An often surprising answer is the best time is when business is toughest. The reasoning is that when business is good, retailers have their hands full running their businesses, keeping up with demand, ensuring that they stay stocked with product, and that their employees are in and motivated to serve their customers. It is also a time when most retailers feel that they are doing things correctly. Why question success?
When business is off, many of these demands are sadly not as pressing, and retailers are more open to new ideas, new thinking, and new ways to grow their businesses. With this in mind, we are considering some changes to Tobacco Outlet Business and want to gauge the opinions of our readers and our advertisers.
Tobacco Retailing by the Numbers:
The best sources for product category information are manufacturers. What sells in what quantities is critical to effective inventory levels. What products and what SKUs sell in what areas of the country are valuable to any retail buyer. What sells at certain times of the day or year is valuable in guiding retailers on promotional activities. Your supplier partners know much of this.
Tobacco Outlet Business wants to tap into the research knowledge base of manufacturers to share this type of data with our readers. We are interested in any and all manufacture research, and if you send it to me or share that with our editors, we will consider using that information in the new version of Tobacco Outlet Business that we will be developing over the next several months.
In-Store Merchandising:
Effective store design and effective use of merchandising materials can help to build sales. This can be achieved at very little expense for a retailer. Manufacturers spend a lot of time studying effective store design and layout. They can offer you insight on the best way to create a store that will work effectively for you. In addition, almost all manufacturers offer in store displays, merchandisers, and signage that they have tested and found effective in quickly explaining and inducing purchase of their products. Take advantage of this expertise.
Tobacco Outlet Business is considering a section of the magazine dedicated to information on effective store design and layout. We welcome this information from manufacturers. We will also include information on in-store displays, signage, and product merchandisers. Please send any and all of this information to me and to our editorial team and this too will be considered for the new information that will be in Tobacco Outlet Business.
In closing, we thank you for continuing to make Tobacco Outlet Business, the No. 1 magazine serving the broad range of tobacco retailers, wholesalers, distributors, and manufacturers. We urge you to look at new ideas, new tactics, new products, and new support from the pages of Tobacco Outlet Business and from our supplier partners. •