I could have also called this post why some card companies should not pressure newsagents to get on the wood or on the wall or however else they refer to permanent card fixtures.
I heard from a newsagent last week about a card company that currently has a spinner in their business pressuring for space on the wall. The rep from the card company said the wall was premium space and if the newsagent respected the relationship they would allocate wall space to the card company.
The spinner is performing well. Indeed, in terms of return on floor space, the spinner is in the top five performing floor space allocations in the business.
It does not make sense that the card company would want to disrupt a situation that is working for them and the retailer.
This same supplier agitates for wall space by saying the number of spinners is limited. I suspect they do this without considering the performance of spinners, without carefully analysing the performance of spinners.
Here are four bother reasons, beyond sales performance, why a spinner may be a better solution for cards than being on the wall:
- The card department primarily serves destination shoppers.
- Shoppers do purchase cards on impulse. For this to happen you need to be where they are and often that is not the card department.
- Some card ranges can attract shoppers to a business. They can only do that if on the lease line.
- Some card ranges add to the entertainment / shopping experience. This is best achieved outside the card department.
So, to any card company wanting to move their cards off a successful spinner onto the wall I’d say prove to me that this makes sense, protect me if it fails.
If your rep tells you sales will improve, call them on it, ask for evidence to support the claim. Too many reps are allowed to get away with BS. They have a job to do and that is to serve their employer. Often that relationship does not drive the best outcomes for your business.