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5 Tips To Make the Most of Your Attraction site Shop

Selling souvenirs is one of the easiest ways to generate extra income for your attraction site. Attraction site shops are a great way for you to provide products that give lasting memories of great days out. Yet getting them to buy something can sometimes be tricky. It’s essential your shop offers tailored products to the venue and wow your customers to gain their attention, which leads to sales.

If you are thinking about opening a shop at your attraction site, or you already have one and are not sure how to grow it further, there are few key factors that need to be considered. Your shop should implement a strong merchandising strategy, look professional, be well positioned within the attraction and be staffed by an outgoing, approachable and helpful team.

These tips will help you maximise your shop’s potential.

1. Choose the Best Location

The shop location matters because it determines how many visitors can see it. It’s better to place the attraction site’s shop at the end of the visitor’s route than at the beginning. Think about placing the shop in:

  • Intermediate spaces, these work well in larger, more open venues such as theme parks. Paultons Park in Hampshire contains 3 souvenir stores throughout the park.
  • The lobby, an excellent example of this is the National History Museum whose gift shop is positioned just inside of the main entrance and exit in Hintze Hall.
  • The exit, such as the National Gallery in London, who have souvenir shops at two of their four entrance/exit locations.
    You should make sure you have plenty of signposts to your souvenir shop. This ensures your customers know where your shop is, it is best if your shop is visible from the entrance.

2. Target All People

Attraction site’s shops attract a high number of customers, especially when they’re looking for something different to buy for themselves or give as presents. Which is why it’s important your souvenir shop caters to all of them. However, it’s important you consider what the visitors not only expect but also request to see in your souvenir shop. For example, according to Journal of Travel Research, some of the most popular souvenirs customers purchase include postcards, branded clothing, items representative of the location, such as key rings, magnets and mugs.

Understanding your customer base is key to planning what to stock in your souvenir shop, the target audience of your attraction site will play a major role in your customer type. There is a balance to be struck, between stocking for those who fit your target market and appealing to those who do not, your souvenir shop should try to create the best possible conditions to attract all audiences. For example, souvenirs for children are more than just soft toys. Target them with items such as games, playing cards, puzzles, or yo-yos. Whereas, senior customers are less attracted by fashionable items, so you could target them with more precious and high-quality items.

Yet, while your souvenir shop products should appeal to a vast demographic, it is important to stock souvenirs catered for your target audience. For example, a zoo gift shop should carry a wide variety of souvenirs such as drinkware, wallets, knives, plush toys, T-shirts and more to appeal to its demographic. But at the same time, the majority of merchandise is aimed at the younger generation – animal figurines, books, bags, toys and more.
3. Fit your products properly

Finding the right layout for your merchandise is the difference between customers buying and leaving without a purchase. This is why visual merchandising is so powerful, it boosts your conversion rate and makes it easier to upsell products.

It’s important that your souvenir shop has an appropriate fitting. Such as shelves that are adjustable by height, and its own lighting system. This enhances the appearance of merchandise and creates a better atmosphere for your visitors. Use your shop windows to draw customers in and make your displays beautiful, so it will make them stay and look around.

When you’re building a display, start with the products you want to sell the most and then layer in some more general merchandise, make sure it looks pleasing to the eye, you can sort products by colour or create focal points with shapes such as pyramids, check out our Tower Display Stand for some inspiration . However, it is important to remember the products are not too close together and seem busy.

4. Work with the Right Vendors

Once you have developed your brand design or the concept you want your souvenirs to have, you can work together with BrandArt to create branded displays towers, to showcase your branded souvenirs. Not only do we sell quality, long lasting displays, and high quality branded merchandise but we also provide these all with quick turnaround times.

Be mindful of the retail price you need to charge to make a profit. If you’re not sure what to charge, you can always communicate with your suppliers, who will often guide you on the recommended retail price.

5. Go Beyond Your Shop’s Financial Value

An attraction site shop’s primary aim is to make money, but it shouldn’t be its only aim. Instead of being just a store, it should focus on its service function, giving the customers the best experience rather than simply shopping. To achieve this, ensure the products you offer are useful and interesting.

Your souvenir shop has the potential to enhance the attraction site visitor’s experience by providing the opportunity to take something real away with them. A visit to an attraction site can last only a few hours, but we can help to create products that give lasting memories of a great day out. Which will make the customers want to come back. Therefore, the shop should be able to curate an experience for its customers in order to develop a relationship with its visitors.

Ensure a Great Experience

Ultimately, the best way to make money from your shop is by creating a fulfilling experience for visitors. To do this, your shop should be functional, valuable to visitors, laid out to ensure people spend more time in the shop, and provide great customer service.

The most successful souvenir shops combine user experience with commerce while offering a wide range of souvenirs for their targeted customers.

If you’re looking for branded souvenirs, BrandArt has what you need! We offer a wide range of selections such as bags, keyrings, and apparel, all made with quality for affordable prices. Simply go to our website and take your pick!

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