From shop layouts to loyalty schemes, the founder of Europe’s biggest and busiest club retail store at Silvermere, in surrey, shares his best advice from a career in retail.
Previously, PGA Master Professional Doug McClelland spoke to us about his 40-year career in golf retail and the importance of investing in your business and your staff. As a trailblazer in the business, McClelland kept Silvermere at the forefront of the industry with his innovative ideas and customer-orientated approach, and now runs a successful consultancy business helping golf brands grow and flourish. Here, he tells us his top 10 tips for retail success.
1. Optimise your shop layout
It depends on size. Some stores you can’t do anything with because they are so small, but shop layout is vital. Firstly, you’ve got to create the illusion that you’ve got everything. Then secondly, you’ve got to lay out the store for impulse buying. You might get a customer who only visits your shop once a year and you need to grab them. We used to have four tills, and if a visitor came in to pay a green fee my staff would say, ‘are you looking for tees, balls and gloves today sir?’ You’d be amazed how many of those you convert to sales. They get to the first tee and they think, ‘I need some tees but I can’t be bothered to go back. I’m playing at another club tomorrow, I’ll get some there’. You want them to buy from you. So, you sell them a couple of bags. Then you’ve got the offers on, buy three, pay for two. You need to create those impulse buys as you may not see them again for a while. You’ve got to make sure you sell them something when they come through your shop.
2. Never overlook signage
Point of sale is crucial in signage. You need to make the offers stand out. Think about when you walk into any supermarket now. They spend millions of pounds on getting the right signage and stuff in the right place, end of aisle promotions, impulse buys, stuff by the tills. A lot of it is set out with impulse buying in mind. Trying to create a sale from that customer is crucial.
5. Insist on in-store expertise
I tried to create a set-up where anything involving a service you could do it on the spot. It wasn’t always possible. ‘Can I have a lesson now?’ ‘Yes, I’ve got someone now, fine’. You’ve got to do anything you can do to get out of the habit of shifting boxes. If you get into the shifting boxes game, then it’s the numbers game. It’s the guy who can shift more boxes than you because he sells it cheaper that wins. Shifting boxes is not the way to build up a business as a club pro in a small retail environment. It’s all about you and the service you give. Play in pro-ams with your members, build up a rapport with your clientele. You want them to be happy with what you do and have confidence in what you are doing. That way you will keep them. If it all comes down to price, you can be the cheapest in the world for five minutes these days on the internet.
6. Give women a choice
You’ve got to offer choice. We had over 20 different women’s apparel brands at Silvermere. Women are very particular about what they look like. They don’t want to have to go to Marks & Spencers and buy their golf outfit there. They would then just look like seven million other people. They like to step out in something that’s just for them. Unfortunately, for the smaller pro, that’s where the difficulty begins. They can’t stock everything and they are competing with the internet, which has got everything. So you have to set yourself apart, offer the whole service, the package. I know some club pros who do really well by doing that. It’s about service. I can’t say it enough. Every staff meeting I had, the top of the agenda was customer, customer, customer, service, service, service. That was what it was all about. You gain loyalty that way. I know some places that are doing alright but if they actually improved their service, they would double their turnover.
7. Capitalise on seasonal fashion trends
We had a loyalty card that offered 20 per cent off any new season clothing. We would get people to come in and purchase an outfit as soon as the stock arrived. If they are in there with a credit card in their pocket, sell them a shirt as well as trousers or skorts. Sell multiple items. That was the way to do it. Offering the choice is what pulls them in. It’s the stock that does it.
8. Use your advantages of being a green grass retailer
Despite sales online, golf consumers still want to touch it, feel it, try it. They do want to try the golf clothing on and look good in it. You have to offer somewhere in store or in the club where they can go and try on three or four different outfits and see which one they like. Good lighting, changing rooms, lots of mirrors.
10. Never forget the value of loyalty
Understand the Pareto Principle: that 80 per cent of your business comes from 20 per cent of your customers. It’s a fact of life. You have to get them back through that door again and again. Keep them as loyal customers and they will stay loyal for life.
