Why collaborations work

TGI Golf’s retail consultant for north England, Chris Taylor, talks about a recent trip to the Visual Merchandising & Display Show, in which the group’s retail team learned, from Harrods’ head of visual merchandising, that collaborations are beneficial to retailers just as much as they are to musicians.

Every year the great and the good in retailing descend upon London to visit the Visual Merchandising & Display Show – and that includes the TGI Golf retail consultants.

In early April the team visited the show where a collection of exhibitors and speakers highlighted everything that’s happening in the retail sector, from new products and trends and point of sale displays.

Making our way around the exhibition halls and looking at the latest trends is a great exercise for us as a team as it not only gives us some great new ideas, but also confirms that what many of our partners are doing in store, and what we’re helping them to do is current and relevant – which in the world of retail is essential.

One of the guest speakers was Simon Hampton, the head of visual merchandising at Harrods, and his seminar struck us all as he was discussing how Harrods work with elite brands to create themes for visual merchandising. These are known as collaborations or ‘collabs’ as the kids would say.

Harrods

Now when I saw the title of the seminar I thought ‘collabs’ were a trend among musicians as I’ve only really come across them on Spotify (other streaming services are available). However, it seems everyone is collaborating (or collabing if you’re trendy / on point / whatever other fancy phrase those pesky kids have nowadays).

It got me thinking, if it’s good enough for Harrods, then it’s good enough for TGI Golf partners and golf retailers … right?

Now I know what you’re thinking. How can something Harrods spend millions on and spend months planning, benefit the green grass golf pro? Well, on first listening to Simon, I admit, I thought the exact same thing. But having reflected on everything he talked about I saw some huge takeaways and lessons we can learn from the world’s biggest department store.

Here’s the thing, they use these collaborations to drive footfall and interest in featured products – yes you read that right, Harrods feel the need to drive footfall like the rest of us. They actually focused a lot of attention on this key area of retail business during the seminar, and entered into these partnerships with brands, Simon used the case study of Dior, to create a feature that not only informs and inspires, but attracts attention.

How can we utilise collaborations?

Well, it may surprise you to know that you already do! For example, all on course golf retailers are hosting demo / fitting days where there’s generally just one brand that you’re focusing on for that event. Or you may have a new brand in store for the year ahead, so you work on a new display or ahead of product launches where brands work with you to tease new products. However, it always seems like that’s where it stops.

My thoughts drifted back to the seminar where Simon told us how they run these collaborations for an extended period of time. It’s not just a day thing for them, it’s weeks, maybe even months, so why not take that principle to your business?

When running a fitting day, for example with Titleist, then incorporate it into a ‘Titleist Week’ where you could perhaps run competitions in store, maybe a special offer or two on Titleist multi-buys.

PING-themed email marketing focusing on all the Titleist products you have available. Social media posts that revolve around the brand, with tagged posts and hashtags relating to Titleist. Ad hoc putter and wedge demos, ball fitting special offers – if you talk to the brand’s ASM then they’ll be more than happy to help with products, ideas, offers and marketing assets.

Create a buzz around your store and think outside the box to bring something different, something that creates high levels of interest around the club and the area.

Remember, collabs are not just for musicians or Harrods – these principles can be used in your business to drive footfall and interest.

Chris Taylor

It’s all about the collab baby!

Chris is part of a team of four regional retail consultants at TGI Golf who visit golf retailers in store offering free advice on how to run a successful and profitable retail business. On a daily basis they cover everything from merchandising and stock control to marketing and staff training.

To find out more about how TGI Golf can assist your retail outlet visit tgigolf.com