense of urgency around products is another way to encourage the impulse buy. Think of limited-time sales, perhaps a sale of the day or week. Try bundling products, maybe offering 20 percent off tools with the purchase of a kitchen electric over $125. An unadvertised gift with purchase might also create some urgency, says Fleener. Set out a table with gifts for the customer to choose f rom that cost you under $10 and let them know that they get to pick one after they spend, say, $100. This can prompt customers to spend more on impulse items in order to reach the f ree gift threshold. Buy one, get one-type offers are another option, as are volume pricing deals where a customer saves a certain percentage after buying so many items within a specific product categor y. Whichever method you choose, make sure an end date is visible to further instill urgency. Impulse items near the checkout area should be limited to three or four products, Goodwin suggests. This makes it easy for the customer to do a quick scan and still have room to complete their checkout. He also advises to not have a huge stack of products visible. A customer might see this and lose the sense of urgency, thinking that they can always come back because there are so many in stock. "One could make a case that, more and more, holiday purchases at brick and mortar stores are impulse purchases," says Fleener. "I think impulse purchases can really make the difference between a good and a great holiday – or an okay holiday." KN See page 14 for more on Impulse items. Encouraging the Impulse Buy (cont. from Page 1) Seattle Gourmet Foods is a food manufacturer based out of Kent, Washington. Growing both organically and through acquisition, today it is comprised of 11 different brands found in retailers around the country. Consisting of a diverse mix of products that include chocolate, breath mints, bakery items, jams, sauces, soups and dry mixes. Every brand and product made contains only the highest quality ingredients. With 160,000 square feet of production facilities, SGF not only has the capabilities to produce its own products, but has the flexibility to provide private label manufacturing as well. Dilettante Chocolates® is the most recognizable of the Seattle Gourmet Foods' brands. Founded in 1976 by Dana Davenport, Dilettante continues a family tradition in chocolate and confections that dates back three generations to the late 19th century. For close to 40 years, Dilettante Chocolates has maintained the impeccable quality of handmade truffles, chocolate covered fruits and nuts, TruffleCremes®, sauces, toppings, bakery items and molded chocolate the brand is known for around the world. Seattle Gourmet Foods is also one of the premier panning operations in the U.S., with the ability to coat an array of centers, and specializes in double coated products. These are made with custom blends of couverture grade chocolate and uses no compound coating. Under the Dilettante Chocolates brand, there are multiple packaging sizes of this type of product, ranging f rom a 1.5-ounce. grab-and-go option to several sizes of stand-up pouches to more gift oriented items like 6-ounce candy bags and 16-ounce assortment in a clear tray and lid. All Dilettante panned products are also available in 5-pound bulk bags. Examples of flavors available include Bing Cherries, Fruit Medley®(strawberries, cherries, blueberries and apricots), Sea Salt Cashews, Mint Dropz®, and Dark Chocolate Espresso Beans. There are also all-natural varieties available in multiple sizes. All of the selections of panned products have a 12- month shelf life. Another top product for Dilettante Chocolates would be its truffle ganache that has been coated in premium chocolate and individually wrapped, known as TruffleCremes®. These come in an array of sizes including 4-ounce novelty boxes, 5- ounce tent boxes, 6-ounce metalized pouches and 10-ounce gift boxes. Bulk cases are also available by request. Flavors include Peppermint, Toffee Crunch, Mocha, Dark Ephemere® (dark chocolate), Raspberry, Light Ephemere (milk chocolate) and Coffee Trio containing Espresso, Latte and Mocha. Seasonal flavors are also available in Candy Cane and Gingerbread. TruffleCremes are all-natural and have a 12-month shelf life. In 2016, Seattle Gourmet Foods will be displaying multiple brands at the Winter Fancy Food Show, Natural Products Expo West and Sweets & Snacks Expo. For more information on Seattle Gourmet Foods or on the brands and products produced, visit www.seattlegourmetfoods. com, email sales@seattlegourmetfoods.com or call toll free at 800.800.9490. KN Wide Variety from Seattle Gourmet Foods Las Vegas Market Continues Housewares Growth Following its successful summer launch of C11 as a permanent showroom floor for gourmet housewares, tabletop, gift and specialty food, Las Vegas Market has announced that new anchor tenant HIC, Harold Import Co., and five other leading suppliers will open permanent showrooms on the floor in time for the Winter 2016 Market, January 24- 28, 2016. Other newcomers to C11 for January are Blue Cattle Truck Mexican Vanilla; Leadingware Group; Magenta; Pepper Creek Farms; and Peterson Associates, showcasing Boelter Brands. C11 showcases a gift-oriented assortment of housewares, tabletop and specialty food lines, including Andreas; BIA/Danesco; Enclume Pot Racks & Storage; Fagor; Ginkgo; Hammer Stahl Cookware and Cutler y; JK Adams; Kitchen Innovations; Kyocera; Le Souk Ceramique Microplane Grace Mfg. Omega Juicers & Blenders Oenophilia; RSVP International; S.A.L.T. Sisters; Simax; Tovolo; Vitamix; Zak Designs; and Zojirushi America Corp. Visit www.lasvegasmarket.com for details and registration. KN

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