Trunk Show Special
Create a buzz and bring in extra sales with in-store special events
By Erinn Morgan
Located in the oft-wintry burg of Buffalo, Minn., the Buffalo Eye Clinic holds a twice-yearly trunk show. Last fall's show, however, was different from all the others�it grossed over $64,000 in one day in frame and lens sales. All told, between product sales and professional fees, the clinic rang in $78,000 in one highly productive day.
"We have had trunk shows each May and October for the past 14 years, but this has kind of grown into something that I thought I'd never see in my career," says owner Rod Melgard, OD.
THE FORMULA
The secret to Buffalo Eye Clinic's astounding trunk show success? For starters, this optical shop plays it smart by offering a deep discount of 50 percent off its trunk show's featured frames while charging full price for lenses.
"The biggest thing you have to do is to catch the customer's attention," says Melgard, who notes that this special discount is actually equivalent to a 20 percent discount on the frame and lenses together. �A half-off sale will do that—you have to create the desire and that's what we do."
NO CONFIDENCE
As unemployment skyrocketed here, the Midwest populace's confidence in the economy plummeted. According to a consumer survey conducted by BIGresearch, over 40 percent of Midwesterners queried in May 2007 felt "confident/very confident" about the chances for a strong economy in the next six months while under 30 percent felt the same way in May 2009.
THE RIGHT INVENTORY
Buffalo Eye Clinic, which features a moderate to high-end product mix, also makes sure it has the right product to entice customers to make a purchase once they're in the store.
Melgard says his staff excels at having a big inventory of appealing styles for the day. Each trunk show typically features the collections of one or two vendors. The most recent show highlighted frames from Revolution Eyewear's Ed Hardy line and Lafont eyewear.
In the past, Buffalo Eye Clinic invited sales reps to be a part of their trunk shows, but for the blockbuster event, they decided to go it alone. This practice's office manager and lead optician researched preliminary ideas on new vendors and frame styles to feature at Vision Expo. Their frame selections were on target—Buffalo Eye Clinic had 138 frame and lens orders by the end of the day, amounting to $28,000 in frame sales and $36,000 in lens sales.
EXTRA SERVICES
In addition to frame sales, Buffalo Eye Clinic conducts business as usual during the day of the trunk show, and exams and contact lens sales add onto the day's total sales volume.
They also offered testing on a rented OCT instrument, a computerized instrument that screens for optic nerve status and macular degeneration. �We offer this each year to our patients, but we don't normally have that testing on a frame sales day," says Melgard. �But, it did add about $6,000 to $7,000 in fees that day."
THE MARKETING PLAN
Buffalo Eye Clinic's most recent trunk show attracted over 170 customers, a fact that was instrumental in its success. How did they draw in such a crowd?
A broad marketing plan was the key. It included advertisements on local radio stations, in local newspapers, and even on cable TV.
"Our local TV station came in and did a video for us, and had an ad ready in 24 hours," says Melgard. �We had a lot of positive comments on that and it was very reasonable from a cost perspective. Plus, we got on a variety of stations with local inserts."
Buffalo Eye Clinic also reached out to its patient base by mailing vendor-supplied postcards announcing the sale. "We went through our patient files and targeted about 1,000—just a certain population for that particular frame promotion," says Melgard.
CREATING A BUZZ
At the trunk show, theater and restaurant gift certificates were given as door prizes, and the staff also surveyed shoppers to find out how they heard about the sale.
"We get a lot of word-of-mouth advertising," says Melgard, who suggests that this is partly a result of years of 50 percent off trunk shows at his clinic. "When you get the momentum going, it will stay with you," he says. "But if you're not consistent, you could be disappointed."
He also notes trunk shows are a great deal of work. "You have to have the enthusiasm and be willing to make the effort to make it work. We take it on as a challenge to see how much can we grow." EB
| The Trunk Show 411 |
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| ■ WHAT IS A TRUNK SHOW? This decades-old marketing tool has been used by department stores and boutiques to highlight and promote one brand's products, from clothing and jewelry to eyewear and sunwear. "It's advantageous for the retailer and designer because both receive promotion—the designer or sales rep would typically bring their entire line," says Doreen Burdalski, a retail and merchandising professor at Albright College in Reading, Penn. ■ WHY HOLD A TRUNK SHOW? Trunk shows are beneficial to retailers because they have something to promote and they gain a sale, but they don't have to carry the inventory. "The advantage from the designer's point of view is that most retailers don't carry their entire line, so with a trunk show they get their brand promoted with the store paying for it," says Burdalski. ■ HOW DO YOU GET THE WORD OUT? The best routes are direct mail and local advertising. Since trunk shows are usually held at one store, it's easy to target the local newspapers or circulars in which to advertise. ■ HOW DO YOU PULL OFF A SUCCESSFUL EVENT? How you structure your event will rely on your target customer. If your customers have shopping time, make it an event, perhaps with wine and cheese in the evening. If your customers are time-crunched, make it less of an event and get them in and out fast to meet their needs. Burdalski says that it is important to have someone at the trunk show who represents the brand. "People appreciate that because they look for information," she says. "I believe that to have someone there representing that brand is really critical. There needs to be designer/manufacturer participation." |
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