Zoos and Aquariums

Inexpensive Souvenirs (From page 52) of purchasing these small but memory-making items are both part of the appeal.

Name-dropped inexpensive souvenirs sell better than generic items at the gift shop, Bice said. “Namedropped items for sure appeal to people the most. They want to remember where they got something. They want that memory.” Along with offering name-dropped merchandise, Bice said top-sellers throughout the shop feature images of the animals at the zoo. “Anything with a red panda, an otter, a sloth, any of the animals they see here, those will be the top sellers.”

Tom Harvey , owner of Safari Zoological Park located in Caney, Kan., revealed that the top-selling inexpensive souvenirs in his gift shop are plush animals. “They sell anywhere from $4.99 to $34.99. We have a lot of white tigers and grizzly bears, and any of the animals that we have here at the park people will want to purchase them in plush.” The animals are not namedropped. Along with plush toys, reasonably priced Tshirts are also sold at the 1,000-square-foot gift shop and do well. The store does not stock inexpensive stickers, magnets, pens and pencils or keychains. As to name-dropped items, T-shirts that feature the zoo name are the only type of wearable that the store carries. “We simply don’t have any shirts without a namedrop on them. We have our own design logo shirts, and others which are from the mountain in the area with a nice design of an animal and our name drop on the back.” The trend in wearable souvenirs as well as in plush appears to be customer interest in well-made items, Harvey asserted. “Our plush animals are from Rhode Island Novelty. They are very high quality.”

In Winston, Ore., Crystal Banks , gift shop supervisor at Wildlife Safari, described stickers, magnets, key chains, and smaller stuffed animals as best-sellers. “They are all inexpensive and easy to grab. And we have many new designs.” Name-dropped merchandise sells best for the store. “Customers want a souvenir that brings a memory with it,” she explained.

Banks has also observed some specific trends with inexpensive souvenirs. “With magnets, the design aspect is very important now,” Banks said. “Our customers are looking for the animals we have here. For example, we feature giraffes at the park, and have lots of items that have giraffes on them, including magnets, as well as stuffed animals that represent giraffes, and they do very well.” She also sees another trend. “I would say people are looking for things that are more upbeat.” With magnets particularly, upbeat look and animal design are both key for strong sales. With that in mind, Banks is always looking for new and appealing magnet styles, she related. “I just ordered a batch of new magnets 20 minutes ago,” she laughed. “They are Clay Critters and feature the safari park animals on them. Others have Swarovski crystals on them, which is a great look. I would expect them to be popular, too.”

Overall, top-selling inexpensive souvenirs at these four zoo locations feature site-specific animals, with plush animals a very strong category. ❖