improving show design article_restyling magazine june issue

12 Restyling & tRuck AccessoRies | June 2015 restylingmag.com

he old adage “a picture is worth a thousand words,” is the core behind any shop’s show-room. If the showroom

is alluring, delivers comprehensive product information and clearly presents product upsell opportunities, then it works.

On the other hand, if the showroom is uninviting, difficult to navigate and under-stand, or is just plain ugly, well, it’s time for a re-do.

To help readers evaluate their own shops, Restyling & Truck Accessories recently tapped several accessory producers—Jade Patek, national marketing manager of Ranch Hand Truck Accessories; Steve Brown, Restyle product marketing man-ager for Alpine Electronics of America; Nick Irwin, vice president of Vision X

Lighting; and Sarah Barone, marketing and communication specialist for CURT Manufacturing—to share their ideas on how to boost showroom marketing.

To Do or noT To DoLeading off our discussion with our sup-plier partners are the do’s and don’ts of showroom design.

Patek of Ranch Hand says retailers must focus on having innovative, well-constructed displays.

“There’s nothing worse than seeing a heavy product sitting on a weak stand,” she says. “We like to use moveable displays.”

Brown of Alpine says, “When displaying 12-Volt products, it’s essential the products are powered up and turned on. This seems like an obvious statement, but when cus-tomers are standing in front of a display

Improving

DesignShowroom

Is your showroom up to snuff? Industry suppliersoffer some ideas on how to improve showroom marketing.

By John Carollo

There’s nothing worse than seeing a heavy product

sitting on a weak stand.

We like to use moveable displays.

“

”

Stand-alone displays should be arranged in a way that catches the eyes of store visitors.

-Jade Patek

Image provided by SDHQ in Arizona.

RTA-June.indd 12 5/26/15 1:46 PM

restylingmag.com June 2015 | Restyling & tRuck AccessoRies 13

board and products are off, the opportu-nity to make a first impression in that ini-tial moment is lost.”

Irwin of Vision X Lighting gives a good example of what not to do. “A box on a shelf or product encased in a glass cabinet are my two least favorite ways that products are showcased in a retail environment,” he says. “Consumers should be able to touch, feel and demo a product without having to engage with a salesman.”

Barone of CURT Manufacturing says retailers must focus on several things. “A good retail showroom design features an organized, easy-to-navigate layout that allows customers to quickly find what they are looking for. Consistent brand messaging and proper signage are key for directing the customer through your store,” she says. “On the other hand, things

to avoid in your retail showroom include poor use of signage—either not enough, too small or with too many words—unor-ganized layout and poor brand manage-ment, like not using uniform styles, logos or colors.”

Tangible ideasNext, we asked how restylers can easily improve their showrooms immediately. “In

Alpine’s case, where we only make items for the inside of vehicles, one suggestion we are encouraging is for retailers to show an entire vehicle dashboard in their store,” Brown says. “We displayed 10 dashboards in our CES trade show booth and they were very effective in showing retailers how our products look in an actual dashboard. If retailers can reproduce this in their show-rooms, it can be highly impactful to show ”

“

”

A box on a shelf or product

encased in a glass cabinet

are my two least favorite ways that products are showcased

in a retail environment. Consumers

should be able to touch, feel and demo a product without having

to engage with a salesman.

-Nick Irwin

Unique store decorations clearly demonstrate to custom-ers that they have departed reality in exchange for a full restyling experience.



customers how the finished products will look in their own vehicles.”

Irwin recommends “functional product displays that not only tell the consumer the feature, fact and benefit of a product, but also allow the customer to see the perfor-mance of the product on their own accord and actually touch and feel the product.

“I always tell our retailers that with a good product display, you can have your grandma behind the counter and the customer will come and ask questions,” he continues. “Our P.O.P. displays feature full-color artwork showing industry pictures, product mounted on steel shelves to secure the lights and big red buttons with a try me sticker to thor-oughly surprise the operator enough to spark a conversation with anyone around them.”

Barone says to consider the flow and layout of the showroom.

“Create an interesting and intriguing display to guide customers around the showroom,” she says. “Make sure your signage is large enough and clear for the customer to find just what they’re looking for, or maybe even something they were not intending on buying.”

According to Patek, retailers should “use better branded displays to ensure they are sturdy.”

Bells and WhistlesWhat sort of props or product samples should retailers consider for their show-rooms?

“Functional P.O.P. displays showcasing AAA moving products, as well as competi-tor’s products to show the side-by-side comparison,” Irwin says. “Flat screen TVs can also showcase product videos to dem-onstrate the product in action, as well as inventory on hand. Buyers these days are impulsive and want instant gratification. Don’t give them a reason to shop online.”

“Stand-alone display stands and lifestyle signage create an engaging space for your consumers,” Barone says.

Patek advises the use of hands-on items that customers can touch and even operate. Along those lines, she suggests having items such as lights and horns actually operate in the showroom.

Brown says retailers can add a high level of personalization to 12-Volt displays.

“For example, many consumers prefer to listen to music stored on their smart-phones,” he says. “All salespeople should know how to connect the customer’s smartphone to the head unit to give a sound demo using the customer’s own music library. This will require the retailer

“

”

One suggestion we are encouraging is for retailers to show an entire

vehicle dashboard in their store.

We displayed ten dashboards in our CES trade show

booth and they were very

effective in showing retailers how our productslook in an actual

dashboard. If retailers can

reproduce this in their showrooms, it can be highly

impactful.-Steve Brown

Alpine of America built simulated car dash kiosks to demonstrate its 9-inch infotain-ment system.

WITH ITS 9-INCH TOUCH SCREEN AND COUNTLESS FEATURES, THE X009-WRA ISREADY FOR YOUR NEXT BIG ADVENTURE

The 9-inch screen is 89% larger than the factory radio and 55% larger than a standard aftermarket screen.

View alerts like tire pressure and door status, plus keep your favorite factory features like steering wheel controls and factory amplifier controls.

The X009-WRA is compatible with front and rear view cameras (sold separately), to help eliminate blind spots around your Wrangler.

Your Jeep Wrangler deserves the ultimate dash upgrade. The X009-WRA Restyle Dash System has a large 9-inch screen that is the hub for your entertainment and information needs. Use it with separate front and rear view cameras to reduce blind spots and maneuver around off-road obstacles. Let your adventures start with Alpine.

Shown here, X009-WRA for:

2011-UPJeep Wrangler*

The X009 and custom dash kits are also available for:Select Ford F-150* trucks, Select GM* trucks and SUVs, Ram* trucksand Toyota Tundra*

* Jeep and Wrangler are registered trademarks of FCA US LLC. Other vehicle makes and models are those of their respective owners. © 2015 Alpine Electronics, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

www.alpine-usa.com/restyling



to make sure all head units are displayed with the correct cable for phone connec-tivity.”

You Down with P.o.P.?What types of point-of-purchase products are available to shops?

“When it comes to P.O.P. products, CURT has many options,” Barone says. “CURT has an array of stand-alone display stands that show off typical back-of-store products in your showroom. This includes fifth wheel, gooseneck, weight distribution and trailer hitch displays. All stand-alone displays include a box-display sign that fea-tures great brand messaging and product information.

“CURT’s promotional counter mats are attractive, double-sided mats that help

your counter staff promote CURT prod-ucts. CURT offers a wide variety of B2B and B2C literature pieces and literature holders that can be used at the register or anywhere in a retail showroom.”

Patek says, “When shops sign up with Ranch Hand, they get the full complement of dealer promo items, such as countertop mats, hats, t-shirts, banners, product tags, pins, catalogs and brochures.” From there, shops can buy Ranch Hand display items based on product offerings and needs.

“Vision X Lighting offers counter top, wall hanging and floor stand P.O.P. dis-plays,” Irwin says. “Packages are available in One to Show, Two to Go, where retailers do not have any cost for the display itself, only the product in the package.”

Alpine has a new display to offer, according to Brown. “We just completed two products to support the Alpine 9- and 8-inch Restyle Dash Systems that fit in trucks and SUVs,” he says. “Since these products are vehicle-specific, we know it’s unrealistic for the retailers to keep one of every model on display in their stores.

“We designed two unique products to address this situation. One is a 44-page book that shows all of our Restyle Dash Solutions with before photos showing an OEM dash and after photos showing the installed Alpine product, so the retailer can easily show the customer how the Restyle Dash Solution will look in his vehicle,” Brown says. “The other is an oversized spiral-bound book that specifically show-cases the X009 9-inch Restyle Dash Sys-tems. This large book shows every 9-inch Restyle Dash System at full size and to scale. It’s designed for the retailer to walk out to the customer’s vehicle and hold the book up to the dash to show the cus-tomer exactly how the X009 will look in his vehicle at true size and increase the cus-tomer’s confidence in the product.”

“

”

Create an interesting and

intriguing display to guide

customers around the showroom. Make sure your signage is large

enough and clear for the customer to find just what they’re looking for, or maybe

even something they were not intending on

buying.

16 Restyling & tRuck AccessoRies | June 2015

A P.O.P. display by CURT Manufacturing showcasing the company’s trailer hitches.

-Sarah Barone

These large books by Alpine of America feature product specs and large images. The books can be displayed in retail shops.


restylingmag.com June 2015 | Restyling & tRuck AccessoRies 17

ResouRces to consideRLastly, what resources should restylers access to boost their showroom design?

“Our display packages are highlighted in one

page sales sheets where retailers can pick and choose the display packages that best suit their showroom,” Irwin says. “Full wall design is also offered where Vision X Lighting will design a set amount of wall space to hold both the P.O.P. displays and backup inventory.”

Brown provides an idea that retailers can try to create. “Alpine just completed free-standing kiosks to use at consumer events, which use an actual dashboard with the X009 installed in it,” he says. “This further supports the point of making the customer feel comfortable and confident with getting this products installed in his vehicle. We can give retailers advice on how they can make a similar kiosk for their own use.”

“Your CURT sales rep is always available to assist in setting up your showroom,” says Barone. “In addition, CURT has mar-keting resources that are available to help you design a completely custom plano-gram set for your retail store. The CURT-exclusive B2B University is a great training program for retailers to learn more about merchandising and in-store sales training. YouTube is one of the best resources today for educational purposes. Many compa-nies, including CURT, develop full video libraries filled with how-to, installation and product specific videos.”

Patek says that Ranch Hand offers well-built displays and banners help draw attention in the showroom.

Several other P.O.P. displays offered by CURT Manufacturing showcase the company’s new cargo straps, Double Lock Gooseneck Hitches and fifth wheel hitches.


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improving show design article_restyling magazine june issue

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