Month: January 2012

Redesigned Ultima Gondola Fixtures

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

Specialty Store Services is pleased to offer the economical yet durable and attractive Ultima Gondola Fixtures to its customers, in addition to Madix Gondola Fixtures. Gondola Fixtures are ideal for merchandising in a variety of retail environments including grocery, convenience, discount and variety stores.




Ultima Gondola Displays feature heavy gauge steel construction and steel uprights slotted for convenient shelf placement, and boast steel pegboard backs. Built-in levelers and snap-together parts make installation simple while yielding an exceptional load capacity. Ultima Gondola fixtures, available double-sided, single-sided and as end-caps, can be configured into many different displays to fit multiple merchandising needs. Another great feature is that some Madix shelves are also compatible with the Ultima gondolas!

 

 

The Gondola Fixtures, in a pleasant neutral beige color, are available 54″, 60″, 72″ and 84″ high. Double-sided Gondola Fixtures, aisle units that allow retailers to create well-designed and functional displays, are the building blocks of any effective gondola display. One-sided wall units make the most of existing wall space while end caps give a finished look to double-sided gondola fixtures and maximize display space. Starters and add-ons can be connected end to end to meet space and layout requirements.


Shelves, sold separately, are strong and versatile. Each shelf has slim, sturdy, dual-position steel brackets that allow the shelf to be used straight or at a 20 degree angle, ideal for creating multiple merchandising arrangements. Gondola accessories such as peg hooks and baskets can be use to capitalize on display space and to cross-merchandise effectively.


Ultima Gondola Fixtures are now available on the Specialty Stores Services website and will also be featured in the new product catalog, to be distributed in February 2012.


http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/1/prweb9152468.htm

Specialty Store Services Introduces More Retail Anti-theft Devices

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

According to an annual survey conducted by the University of Florida, retailers lost more than $37 billion to theft in 2010. With $12 billion lost due to shoplifting and $16.2 billion to employee theft, Specialty Store Services is aware of the great need for effective retail anti-theft devices. Clothes are popular items to shoplift or use and return so the Shark Tag Garment Security Tag and Cable Coat Security Lock are necessary retail anti-theft products for any store selling popular brand or high-end clothing and accessories.Apart from outright shoplifting, retailers are subject to a form of loss due to “wardrobers”. The Shark Tag Garment Security Tag is an economical anti-theft product that prevents wardrobers from purchasing, wearing and returning the used garments for a full refund. The highly visible red Garment Tag attaches easily to the front of any garment, making it impossible for anyone to wear the garment without the tag being seen by all. The customer simply removes the tag at home with household scissors before wearing the garment; the tag cannot be replaced on the garment after removing without evidence of tampering. The Shark Tag is ideal for use with dresses, special occasion garments, prom dresses, menswear, formal wear, lingerie and coats.

The Cable Coat Security Lock is an effective retail anti-theft device ideal for safeguarding leather jackets, fur coats, winter coats, team sports apparel and other expensive articles of clothing. The Cable Coat Lock easily mounts directly to garment rack and can also be mounted to the wall, if preferred. The Cable Coat Lock housing is constructed of heavy-gauge steel and features a hinged door and unique construction that prevents cables from popping out when the box is opened. The key cannot be removed from lock while in the unlocked position, preventing thieves from taking the key for future use if the sales clerk becomes distracted while the lock is open. Easy load/unload cable system holds 60 standard 8’ long cables, keeping a large amount of merchandise secure all at once.

Specialty Store Services is dedicated to helping retailers grow their businesses and protect their investment. In addition to the above anti-theft devices, Specialty Store Services also offers a variety of video security systems, simulated cameras and security tags systems.

Gumball Machines are Good Profit Makers

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

Profit makers, also known simply as gumball machines, truly do live up to their names. The machines pay for themselves, last for years and will keep on generating profit as long as they are stocked with gum, candy or toys. And believe me, these treats aren’t tempting to just kids!Most of us are used to seeing profit makers near the doorways of supermarkets, big box stores and Laundromats but what’s to stop people from employing them in any place of business? I recall being in an office environment – I think it may have been an insurance office – and thrilled that I was able to munch on peanut M&Ms from a bulk vend machine while my growling stomach and I waited for the agent. Retail stores or businesses leery of having sticky gum and melty chocolate near the merchandise or furniture can offer customers some refreshing Polar Mints or Sour Sweet Candy in bulk vend machines instead. Peckish customers = profit.

Yes, I said profit. For instance, the net profit on one carton of 1” gumballs vended at 25 cents each is $182.55 (not including tax and shipping). The cost of a single gumball machine with stand is $99.98. So, that first carton of gumballs will pay for the machine and net you a profit of $82.57. Not too shabby. Machines can vend 1″ gumballs/capsules or 2″ gumballs/capsules or bulk vend candies but if you’d like to offer a combination of product, simply combine different machines on a double, triple or quad stand. Imagine the profits generated by multiple profit maker machines!

As implied above, gumball machines aren’t just for gumballs. In addition to 1” and ½” gumballs, these profit makers can also vend 1” and 2” capsules with toys (which I cannot pass up!), 1” and 2” bounce balls (which my cats cannot live without so I’m always hitting those machines) or bulk candy like M&Ms, Skittles, Mike & Ike and other small vend candies. If vending gumballs, why not offer customers the chance to win a small prize by mixing in some gumballs imprinted with “winner”? People love a contest and will certainly try multiple times to win. The winner can claim their prize before popping the gumball in their mouth.

Gumball machines can be fun in addition to profitable. Take the Giant Spiral Gumball Machine, for instance. This 54” high attention-getter holds up to 1,000 gumballs and releases the gumballs down a long winding ramp, which kids just love to watch. But why just watch when you can play? The Pinball Gumball Machine is a fun interactive game with real pinball flippers and is played with gumballs instead of a metal ball. Players have the chance to win up to 3 gumballs and even when they lose, they win; the gumballs are dispensed at the end of the game!

So, really, there is something for everyone when it comes to profit makers; the customers get treats and toys while the merchant makes a profit. Win-win!

Lighted Showcases are Great Retail Focal Points

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

Lighted showcases are wonderful focal points for many retail businesses, from gift shops to jewelry stores. Specialty Store Services currently carries a large variety of showcases and is happy to offer two new lighted showcases to its customers. The lighted showcases include glass sides, offering unobstructed views off all merchandise, and measure 47-1/4″ H x 19-2/3” D x 37” H.

Business owners who prefer to keep inventory close at hand will be pleased with the new lighted showcase that includes a built-in storage cabinet. The showcase features eight halogen lights to highlight merchandise effectively. This stylish lighted showcase is constructed of black aluminum with tempered glass panels and glass sliding doors and includes one adjustable glass shelf. The spacious storage cabinet has black panel sliding doors to keep overstock neatly out of sight and also includes adjustable feet.

The next sleek lighted showcase does not have a storage cabinet, leaving more room for displaying merchandise. Featuring eight halogen spotlights, the showcase is constructed of black aluminum with tempered glass panels, glass sliding doors and two adjustable glass shelves. The showcase also includes adjustable feet.

Please call the knowledgeable Specialty Store Services sales staff for more information about these attractive lighted showcases.

Ambient Scent: Shop and Smell the Flowers

Posted onAuthorericw@specialtystoreservices.com

Do you smell what I smell? More importantly, do you smell what your customers smell? And just what do they smell, anyway? Research shows that a nice-smelling store may encourage people to linger and purchase. Are your customers lingering or sniffing and heading out the door?In one study, Eric Spangenberg, a consumer psychologist and dean of the College of Business and Economics at Washington State University in Pullman, and his colleagues carried out an experiment in a local retail clothing store. They discovered that when “feminine scents”, like vanilla, were used, sales of women’s clothes doubled; as did men’s clothes when scents like rose maroc were diffused.

It’s called “ambient scent” and it is everywhere. Katy Perry’s “California Dreams” tour incorporated the scent of cotton candy into her concerts for a fun smell-o-vision effect. Goodwill stores in Wisconsin and Illinois are infusing their stores with the scent of orange and honeysuckle to encourage customers to linger and buy. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather smell oranges and honeysuckle than dusty clothes or even cleaning supplies. This ambient scent business is on the rise so much so that there are entire companies, such as Prolitec, devoted to helping businesses boost sales through smell.

How it works is like this: of the five senses, smell is thought to be most closely linked to emotion because the brain’s olfactory bulb, which detects odors, fast-tracks signals to the limbic system, which links emotion to memories. Simplified: scents = emotions. Scent branding is when a scent is associated with a certain product or store and when that scent is smelled, it evokes the pleasurable memory associated with that product or store. For instance, there is a store where I like to shop and it always has the scent of raw silk in it. Whenever I am out and happen to smell raw silk, I immediately think of that retail store and the clothes that I love from that store.

So take out your sniffer and take a whiff of your store. What do you smell? Since you are there almost every day you may have gotten used to what your store smells like and possibly cannot detect anything significant. Bring in a few people who aren’t in your store very often and ask what they smell and what emotions or feelings the scent of your store evokes. Take their input and go from there. What scent do you want associated with your store? Just keep in mind that some people are hypersensitive to strong scents and may have a negative reaction, such as headaches, so don’t overpower everyone with the ambient scent. A little ambient scent can go a long way.