10 Great Promotional Ideas: Cookware

As you are well aware, the retail experience is a bewildering one. Whenever you and your staff are putting together a store promotion, it's difficult to predict what will work. Face it — sometimes it's simply a crapshoot. And then there are those times when you hit the bullseye, and your promoted products simply fly off of the shelves.

Unfortunately, retailers often run the same promotions year after year until even those tried-and-true selling tools seem to lose their charm. For this very reason, we're presenting a new series for 2003. Called Ten Great Promotional Ideas, the articles will cover a variety of categories with successful ideas gleaned from retailers across the country. This first segment focuses on Cookware promotions, so if you feel your promotional well has run dry, you can tap into some exciting and successful techniques provided by your retail peers and The Gourmet Retailer staff.

Cookware Trials

Our first great idea is Phoenix, Arizona-based Kitchen Classics' trial cookware offer. It allows customers to take home three different brands of 8-inch skillets to conduct their own at-home comparisons. Owner Muriel Hart said the promotion began with a customer who just couldn't make up her mind about a cookware purchase. She bought and returned the same pan three times.

"I thought that if she had been able to try things out, it would have saved us a few hours of discussion," Hart explained. "It works wonderfully. If a customer doesn't buy immediately, they will usually come back later on and purchase. Normally, they purchase one or two pieces when they come back."

While cookware sales have increased with the promotion, Hart believes it has generated much more — a level of trust that places her store far above her competition.

Go Fry an Egg

Marshalltown, Iowa-based Cook's Nook owners offer a testing program similar to Hart's, but instead of leaving with cookware, the store customers are encouraged to test product in the on-site kitchen.

"We have store pans that we allow customers to use in our kitchen. They can cook anything we've got on hand," co-owner Alice Vergauwen explained. "We sell three lines — All-Clad, Nordic Ware, and Chantal. This way, the customer can see which brand fits their needs the best."

Of Course, Demos

Cooking demonstrations at key times and days are always an important way to spread your message. For instance, Saturday is a busy shopping day, so set up a cooking demonstration between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. once or twice a month. Be sure to post signs and flyers in your store that announce this upcoming special event. In addition, because cookware makes an excellent gift, it