Shop Talk
Over the last few months, I’ve been hinting at changes that are afoot at Tickled, and next month all will become clear. Suffice to say that the last few weeks have been spent running down supplies of old stock in preparation for the imminent change. The staff has been briefed on the new direction, stock rooms have been emptied, shelves have been re-jigged and cupboards have been cleared. As such, cries of, “Where should I put the giant dildo?” and “Shall I take these knickers down?” have been all too common - double entendres being one of the hazards of the job.
A LOVELY FRONTAGE
As I type, the shop frontage is being painted - the first step towards our new look. Gaining footfall is an essential part of retail, particularly in a recession, and the shop front really is the ultimate window of opportunity. Research has shown that it takes eight seconds to walk past a typical shop front - and once someone is two seconds past the door, they won’t turn round. This means you have to get their attention in the first four seconds - and if your shop front looks grubby or has peeling paint, people will walk on by. While our window was far from tatty, freshening it up with a new coat of paint has given instant impact, showing passers by that change is on the cards.
Adding more fake flowers to the windows has increased the impact of our visual display as people approach the store, and perfectly complements the plants we have flanking the door. And now that summer’s here, the doors are resolutely open. Having an open and welcoming entrance is essential if you want to attract maximum football. (See what I mean about double entendres? But an open door attracts 35% more customers than a closed one so it really is important.)
Now that the tourist season is in full flow, we’ve removed the more graphic items from the window display (super-sized cocks are fine for shock value and attention-grabbing in the off-season but we don’t want to scare the romantic weekenders away) and replaced them with more elegant toys along with a scattering of rose petals. Big Teaze is a great brand for this audience: the Paris Gold I Rub My Duckie and Kokeshi Dancer are both in the Tickled window at the moment. These are great for couples who are new to
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And now for something completely different
As the summer season kicks into gear in Brighton, Emily Dubberley explains how Tickled is preparing itself to step up a gear and into a whole new domain...
toys. No, they’re not squeals of orgasmic bliss - we’re not that open- minded - but people seem genuinely shocked when they turn a toy on and it starts buzzing. I’m not quite sure what they’re expecting but it never fails to amuse when someone turns on one of the more potent remote- controlled toys when it’s still on its display stand only to watch it shoot across the table.
Who knows, we may yet have a
vibrator-racing night (my money’s on the Grrl Toyz Sea Foam).
HOME SWEET HOME
As part of the new direction, we’ve been flicking through magazines and websites to find the perfect furniture for the new-look store, and from the sighs some of the images have elicited, it’d definitely be fair to dub these
toys - particularly if one partner is reticent to use vibrators at the more phallic end of the market (a very common occurrence). They sit beautifully alongside Lelo (still our number one designer brand), Fun Factory (the Delight has been described as a seahorse more times than I can remember - people like its unusual non-phallic design) and the ever-elegant Icicles glass dildo range. And we have even more classy delights to put in the window coming soon.
THE TWO SECOND RULE
But revenue-building is about more than just the window display. Within two seconds of stepping into a store, 70% of people know whether they’re going to spend any money. That’s where a ‘front and centre’ table comes in so useful. Whether it’s used for testers or key products is entirely up to you - as long as you keep checking your sales data to ensure that your chosen strategy is effective, of course. At the moment, we’ve got a central toy testing table which makes it easy for people to compare and contrast the power and speed of the various toys. The Micro-Heated Bullet always tends to elicit gasps of surprise: for a tiny bullet it packs serious punch. We’ve nicknamed it ‘the drunkard’s friend’ because it’ll do the job no matter how numbed you are by drink. Unsurprisingly, this sales line proves rather popular with hens...
One of the biggest surprises of the toy testing table is the squeals it elicits when people start testing the
magazines ‘design porn’ (without a penis or pair of boobs in sight). OK, so we’d have to sell bodily organs to be able to afford some of it, but it’s amazing what can be done with intelligent upcycling and a bit of creative talent - something Brighton is thankfully replete with. Combining statement pieces with practical storage and hanging space requires a careful balance but we’re drawing closer to our dream store by the day. And it’s not just interior magazines that have been making us excited. We’re currently updating our gift selection, and have been researching the latest naughty novelties. The Dirty Dishes founder came into the shop and presented us with one of his plates decorated with 1980s porn images (
http://dirtydish.es/) and we’ve also been perusing erotic art and boudoir accessories. If you’ve got any classy home furnishings (and gifts in general), do get in touch as we’re currently looking to extend our range.
From design to promotions, product range to shelf shouters, everything is getting closer to completion. Just wait until next month when all will be revealed...
Next Month: Out with the old and in with the new...
Tickled Boutique is based at 59 Ship Street, The Lanes, Brighton. If you are interested in promoting your brand through the store, have an exciting new erotic product you’re looking to launch or simply want to find out more, call 01273 777822. For more information see
http://www.tickledonline.co.uk
Erotic Trade Only June 2012
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