2000 Best Merchandising Ideas: Decorative Glassware

One of the greatest advantages to this category is the current consumer interest in barware and home entertainment. Consumers want style and fashion in their homes and they want to provide their guests with the most fashionable accoutrements. Decorative glassware provides both of these sought-after characteristics.

Celebrate the Trend

Beautiful decorative glass beverageware is being introduced every quarter. By providing your customers with quarterly in-store demonstrations using new styles and colors of beverageware, you're not only building interest in the category, you're establishing an event your customers can count on.

Make use of your book department with this promotion by creating cocktails from recipes in recent releases. Coordinate your selections around the seasons and the events which fall throughout the year.

During the fall and winter months, select recipes which can serve a crowd, such as hot mulled cider or sparkling punch displayed in a decorative glass punch bowl and served in beautiful decorative glass stemware.

Springtime is a great time for a Kentucky Derby promotion with mint juleps or fresh-squeezed lemonade poured from decorative glass pitchers and served in flower-etched stemware.

Summertime brings thoughts of frozen creations — strawberry daiquiris and margaritas — nonalcoholic versions of which can also be created and served up in margarita or highball glasses from your inventory.

This allows you the perfect opportunity to cross-merchandise kitchenware products, such as high-end blenders and ice crushers.

The Hook

Nearly every item in your store can be cross-promoted with beverageware. Build displays with glassware in other departments and offer discounts for decorative glassware that complements other purchases.

For example, begin in your kitchenware department with discounts for decorative glassware with the purchase of a high-end blender. The discount gives customers a value-added incentive and moves them into your glassware department to select their bonus, increasing your chances for additional sales.

Registry Rap

Your bridal and gift registry business is another opportunity to build sales of decorative glassware. Invite bridal parties to your store for pre- or post-wedding receptions. Offer the receptions as part of your bridal and gift registry program when your customers first register.

Customers can schedule their reception before or after their celebration, inviting guests who are part of the bridal party and others who aren't able to attend the wedding or other events. The reception could also serve as a bridal shower.

You can schedule the reception after business hours, inviting guests to your store for a social evening of cocktails and appetizers. During the reception, serve selections from your wine inventory in the decorative glass stemware for which the bride has registered. But don't limit yourself. Bring out additional decorative glass accessories, such as wine buckets, vases, pitchers, and glassware which the bride may not have placed on her list. The reception is an opportunity to showcase this category to a new customer base — the bride's guests. It also gives you the chance to highlight your gift registry system for any gift-giving event.

Offer decorative glassware incentives to guests who register for their own celebration within 10 days of the reception. The incentives can be awarded when the guest's registry reaches a certain level. For example, offer a complimentary wine decanter when $200 in decorative glassware is purchased through the registry. You can also offer a bigger incentive to the bride who initiated the new gift registries by rewarding her with a complete decorative glassware punch bowl set when five new registries are completed. This promotion will result in a continuous flow of registrations and glassware sales, as well as increased foot traffic in your store.

Holiday Gifts

While glassware is functional for everyday uses, there's also an element of celebration inherent in its style.

Make use of this by decorating your store with glassware during every holiday season. Place decorative glassware near your register with complimentary candy inside to entice customers to not only look at the selection, but touch it as they reach inside for the candy. And don't limit yourself to a simple bowl — use a pitcher, wine bucket, oversized wine glass, or unique serving piece. Select an item with a holiday style and price point that would make a perfect last-minute gift idea and have several boxed and wrapped on a display near the register. Not only will you get your customers into the holiday spirit, but you'll create a service for those shoppers who are short on time.

Snapshots

Hold bridal registry receptions after business hours, inviting guests to your store for a social evening of cocktails and appetizers with a service of decorative glassware.

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Select decorative glassware with a holiday style and price point which would make a perfect last-minute gift idea and have several boxed and wrapped on a display near the register.

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Make use of your book department with a promotion creating cocktails from recipes in recent releases. Coordinate your selections around the seasons and the events which fall throughout the year.