Outdoor Retailer Merchandising Tours

Presented by: Eagle Creek

At Summer Market merchandising expert Sharon Leicham guided retailers on an interactive tour through the show floor highlighting excellence in merchandising from our exhibiting brands. Designed to help provide new merchandising strategies to improve in store flow, increase probability and feature the 2010 spring and summer product lines. Stay tuned for a photo gallery and video footage of the tour you can take if you missed the tours at the show. Here are the featured exibtors who were honored to be on the tour, along with our Excellence in Merchandising award winners. 

Phubby
This small booth selling cell phones holders has a great way of displaying a hard to show product. It can adapt to watches, fanny packs or any products that benefit from vertical free-standing display fixtures.  These are inexpensive to produce.

Teko
Mix it up! Check out the sock forms on the slatwall. They benefit from flowers sprouting from each “foot.” Why not add some whimsy to your wall. Think of other objects that could be used to enhance a sock wall an create a dynamic display.

El Naturalista
Recycle is the word in this footwear booth utilizing lightweight paper drums as shoe display pedestals. You can easily translate into an item to use in the retail store, creative, dynamic and a cinch to move around.

Keen
Great example of incorporating cause marketing into your display. Signage and “Live Outwardly” slogan evokes emotion. They have showcased the words of a community artist and teacher and their efforts in giving back to their communities. Inside the booth blackboards are used as signage to establish product categories, an easy way to keep your walls fresh!

Confluence
Creative spray skirt display that any retailer could incorporate into their existing store.  Tube that the open skirts slide over then you could stack numerous skirts on top of each other.  Intuitive design allows customers to then turn each skirt to look at and compare with the one below it or above it. Great way to condense the footprint in a small store.

We-No-Nah
The black back wall and cedar colored wood fixtures sets off the color of the boats. The back wall display incorporates the hardware and boats in a pleasing symmetrical arrangement.

Jackson Kayak
The best executed way to display Boats is to put them on ladder racks so the boats are lying horizontal to the ground. Jackson Kayak which used a company called Talic rack system to create an approachable boat display.

Jansport
Great window idea, simple and easy to duplicate. The three single packs on stands backed by colorful banners with the product names gave life to the packs and made the displays more engaging.

Smartwool
Color, color, color! Clever merchandising with message lampshades (with lights) which ad dimension. Replacing mannequin heads and use of colorful walls and product throughout the booth created an engaging display. Take note of the sock display it’s use of glasswork, flowers and rocks makes it more then just a sock rack.

Horny Toad Award Winner: Most Creative Use of Materials
They did an amazing job of creating window displays that caught people’s attention and incorporated their products with everyday life in a comfortable form. Incorporates found objects with colorful graphic backgrounds creates a treat for the eye and good ideas to take back to the store. Fun fact: Most of the props were from dumpster diving…other peoples trash could be your treasure!

Evolv
Fabulous example of using corrugated metal as backdrops for footwear displays. The addition of metal to a wood environment adds interest. How about adding a metal piece to the shoe wall?

Cloudveil
Great example of cross category merchandising: Rear wall display incorporates clothing, equipment, and accessories against a graphic of the great outdoors.

Trango
A well organized climbing accessories wall sells product. Trango organized its climbing hardware in an easy to understand and attractive way. Take note of this organization and how you can apply it to your climbing wall or a similar category.

Prana
Innovative display: Side wall display utilizing found objects from nature. Think outside the box and find ways to use natural products in your displays. Bring in hints of the outdoor elements that drive your customer indoors.
 
Sea to Summit Award Winner: Best Product Display
Well thought out vendor fixtures complete with informational signage that can be used in a number of different environments. Modular elements make this a diverse and easy to move around display.

Acorn
Their use of props in their window is a dynamic way to display casual footwear. Brainstorm ways to incorporate their ideas into eye popping window displays at your store.

Cascade Designs
They have built a fantastic example of a concept store. Pay close attention to their POP displays and how they incorporate them across numerous categories; Water Treatment, Stoves and Cooking Systems.  They have shelves built that you can buy to create assortments on slat wall, very unique. 

GSI
Ad some spice to your displays! Cooking implements can be boring but not when GSI shows them. Their storyboards and product displays are incredible a great example of  how  signage helps sell the product. It takes the confusion out of the entire product and can help sell it to your savviest shopper.
 
Eagle Creek
Take a note of the focus display with a small footprint for tight spaces. It could be used in a window display as well. Shows product well with lifestyle image to tie in the brand messaging, it is easy to use and re-position in multiple spaces as you freshen up your floor layou

About the Judges:

Sharon Leicham, is the author of Merchandising Your Way to Success and How to Sell to Women. She consults nationally with manufacturers and retailers helping them improve their merchandising and display with the result being increased profitability. She began her career with Royal Robbins retail and then moved to the wholesale division serving as National Sales manager. While at Specialized Bicycled Components she headed global and trade marketing, establishing Specialized concept shops and point of purchase materials. At Sierra Designs she headed the apparel division and worked with retailers to ensure sell through of Sierra Designs products. She has served as Merchandising Editor for Outdoor Retailer magazine and writes about visual merchandising for a number of trade magazines. She is in the process of developing her merchandising blog, Eyecatcher.com.

Connie McDonald, Eagle Creek’sVisual Merchandising Manager has been instrumental in establishing the Travel Outfitting merchandising concept in the Outdoor specialty retail space. She has developed and implemented standards and practices for the retail store staff to become self-sufficient in their merchandising efforts. Previous to her current role, Connie has also been integral as a sales rep and in brand marketing activities. Her background lends to a unique perspective and understanding of the real world challenges retailers face

Christian Gennerman was the first employee and an owner at Backcountry.com in 1998.   He created new ideas for products, marketing and partnerships for both Backcountry.com and their vendors.  He consults for companies entering the ecommerce space as well as existing outdoor companies.  He participated in the Outdoor Retailer Advisory Board.  He left Backcountry.com in 2007 to be a full time father but is still a relevant source of knowledge and ideas for the outdoor and ecommerce world.