ADHESIVES & SEALANTS


CUTTING THROUGH THE CONFUSION


Gorilla Glue managing director Simon Damp voices his frustration about


added confusion in the market: “New technologies are coming out, such as MS-polymers but they are starting to come down in quality. Companies are seeing that MS-Polymers are the future for the market. Products like No More Nails are still doing well – that’s the industry – but people are still jumping on the polymer bandwagon and there are now lots of SKUs but it just doesn’t work. “It’s watering down the offer and leaving consumers asking the question: ‘why would I want that one over that one?’. Manufacturers are making decisions that don’t necessarily have the customers at the heart. It’s


creating a


smokescreen in the category. It’s really not helpful, as our category is already one of the most complex and confusing in the industry.”


Getting your offer and display right • Offer good, better, best Gorilla Glue’s Simon Damp: “Even if you’re an independent you should still have a good, better, best offer. There is no point in offering an SKU that is identical to others. Give customers the opportunity to choose either by colour or brand.”


• Group together by product type and DIY task, not by brand Gorilla


Glue’s Simon Damp:


“It’s confusing for the consumer – there’s wood glue, all-purpose glue, multi-purpose glue, etc – and then the retailers are still displaying products by brand. They don’t understand how to put it out on sale.”


Henkel’s Paul Bagnall: “Colour code the shelves by type of product, such as sanitary sealant, those for outdoor use, different types of adhesive, etc. That way they can look horizontally by product type, then vertical to see how much they want to pay. Make the shopping journey easier for consumers making planned purchases.” (see before and after pictures from Hand it Over to Henkel below and right)


• Education and service are key to trading customers up


Gorilla Glue’s Simon Damp: “You don’t want to your customer to stand at the fixture confused. If they’re there for more than a minute,


they are going to walk away and you lose the sale. That’s when an independent walks up and asks ‘can I help you?’ and gives the customer the advice and support they need. Education is key. The minute you give them that help, it makes all the difference.” Botsik’s Mathew Whitehouse: “Retailers who have the knowledge win on service. They are there helping people to decide what purchase to make. They are in a unique position to trade a customer up.”


The point of pricing


Bostik’s Mathew Whitehouse: “People are becoming infatuated with driving price down, thinking it will make people do more DIY. That’s not right. Yes, you need to have value but it is also about your offer, supported by training and knowledge. Simplicity is key – you need that ‘good, better, best’ price level for people to understand and


be able to shop it more easily.” Henkel’s Paul Bagnall: “Retailers think they have to sell cheap but they don’t realise they are in the perfect position to sell premium products.”


Gorilla Glue’s Simon Damp: “If someone has made the decision to fix something, then it has value to them –


either monetary or


sentimental. If they’re doing that, then they don’t want the cheapest product. They want it to work and, as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. If a consumer buys by brand or reputation and it doesn’t work, they will think ‘I must have brought the wrong product’ and they have immediately switched themselves off that brand and potentially off tackling another DIY task.”


“For smaller retailers who don’t have as much space to play with, clip strips can be great and countertop location is perfect to boost those impulse purchases. Promote items at the checkout.” He adds: “With the Hand it Over to Henkel project, we got staff at Kennedy’s Mica Hardware to ask each customer, when they came to pay, if they needed any superglue. They offered a promotional tube of Loctite for £3.99 and the take- up was great. Not everyone said yes but some did and they sold an extra 18 units in the first fortnight, when previously they were selling just one tube a week.


“Countertop positions work well for things like superglue, batteries, grout pens and other easy pick-up


“Retailers think they have to sell cheap but they don’t realise they are in the perfect position to sell premium products”


Increased visibility = increased sales


Manage the category in store and group by product type to make it easier to shop www.diyweek.net


Henkel’s Paul Bagnall: “Secondary sitings increases the visibility of products and help drive associated sales. Put wood glue in the timber aisle; tiling adhesive and grout in the tiling department; masking tape and wallpaper adhesive in the paint section; glue sticks, tape and glue dots in craft; and even anti-mould sanitary sealant in with bathroom products. You can capture that extra footfall by having the product sited in a secondary location.


lines. Something new and exciting will always be of interest. ”


Why category management is key Henkel’s Paul Bagnall: “DIY is not dead, there’s a lot of opportunity for


rally. Category management is the single biggest method for retailers to grow.


“Our category can be a minefield for consumers. Every manufacturer says their products are fast, strong, powerful – even Henkel is guilty of it – so the poor shopper hasn’t got a clue. Retailers need to help them through the process.”


31 MARCH 2017 DIY WEEK 13


retailers, they just need to


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