To bring together its professional customers and attract new ones, New Look Decorating Center has started hosting monthly contractor events with free food.
While New Look Decorating Center has a loyal DIYer following, with 60% of daily foot traffic coming from the retail segment, manager Brett Lanham was looking for new ways to connect in person with the store’s professional customers, which make up 70% of sales. In November 2022, the store hosted its first pro event, inviting contractors to visit the store for free food and a chance to network with fellow professionals.
“We’re constantly trying to connect professionals with other contractors who can help them in their own projects, so this event was an easy way to get these guys together,” Lanham says. “It also allowed us to show them our appreciation. Plus, who doesn’t love free food?”
Lanham hopes to expand the events to every month and continue to provide food and opportunities to make connections.
“I want to get the events to a place where contractors will look at their calendars, see it’s the second Friday of the month and know they can come to our store for lunch and to grab supplies or make new connections,” Lanham says.
Freebie Fridays
In an effort to bring customers in the door and provide a helpful service, Hadlock’s House of Paint, which has four locations in New York, started offering Free Paint Fridays in 2018. Each Friday of the month, customers can come into any of the stores and receive a free half-pint paint sample. The program is a simple way to connect with customers and guide them along as they start a painting project, says social media coordinator Todd Gonzalez.
The program took a hiatus during the pandemic because of the product shortages and supply chain issues. Plus, Gonzalez says retail sales were at an all-time high, and the stores had no problem bringing customers in the doors. As sales plateaued, Hadlock’s brought back Free Paint Fridays, and it’s once again popular with customers, Gonzalez says.
“We love that the promotion brings customers into the store,” he says. “Plus, it’s helped boost sales because most customers come back to purchase their paint from us.”
Unconventional Merchandising
“There is one place that is overlooked by most paint and hardware stores as a spot to demonstrate products: the store’s bathroom. When we remodeled our store bathroom recently, we hung wallpaper from our sample books so customers can see how the options look in real-life spaces,” says Steve Ozab, owner of Goleta Valley Paint.
