Birdfeeders Deliver Sales
By Scott & Ann Springer
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| Hanging feeders from the ceiling can save space and encourage customers to stop for a look. Courtesy of Millcreek Gardens | Birds seek areas with food, water and shelter, said Jennifer Masiello, marketing manager for Droll Yankees Inc., a manufacturer in Danielson, Conn. “Water is a natural attractant for birds, so it only makes sense to feed them while they’re there getting a drink from the pond.”
Introducing birdfeeders into a store that primarily sells water gardening products can be simple for retailers. “You need to trigger the idea for the crossover by adding bird feeding products to water garden displays,” Masiello said. “If [customers] can see it, then they can adapt it into their own back yards.”
Kelly Rozick, category development associate for Woodstream Corp., a manufacturer in Lititz, Pa., recommended creating a backyard water garden scene adorned with birdfeeders. For example, a patio set juxtaposed next to a water element with bird feeders mingled in among the plants can set the scene in an indoor or outdoor display, she said.
Alfredo Garcia-Lucio, creative director and co-owner of Parasol, a Denver, Colo.-based manufacturer, said, “Create an area that people step into to see and hear the sounds of the water and the birds singing. Then [clients will] say, ‘I want to feel that at home.’”
Some manufacturers offer DVDs of birds to enliven indoor displays. “In a limited space [the DVDs offer] incredible audio-visuals for the products,” Garcia-Lucio said.
Nowanna Wanzer, owner of The Gated Garden, a retailer in Lander, Wyo., painted a mural on her shop wall to create the illusion of an outdoor space. Then she placed birdfeeders purposefully within the mural to help them sell themselves.
Birdfeeders and accessories contribute to 50 percent of Wanzers sales, she said. The other half comes from garden and pond supplies.
Dangling birdfeeders from the ceiling is an easy way to display the products’ beauty without taking up shelf space, said Jason McCarley, retail manager for Millcreek Gardens, a retail store in Salt Lake City, Utah.
McCarley hangs feeders from rows of chain on his ceiling, and price tags dangle at the buyers’ eye level. “I haven’t seen one customer not stop and look up at our display on the ceiling,” he said.
Display trees from manufacturers help customers compare products to find the one they like best, Wanzer said.
Glass birdfeeders look best when displayed with light to highlight their beauty, McCarley said. “When you shine a spotlight on it, it will just glow. Customers can’t walk by without noticing it.”
Wanzer recommended capturing natural light through window displays. “The feeders look great when the light comes through the window and through the colored glass of the feeders.”
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Birdfeeders Deliver Sales
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