Apparel Product News Brief

Uzzi Amphibious Gear Offers Outdoor Apparel for Kids and Adults

Uzzi Amphibious Gear began in 1995, after the founders envisioned a clothing brand inspired by Nature, Land, and Ocean. The company strives for comfort and perfection by creating innovative garments for people who enjoy an active and social lifestyle. From the beach to the boat, divers to hikers, kids to adults, the company’s products are designed to blur the lines between land and water.

Uzzi Amphibious Gear creates catalysts for adventure, exploring the outdoors, and living. If you enjoy surfing, swimming, boating, camping, hiking, and being outdoors, we are the brand. We specialize in swimwear, outerwear, and activewear for men, women, and children.

(For more information, visit www.uzzi.com, call 954-777-9595 or circle 85 on the reader service card.)

shirts and matching shorts.”

In order to stay abreast of trends and to see what’s up and coming, Mayall suggested visiting local malls and apparel stores. Share mock-ups of apparel designs with people you know. “Find out what people like by asking co-workers, friends, and focus groups,” he said. “These people are your shoppers.”

Cordani said it’s important to know who your customer is and what they need and like. “Ask where they’re from, what they’re celebrating, and who they’re with,” he said. “When a customer feels comfortable where they’re shopping, they’re more likely to open up their purse strings! “

Train your team to listen to what customers want,” Cordani said. “Any feedback is good feedback. Take it, evaluate it, and make it happen!”

When looking for new items to stock, Jared Sorensen , chief visionary officer at Majestic Caverns in Childersburg, Ala., follows trends on social media and observes what guests wear to his attraction—which has a cave as well as amusement rides. “Always make sure to have a variety of cuts that would interest any demographic and a range of seasonal styles for different climates,” he said.

Coyle is sure to pick a soft and comfortable material for apparel. Furthermore, she aims to choose universal colors or colors that everyone likes. “This is important to bring more options to different people,” she said.

Popular Trends

For Mayall, in addition to tie-dye, navy T-shirts and sweat- shirts sell well at his two shops, which boast 2,400 and 1,200 square feet. “Navy apparel has always been a staple in our gift shops,” Mayall said. “It works well with simple designs as well as more custom designs.”

Neon colors are also still popular with Tshirts in adult and children sizes. “We sell a lot of neon T-shirts, crop tops, hats, and shorts,” Mayall said. “This year, we did a summer vibes program that included shorts, sweatshirts, and T-shirts and they sell very well.”

Sorensen has found that earth tones and neutral colors move much quicker with

Continued on page 146 older generations compared to striking, bright colors which typically draw children. “We’re putting reorders through weekly due to the trending comeback of snapback hats, which are now accompanied with leather engraved logos,” he said.

How Staff Can Boost Sales

In order for a customer service team to increase sales, Mayall said you need to give your team the tools to do the job. “Make sure your team is knowledgeable about the apparel you’re selling,” Mayall said. “T-shirts and sweatshirts come in a variety of weights and textures. This is important for your team to know so they can make recommendations to guests who may have a specific need.”

Furthermore, Mayall advised informing team members about the specifics or story behind your designs. “This could be your park’s opening year, past or present attractions in a design, or even a milestone anniversary,” Mayall said.

Rather than having staff stay behind a counter or register, Sorensen said it’s important to encourage staff to get onto the shop floor. “While organizing and maintaining displays, they can relate to guests and see if they can help them find what they’re looking for and make recommendations,” he said.

Coyle likes to merchandise items in collections to ensure that guests can see all like items, which can lead to a quick add-on to a purchase. “If someone buys a tiedye hoodie, a matching tee is folded nearby,” she said. Associates wear the shops’ apparel and can explain the fit and feel of the garment.

Apparel Displays

Attracting attention to clothing is another way to boost sales. Mayall’s shops display apparel on wall units and four-way units. “When guests enter a store, they are greeted with a vibrant splash of colors on the sevenfoot wall units and the four ways are portable so we can place them close to the doors so guests see the apparel when coming inside,” he said.

For Sorensen, it’s important to use a variety of shapes and dynamic heights for visitors to peer around the 3,600-square-foot shop. He recommended using cir- cular tables as a base so guests can ideally flow and minimize bumping into corners. Stacking rectangular chests and square crates creates intrigue for the base of a display.

Sorensen said the game-changer for any visual display is to tell a story. “In order to do that, you need to find the right balance of lighting, shadows, and color to create a scene,” he said. “It’s important to highlight a particular item by creating surrounding dark, cool lighting with ambient light to create shadows. It’s exponentially more effective if you have atmospheric music to settle guests into any story-based experience, especially by creating a relaxing environment surrounding a financial transaction.”

Coyle likes placing new items front and forward and moves items around daily to ensure that everything looks new and fresh. She merchandises apparel with other souvenir items such as mugs and keychains to show that they can add lots of great items to a purchase. ❖