Product Presentation

How do I determine which products to buy?

•  The first consideration, when placing your orders, is always remember you have to picture the place in your store where it will be displayed. If the products are not openly visible, they will not sell. Merchandise with the highest turnover must be allotted the greatest amount of space.

•  It is also important to note what your competition is carrying so your merchandise selection will be different.

Birthday tableware, in particular, is usually the #1 selling merchandise in a party store. You do need to stock the "hottest" licenses and display the party goods. Make sure you stock -- and place on the same shelf -- the solid colored tableware that goes with the patterns in case you run low, buyers can mix and match. General patterns for older children, 10 through 14, are very important to carry.

•  Sports and rock n' roll patterns can, in many instances, appeal to both sexes.

•  Age related merchandise – 20,30, 40, 50 - is always very popular for adults.

•  Don't forget some add-on products that you might not have considered such as mugs and t-shirts to complement the paper merchandise.

Multiple sizes of plastic cups including coffee mugs (order by the case); two sizes of plastic plates; variety of colors of plastic tableware, including white; variety of doilies; candles in assorted sizes and colors; invitations that may not match specific patterns but can be used for many different types of parties; basic crepe papers and honeycomb decorations, and a large selection of latex and foil balloons.

How can windows work most effectively for a store?

•  Windows act as the first impression of your store. People will probably walk in and ask specifically for whichever products are displayed in the window. So the key is to keep your windows fresh and continually changing in order to sell more product, and in particular product which can be difficult to display in the store.

•  Windows are a statement of how you merchandise your store.

•  Use your windows to tell what's going on inside the store. Feature your sales, special events and seasonal and licensed themes. You can also keep part of your window space with the same theme, but change the merchandise.

•  Use props which are more durable than the actual paper products but on which the paper products will be accented. Some examples are lattice, flower pots, picnic table, bulletin boards, seasonal lights, etc. An effective display will bring one-dimensional merchandise such as paper plates and greeting cards to life.

•  Keep your windows clean and the merchandise fresh. Paper merchandise has a tendency to fade, and you can replace a few items without redoing an entire window.

•  Your windows should not have a cluttered or "stuffed" look. The idea is not to put a sample of every piece of stationery that can possibly fit but rather a selection, which entices the customer to come in and ask for more.

•  Finally, keep in mind that you can continue your window theme on your front door whether it is a sign for a sale or a special promotion. At the very least, you should have a sign, which says, "Welcome" or "Please Come In” and on the other side of the door, you should have some type of a "Thank you" sign.

Do not overdo the signage on the door because customers many times take a look through the door to get an idea of what the store is like.