Trend Routing Centres – a Bit of TRC
Report by Peter Brett Have you ever wandered into an “authorized stockist” to be met with bewilderment from the counter staff when you ask for something from the “authorized stocklist”? Unfortunately changes happen for a variety of reasons but Trend’s new Trend Routing Centres are a fantastic effort to ensure that we, the consumers, get as good a deal as possible when we go in to our local, Trend- stocking, independent tool shop. The 100 new Trend Routing Centres are designed so that end-
users can see and buy a wide range of Trend products as well as ensuring that the dealers themselves can benefit – Trend’s research has shown the more their dealers stock, the more they sell. A win- win situation. So what will a Trend Routing Centre look like? The truth is that
it will vary according to the size, location and customer base of the retailer. Trend offers three levels of service –Bronze, Silver and Gold. In store, customers will see a well presented and standardized Trend display that reflects the quality and breadth of Trend products. Outside, there may also be a prominent Trend sign.
Trend has made a huge effort to ensure that point of sale,
packaging and displays are prominent and attractive for end-users and retailers. New retail displays are in a smart black with improved product display options, so that the widest range of products can be on show as well as being easy to restock and access. The use of magnetic headers and signs means that changes to stock for any reason can be done neatly and with minimum effort so that there is no excuse for inaccurate or untidy displays. Security for some items of stock, like router cutters that have a
high value, is another issue that Trend has made possible. A range of lockable cabinets of different sizes and new sliding glass doors for their toolbars, ensures that the widest possible range of stock can be available and checking stock levels will be very easy. A dedicated in-house team of graphic artists at Trend HQ in
Watford is busy redesigning all the Trend packaging to ensure that the branding is clear, product descriptions are accurate and product benefits are clearly explained. In time, whether a retailer chooses a 2 metre toolbar with 120 top selling products or a massive 5 metre toolbar with 370 popular lines,
the retailer and customer are going to benefit from a very professional and informative product offer presented in a very attractive way. The tool trade sceptics and grumpy
consumers will by now have started grumbling about how Trend is proposing to deal with the increasing use of the internet to buy things. Trend however, has a very positive answer. The company has its own website selling its products direct, but it is putting the power of this website directly to the advantage of Trend Routing Centres. Customers searching the Trend website will be directed to their nearest TRC.
The information given will indicate what range of stock is available, an indication of Trend promotions and a map. An indication of how successful this can be for individual retailers is that last year over 34,000
sales leads were given to dealers via web, email or telephone. Trend also indicates “hits”, and searches for dealers on Trendnet, their dealer web-site, so that they can use the statistics to improve future performance. TRCs can also benefit from the deal that Trend has with them in which Trend pays commissions to the TRCs from sales made via the Trend website. This means that no TRC will miss out from Trend web sales – the commission goes to the nearest TRC to the customer’s postcode. Another important commitment
from Trend to TRC’s is that company representatives will make regular scheduled visits. Depending on whether the TRC is a Gold, Silver or
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