exceedingly well, with the most current sitting on the ground fl oor of the museum encompassing the ticket and information desk. The store also acts as a holding area for people awaiting their admission which must be done by guided tour at different times throughout the hour. It doesn’t hurt to have 50+ linear feet of huge window frontage on the corner of Orchard and Delancey Street in New York City. Both Silver and Rime says strong tourism numbers are keeping attendance and sales strong.
Social media sells? Museum stores are reaching out and staying connected with their existing (and potential) client base through social media. The most successful museum stores provide value, information or entertainment, and don’t just pound customers with sales offers. This can be a challenge when the museum store has a social media account separate from the main museum. Pineau uses Facebook to reach more than 12,000 followers, a huge number. The store used a Facebook ad campaign to attract followers— Marines
and Marine family members and
supporters. The greater challenge has been for the store to convert these same followers into buyers. Facebook or other social media outlets don’t seem to have a measurable effect on sales. But it is still an important part of museum stores’ marketing strategy to keep people connected, and hopefully interested in store offerings.
It seems as if like most other gift shops, museum stores
are incorporating newer methods of doing retail to stay ahead of the competition. The fact that they can piggyback on their host institution’s (usually robust) websites, helps. With wrinkles ironed out, this institution remains as strong and relevant as ever.
Geoffrey Walsky is a museum and specialty store consultant, specializing in retail management, product sourcing and selection, and retail e-commerce.
Article Resources Jody Zeppelin
Director of Retail and E-Commerce International Spy Museum Washington D.C.
spymuseum.org
Andy Pineau Retail Director
National Museum of the Marine Corps
Triangle, VA
marineheritage.org GiftShopMag.com Winter 2013 n GIFT SHOP 49
Helene Silver Retail Director
Tenement Museum New York NY
tenement.org
Rich Rime Director of Sales
Seattle Museum of Flight Seattle WA museumoffl
ight.org
T E N EME N T MU S E UM
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