Greeting
Cards
November/December 2000
Only
one way to go and thatís
up
Itís the era of the busy person. Consumers
cannot forget to buy the petrol but they do forget to buy the greeting
card or thoughtful gift.
Only the very efficient remember motherís
birthday and the spousesís anniversary every time. For most people
there is a need to dash to the convenience store on the way home or
late at night to pick up the forgotten card. Itís a good move by convenience
stores to have the flowers, chocolates or CDs for the last minute present
and having a card tops it off. The male of the species may hope to get
brownie points for taking home flowers but he can get a gold medal if
the flowers are accompanied by a card. This may sound a little sexist
but how often have you seen the female swoon because the words on the
card are so special and, alternatively, heard the male say, ëshe doesnít
want a card, she knows itís from meí.
A card shows thought and planning and
everyone likes to feel special enough to be planned for. The high sales
of cards with meaningful verses show that that the verse is very important.
For the convenience store retailer a little bit of
advice may turn a $5 sale into a $10 sale. In fact the convenience store
retailer can begin to break down the perception that the petrol station/convenience
store is an impersonal place to shop. The idea is to make the customers
shopping experience pleasurable even if it is very quick. Suggest a card
to the customer share some of your worldly wisdom about getting in the
ëgood booksí.
Room
for growth
Whilst 80% of the population buy greeting cards, less than 1% of consumers
regularly buy their cards from service stations or convenience sores
and only 10% buy ëoccasionallyí from this source. With the general trend
to convenience store shopping there is only one way for your sales of
greeting cards to go ñ and that is up!
Impulse
purchase
Buying greeting cards from the convenience store is seldom a planned
purchase. It is usually an impulse or a forgotten obligation. The C-store
is perfect for such a purchase. A romantic or seductive, thought on
the way to visit ones lover may prompt the customer to buy a card on
impulse if it is there in front of (him). This is the secret for the
romantic, funny, cheeky card ñ obvious display - it has to be up the
front.
Price is not as important here as it
will be if buying the card is an obligation. The customer will probably
be in a good mood, feeling special and spend up to $5.00 for a card
ëno worriesí.
Larry from my local Shell Select said
that although they stock cards from $2 to $5 the most popular cards
are the $4.50 cards with flowery verse.
This is consistent with the overall retail
spending pattern. Consumers favour cards with the sentiment expressed
in words they cannot say themselves.
What
to stock
The main reason people buy cards is (in order os sales) for Birthday
and Christmas, Motherís Day and Fatherís Day.
In the convenience stores Birthday cards
are the main sellers. It is important to offer a budget range of Birthday
cards as the customer may not have planned to spend any money until
he/she remembered the birthday. Imagine the mother of a five year old
who just found the invitation to the party in two hours a box of sweets
and a card may be a life saviour.
It is also important to include some
more expensive cards especially for mother. Traditionally consumers
spend more money on cards for their mothers and Motherís Day cards outsell
Fatherís Day cards by more than double.
Display
Not everything can be near the front counter and a small card range can
be located further into the shop. It is important to keep it neat and
tidy and dust free. Consumers donít want to give a card that looks like
its been found on the road. Remember, they are trying to impress.
Whilst Christmas cards are the top sellers
these are often planned purchases (itís hard to not notice the Christmas
hype!) and sales of boxed cards are made from newsagencies, supermarkets,
chains stores and gift shops. However Christmas display and Christmas
cheer should see your Christmas Card sales rise and there may be an
opportunity to try some boxed cards with a sign, ëhave you done your
Christmas cards yet?í
The next most purchased cards in order
of importance are:
Adult birthday, Motherís Day, childrenís birthday, Fatherís Day, wedding,
new baby, anniversary, sympathy and Valentineís Day.
Itís important to include a few ëBlankí
cards for those who like to write their own message or for an occasion
not catered for.
Valentines Day may be up a few notches
at the C store. The nature of the customers and the occasion would see
more Valentines Day cards sold. While more women buy and send Valentinesí
Day cards the men often have to make a quick response so the C-Store
is the place for flowers and cards.
Greeting card sales in C-Stores is a
growing segment and careful attention to a clean and tidy display, a
range of price points and pleasant service are simple factors to help
your sales grow.
Call
out box
The Caring Card Company (CCC) has devised a range of greeting cards
specifically for Convenience Stores. It is a compact range covering
the essential sending situations. The cards are all one price, all with
the same barcode and all with the same envelope.
The cards are on consignment and with the CCC 'fill service'
maintaining the range is easy. There is a profit from day one. There
is a 50% mark up on a price point of $3.00
Leigh says cards are best placed on static, face out
stands as the customers prefer this. "Rotary stands are not favoured
by consumers," she explained.
CCC has been operating since 1995 and has seen considerable
growth in convenience store sales.Humourous cards sell all year and
the main seasons are Mother's Day and Valentine's Day.