Whether you’re developing a category from scratch or refreshing an existing one, it’s helpful to look to your peers for best practices you can incorporate in your own business.
Paint & Decorating Retailer spoke to three paint retailers who have found success in different categories. Read on to see how O-Gee Paint, Wallpaper & Equipment dedicated the time and energy to its wallcoverings department and created an all-star category in the process. You can also read about the other categories: full-service paint and hand tools.
Covering All the Bases
With more than 400 wallpaper books for customers to browse and over 200 square feet of the store’s salesfloor dedicated to wallcoverings, O-Gee Paint, Wallpaper & Equipment is a popular one-stop shop.
Peggy Sue Wingard co-owns O-Gee Paint with her brother, John Schultz, and has been implementing creative ideas for merchandising and marketing to grow the business in wallcoverings and the store’s other categories.
Both have worked at the store since 1988 and this year, took ownership of the business from their mother, who stepped down after running the company since 1981.
Wingard says one of her favorite departments is wallcoverings, and she has enjoyed sticking with the category over the years.
“The popularity of wallcoverings is cyclical, but we’ve stuck with the department through all the highs and lows,” she says.
O-Gee Paint sells most of its wallpaper through special orders, but has started keeping several manufacturers in stock. The store also sells a wide assortment of wallpaper accessories.
“I pride myself on making sure I have an assortment of everything you’d need to wallpaper a room,” says Wingard. “We carry tools, knives, adhesives, smoothers and more, and draw a lot of installers into our store because of our selection.”
Since Wingard and her brother have taken ownership, they have executed several new ideas, including using a library card system to organize and track the 400 wallpaper books.
“When a customer wants to check out a wallpaper book, we write down their name, phone number and due date on the card, and we can know where the books are at any given time,” Wingard says. “It was an ‘aha! moment’ for us after 30 years of trying spreadsheets and barcodes. It was the simple, easy solution that ended up being the best option for us.”
Wingard has also harnessed technology to increase sales and boost customer service. When customers have a certain pattern or color in mind, she uses a tablet to search online for wallpapers that match that criteria. After she finds the manufacturer and name of the wallpaper online, she uses that information to find the same wallpaper, or a similar one, in the books so the customer can see and feel it in person.
Wingard also regularly checks manufacturer websites for updates and availability, and places customers orders online. She directs her customers to YouTube videos for wallpapering best practices, and she also posts wallpapering resources on the store’s website.
In the end, success in special categories comes from simply putting in the time and effort, says Wingard.
“Wallcoverings aren’t just a side business for us, it’s a whole department,” she says. “Find someone at your company who will take ownership of that department and give it the attention it needs. That’s how you flourish.”
3 Tips for Selling Wallcoverings
- Hire dedicated staff
One of the keys to O-Gee Paint’s success in this category is employees who are both knowledgeable about the products and have a passion for selling them. - Stay on top of the trends
Wallcoverings are a cyclical category, with trends in wallpaper and faux finishes constantly changing. Stay up-to-date on what’s hot and what’s not to know what colors, designs and textures to carry in your store. - Incorporate technology
O-Gee Paint utilizes tablets in the store so customers can find exactly the look they desire and also takes advantage of online ordering through vendors to order products quickly and efficiently.
