Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

We'd have to know your customer profile to really give you good advice. If you want to turn merchandise, you might consider a store-wide sale.

Or you might give a free sweatshirt/t-shirt with cross-country stuff on it with every purchase of $25 or more. (You could even have your store name on the free item and get some longer-term advertising benefit.)

Or how about gift cards sold at 20% off face value? (e.g., a $100 gift card for $80)

To draw maximum traffic, put some loss-leader products up for sale (high-profile, wider-appeal products at a very competitive price).

To increase transaction size, you might also try bundling items together (i.e., "Free poles and goggles with any ski purchase", or "Save 10% on skis or 20% on any ski/boot/pole package") and/or giving progressive discounts ("the more you spend, the more you save") - i.e., "Save 10% on any purchases up to $100, $20% off for $100-300, 30% for $300 or more"

-Steve

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Hi Seans,

At my shop the margins aren't that high for XC hardgoods, we make a higher % profit on the small items like gloves, accessories, etc (So it prob wouldn't make sense to discount these items). Perhaps your in a similar situation.

Anyhow, for most of the season we sell the equipment (ski, binding, boots, install) together as a package, with poles tacked on as extra. Recently, we started selling hardgoods individually at retail, and offer 20% off the ski when you buy a boot.

Essentially it's works out to a similar price as the package, but people seem to be responding well to the perception that they're receiving a deal.

Perhaps it's something you could try. Your mileage may vary.