RANGE REVIEW: ADHESIVES & SEALANTS


ONLINE POLL RESULTS What’s driving growth in the adhesives & sealants category for you?


Convenience-led products: 21% Added-value products, eg. anti-mould, stain resistant: 28% New developments in adhesive tapes: 35% Category staples, including superglue and sanitary sealant: 7% Products for remedial DIY projects: 9%


signage and clear shelf layout or on-line positioning is critical.” To do this, position clear signage above the fixture or on top of the racking to show where sealants and adhesives are in your store. “It should be simple but it also needs to make a statement,” explains Paul. Then look at how you present your offer on shelf. “There needs to be a block of product,” says Paul. “Don’t mix it in with other things and don’t put them out randomly. The category should be given its own space and, if there is room, use POS material to provide extra information to customers. You can even use sticky-backed plastic to change the background colours of the fixture to help you group certain lines together, such as sanitary sealant or grab adhesives. “You need that clear separation between different types of sealant to help guide the customers so they know what application each product is for. For example, you could use blue for sanitary, black for specialist or green for outdoor use.” Organising products according to ‘good, better, best’ price points, with more premium products at eye level, is also a failsafe strategy, according to both Gorilla Glue and Henkel. “If a customer wants a cheap product, make them stoop down to get it,” says Paul. “Of course, if you have a different rationale that you apply in


“Shoppers need to be able to find the appropri- ate section in store or online. Then they need to find the right product for their task, so signage and clear shelf layout or on-line positioning is critical.”


Henkel Consumer Adhesives channel manager, Paul Bagnall


24 DIY WEEK 9 MARCH 2018


store, then fine but, if not, a good, better, best structure is a good safety net,” he explains.


Simon adds: “It’s also worth noting that consumers read left to right, so the higher up and more to the right something is, the better the position. You should read your shelf across from left to right and look at where you have placed things.”


Building your offer “If


there’s any phrase that has


resonance in bathroom products, its ‘anti-mould,” says Paul, who insists that particular value-added phrase is still of huge importance to consumers considering what bathroom sealant to buy. When it comes to creating your


offer, he advises the following formula. “At least half of a retailer’s sealant offer should be sanitary, a quarter should be outdoor – window and door sealant – and the rest should be specialist roof and gutter sealant. Looking at the latest data from GfK, the market reflects this split.”


Simon also advises retailers


to avoid adding to consumer’s confusion in store. He says: “It’s also important to keep the product range really tight. In America you will find that they number of SKUs is


reducing dramatically in this


category. The US manufacturers are actively streamlining the category themselves because they think it’s more beneficial.” With this in mind, a simply- displayed and concise range that is easy to shop will, in turn, drive incremental sales. Simon explains: “With a tighter


offer, you have more space for POS, meaning you can make every inch work a bit harder in store and educate customers about the products you are offering.”


Time your promotions right Paul suggests looking at what else is going on in the market to spot opportunities “If bathrooms and kitchens are being promoted in January sales, then sealants are a good add-on,” he says. “My advice is don’t spend money advertising DIY products at Easter because the weather and timing are


changeable. Advertise when TV and ad space is cheaper, like in February for example. If the weather is poor, then people will look to do DIY and it will pay off.”


He continues: “Another good time to promote this category is in September and October, and even up until halfway through November, which is a peak time for decorating. They are the two main peaks in the year and then you have a trough in the middle when people are on holiday.


Add-on opportunities Paul also suggests looking at potential add-on sales around the category, with products like sealant removal and smoothing tools an ideal extra sale. Looking


at the behaviour of


your customer and how they shop can also help guide you towards potential add-on sales. Whilst it may seem a simple question to ask a customer who is purchasing tiles if they need any grout or adhesive to go with it, don’t be disheartened if the answer is ‘no’ – they could still be back. “Some retailers are measured on their attachment rate, so if they sell 100 tins of paint, did they also sell 100 paint brushes? It’s the same with tiles and adhesives and grout,” Paul explains. “They are constantly striving to improve that rate because they are frightened that sale will go somewhere else. “We did a poll once and put people outside the store asking customers who had bought tiles, why they hadn’t purchased the adhesive and grout to go with it. The most common reason was that they had spent so long choosing the tiles that, now they had the right ones, all they wanted was to get out and go home. What we found was that they could actually go back up to three times to buy their ancillaries.” He adds: “If your customer is buying their adhesive that day, the chances are that they have probably already got their tiles – but it never hurts to ask.”


Know your products Engaging with the consumer always helps. It means you can pass on your knowledge.


And, if you feel you need to familiarise yourself better with your offer and have the time to do so, Paul advises retailers to “lay out your products from cheapest to most expensive and see if you can see the differences between them. What are the particular claims between each of the products and can I believe them? Typically a silicone is better


than an acrylic and you will note that they are more expensive.” You can then pass this knowledge on to your customers if you are asked for advice. “If you are able to and have time to speak to the customer, explain the difference between the price points,” says Paul. “You don’t want them to buy something that won’t work for the job they’re doing. Ask ‘are


you


a tradesman buying this for a job or is it for you? Are you a renter?’ That way you know if they are looking for a quick fix or if they will be willing to invest more in the end result. “A homeowner is likely to want to pay more. The end result for them might be a beautiful bathroom, for example,


so their investment in


a product will match the level of investment they have made their bathroom”


Simon adds: “Over the past few years, the technology behind glues has improved phenomenally. Gone are the days when people will think ‘will this work?’ and hope for the best. Your job is to make sure you educate the consumer and help them choose the right product for the job.”


TIPS TO TAKE AWAY


1. Draw attention to the section with clear signage


2. Have a sealant range for all seasons (50% sanitary, 25% window & door, 25% specialist)


3. Create a block of products on shelf – don’t mix in other lines


4. Group products by type and highlight the different applications clearly (colour code if possible)


5. Arrange products effectively with ‘good, better, best’ pricing structure


6. Consider add-on sales opportunities


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