IGES Feature

Going for Style (From page 128)

Illusion, Crave, Sea Striker, Optic Edge, Islander Eyes, and Just a Shade Smaller,” Daniszewski said. Displaying the sunglasses on a spinning rack and having a mirror available so customers can try on a pair or two is helpful.

Retailers also understand the importance of keeping up with trends, even when timeless styles continue to be strong sellers. Carrying a mix of styles tends to be most successful. Boyle noted retro colors and crew cut styles are trending at Sea Shell Resort. At Bear Creek, Fanelli said, “Lightweight soft hand apparel has been on the climb. It does come at an increased cost and pricing, but that hasn’t seemed to deter sales. People know you get what you pay for, so a nice tri blend soft hand fitted shirt is an easy sale as long as you keep your logo clean and simple. This summer we have introduced some ladies crop top T-shirts and those have been a hit, better sales than the ladies tank tops.” Rather than constantly strive to have the latest “it” look, Fanelli said it’s sometimes better to restock the tried-and-true sellers. “If you find something that works, stick with it.

I hear often from the hotel staff that we ‘need’ new designs or colorways because we carry over the same product from year to year. Although we the staff who see this carry over as being lack of new product, the guests of the resort are seeing it for the first time. I have one design for a men’s shirt that we haven’t change the logo, the shirt it is printed on, and the color of the shirt for eight years but it continues to sell as one of the strongest men’s pieces we have,” he said.

Moving merchandise around, especially items which are slow to sell, is surprisingly effective. Regular customers may notice an item that has been lingering on a rack for months if it’s moved to a more visible location. Likewise, discounting items or bundling T-shirts and hats for a packaged deal is also a good way to move slow-selling items.

Mixing cool with classic, name-dropped with name-brand, and displaying the items in a visually appealing way are just a few ways resort stores to draw customers’ attention and drive sales of apparel and sunglasses. ❖