Hats off to James

Here's a clever marketing technique.  James Emslie, the designer behind Sheepish Knitworks at Uptown Yarns in Courtney BC has 7 designs for some very fashionable hats.  When he told me that he had sold  45 patterns (many with yarn, I'm sure) in 32 days, I felt that this must be some sort of record, so I asked him how he did it.

Here's his answer. In fact he sent me a picture.  He said that most of the sales were probably the result of this display.

James just lined up all 7 samples on mannequin heads and created a very dramatic effect.  This display comes close to mass marketing which always works very well. When I worked for a large chain toy store, the display people always insisted on creating "walls" of the same product. This massive abundance of product just seemed to reach out to people and customers would literally "scoop" up the items.

Ironically, it's an example of "less is more." Yes, you have a lot of product; but it is just 1 item and it focuses people's attention on that item.  Try it for scarves or hats or mittens. Re-merchandise an area of your store with a dramatic presentation and see what happens.

James said that people who didn't buy the hat patterns still commented on the effectiveness of the display. Here are all of Sheepish Knitworks designs on Infiknit - ready to order.

Have a great day!