Regardless of the type of store, there are always some things that don’t really fit the mold, as far as their stated intention is concerned. What this means is that even hardware stores or stationery shops have chocolate bars in their checkout lanes and exciting items on the ends of their aisles that might not directly fit into their chosen niche. The items might be completely unrelated or might act to solve a common problem or recurring complaint with the main products sold by the store.
This concept can be applied to both online and offline stores. This isn’t entirely about impulse-bought items meant to exploit the psychology of customers, but that’s not to say the money you receive from impulse buying is any less green than the money obtained from other products. In fact, having the right impulse-bought items that aren’t easily found can easily make your store more memorable as a one-stop shop, or give you an edge over people who are selling similar items. As far as online shopping goes, having a few odds and ends can help your store. This is when a customer is just below a certain threshold for something like free shipping or a discount, and you give them the ability to take advantage of specific offers on your site without making them feel cheated by having to buy another big-ticket item just to qualify. While the price of these items might not seem like they make for big profits, they typically have more significant profit margins because you bought them in bulk, and they aren’t really specialized items.
Let’s look at some examples:
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Branded Clothing
Adding some peculiar items in the form of hats and t-shirts can be a boon to your bottom line. There are thousands of wholesalers now that deal in both branded and non-branded items of clothing like Wholesale For Everyone that enable you to order personalized clothing to sell at your store. Think abstract when wondering if this is the right choice for you. For instance, it might seem weird if a paint store was selling hats & shirts, but when you think that most people wear clothing they don’t particularly care about while painting under the expectation it’ll get dirty, a $5 t-shirt and a $7 cap can just become that much more appealing to the customer. Not only that, if you have enough return customers purchasing from you, they might end up buying one just as a utility item or even as something to sleep in. This is more likely to happen if they’re just a pinch shy of getting a deal on shipping or something, however.
“Bucket Handle” Style Products
What these kinds of products mean is that while the bucket is an amazingly useful item, the bucket handle is innovative and makes using the bucket much easier. Think about what kind of things you sell, and then look for accessory products that compliment them. If you sell brushes, selling something that makes a brush more comfortable in hand would come to mind. Think about all of the products you have on offer, and do some serious research into what people have invented to make using them simpler and more stress-free.
Conclusion
The secondary or even tertiary items to the ones you sell mainly on your store can end up making just as much, or even more than your primary items, if you leverage interest in them properly. Adding extra items that remove problems from the existing ones might end up making you two sales you wouldn’t have made, instead of the customer passing entirely on your store. All of these things increase your customer’s experience with purchasing from you and make your store more memorable in the end. Ideally, your store can obtain, convert, and retain customers as easily as possible. A part of this is, of course, having the right inventory.
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