Many, many years ago I started in Automotive Sales working for a small but well established two store Jobber. My job was to sell auto parts to local mechanics, both professional and amateur. I remember one day learning from my mentor at the time, Dev, who had me fill a large box at the front of the store with a variety of sundries that had been on the shelf for so long the dust made me sneeze on my every move I asked Dev about his strategy of burying items people don’t want in a box that they now have to dig through to find out what’s “on sale.” His answer was simple and quickly understandable; “people (mostly men in this environment) like to scavenge.” He was correct. Every person who entered the store couldn’t leave without at least a quick checkout search. I watched the items being selected and most people walked away with the unique treasure of it.
To this day, when I see a box in a store, I still can’t resist the temptation to explore and search for treasures in the box. Another ‘Retail Marketing Thinks Inside the Box’ technique for moving slow-moving inventory is to pack three or more items in a box marked on sale. There’s always one item that draws someone in, and the rest of the items… well, like it or not, they’re all an added bonus.
The next time you’re trying to think outside the box in your business, exploring creative ideas, ask yourself if maybe the answer can be found; inside the box?