Feed Store Display: Updated w/ pics!

[JBCool]

Ok, Cothers, help me out. I work in the Ag/Feed department of an Ag/Hardware store and we are looking at remodeling a bit and changing how we display our feeds. We currently have (essentially) a “show room” type display with stacks of a handful of each feed inside the store and the bulk of inventory feed stored in the warehouse. Part of that display we know is going to have to move, so re-thinking how we do that. I have an idea in my head that would be very different, but wanted to run it by you guys:

Imagine kiosks or stations for each species. Rather than have stacks of feeds, store most feed in the warehouse except for those I only stock a handful of anyway. Display “posters” of each bag with nutritional info of each either in a binder or something like the way posters are sold. Include “what should I feed x pony?” or “what nutrition does my cow & calf need?” scenarios in the book.

What do you guys think? What do you like/not like in a feed store display at your store? Thanks!

[hoopoe]

I think that is good idea. I would also wonder if you can add a small jar of the actual feed so people can see the texture and pellet size etc. Or a photo with something that allows people to relate to the size of grain.

Staff needs to keep their eye on the display area, be available quickly. A page bell or light might be a good addition where someone can request their items from the warehouse and have a chit to take to the register rather than waiting in line at the register, then waiting for the delivery to truck or car. I always felt ignored and had to seek. That could simply be a store management and expectation issue, however.

I always found the feed store daunting with so many choices.

When a new product is developed by a vendor, I would have a central and front, near door, introduction area. Dont let it just blend in to the usual display area where it might be overlooked.

[clanter]

can you spring for an interactive display to help Select a feed of the feeds in stock at that store? We often are looking a specific requirement of the feed, such as low sugar or whatever.

Looking at a handful of feed might be hear-warming but to me it does little regarding just what my horses’ need are.

Currently we will go to difference manufacturer’s sites to look but there is no assurance the feed store will stock that.

Our feed needs are ever changing as they age or are worked differently, nothing has remained a standard of give good old feed we always get.

[Scribbler]

At our local feed stores, there are no bags of feed on the shop floor. You order at the cash and pick up out back.

I would appreciate having the stats on ingredients and guaranteed nutrition posted in the store. As it stands you need to Google and even email the companies ahead of time to get that information.

Although now I have my feed routine sorted out, I’m not likely to try a new product casualty. I should add we only have two local mills though they make a range of products.

[JBCool]

@hoopoe A photo of the feed texture would be included in each feed’s page with the analysis, as well as scenarios for where is would be a good choice. We usually staff at least 2 people in the dept so there is almost always someone in the department/at the register unless we are loading the previous customer. Sometimes one person will run the register and the other(s) load. We also wear radios.

@clanter, the interactive idea sounds great but would be a pipe dream, I’m afraid. It may also be a bit out of a lot of customers’ comfort zone. My most common question here is, “What is the cheapest sweet feed you have?” without even telling me a species

[clanter]

@JBCool

My most common question here is, “What is the cheapest sweet feed you have?” without even telling me a species

well there then is room to up-sale then…if possible. Then there are those think Ol Leroy dog food is great.

Is there a respected trainer/barn owner manager around about that could be used as point of reference regarding using a higher quality feed does produce better results?

[JBCool]

Doing our best, clanter. We try to advise anytime someone wants more information, but we have a lot of old school farmers who just want what they got last time (and the time before that, and the time before that…)

[mommy_peanut]

@JBCool

Imagine kiosks or stations for each species. Rather than have stacks of feeds, store most feed in the warehouse except for those I only stock a handful of anyway. Display “posters” of each bag with nutritional info of each either in a binder or something like the way posters are sold. Include “what should I feed x pony?” or “what nutrition does my cow & calf need?” scenarios in the book.

Personally I really like this idea.
One of the pet stores I used to frequent had little binder books at each section of different brand of dog food.
Within each binder listed all available formulas, their ingredient list, nutrition values & a best suited for … type of dog/puppy.

They also color coded any new/recent changes to older formulas.

This was extremely useful when checking out new formulas or brands. I was able to quickly compare them to what I currently fed, without needing to google anything.

[soloudinhere]

our local feed store has a giant board with what they stock, and the price, sorted by species and sometimes sub categories eg all the ration balancers are listed together and all the extruded feeds are listed together. There’s a binder of sheets with the guaranteed nutritional info as well as brand info and sometimes helpful notes about whether something is easy or hard to get and when the regular shipment is.

[EmilyM]

I was going to comment that easily found nutritional info would be the most important part to me as a consumer. You could also categorize by type of feed rather than brand. For example : easy keeper who mostly eats hay/ performance horse in heavy work/race horse feed / metabolically challenged horse feed, etc depending on your market and who is in it. I think that helps orient people to what nutritional need their horses have.

[wsmoak]

I’m picturing the large racks that hold carpets in the home improvement store. They move kind of like turning pages in a book. Like this:

If you mounted posters (or the front/back of the actual bag) then people could ‘page’ through them. Binders are okay… but the writing will be too small. Seeing the life size bag seems better somehow.

Right now if I want to see the back of the bag at my feed store I have to flip it over.

You can include advertising posters and nutrition advice in among the bag ‘pages’, whatever you want to promote.

[JBCool]

That is very close to what I would love to do if I can find room and/or a way to do it.

[Bluey]

Some feed stores here have labeled glass containers with samples of the products they sell lined up on a high counter/small bookcase by the cash register and also a large board with kinds and prices.
It is easy for the clerks to point to what each is and show directly what it looks like.
They change those as their supplies do.

[2DogsFarm]

@wsmoak

Right now if I want to see the back of the bag at my feed store I have to flip it over.

Yup, me too @ TSC, local feedstore has everything in back & will gladly discuss feeds & bring me a bag to read the label info.
I’d love to have a Large Print - I’m Old - poster to read before I decide.

[trubandloki]

I like the idea of having a way to read about your various options with out having to ask an employee. I don’t think the feed bag has to be full sized, but just a readable version that is a good representation with all the facts. I love the carpet example above.

[Spudsmyguy]

One of the feed stores near me has product cards that you take to the register and then pick up out back. The cards are individual for each type of feed and separated into species and types. However, there is no nutritional info which should be printed on the back of the card (IMO); all it has is a picture of the front of the bag, that’s it. If I want to know the ingredients, I’d have to go out to the warehouse and flip over bags. But, they don’t allow customers in the warehouse so I would need to look them up online to find out the nutritional info. I don’t shop there very often.

[ParadoxFarm]

The carpet example is great – similar to the posters display OP mentioned. I think you could actually use an empty bag of the feed, too, instead of a poster. Maybe even ask manufacturers for a clean bag. If you want to add a sample, it can be as simple as attaching a small Ziplock bag with a small amount of feed in it to the sample bag. One feed store I used to go to had a lot of wall space, so they did post their feed bags up on the wall. I think a binder will be maybe too small and only one person could look at it at a time, etc. And you wouldn’t be able to fit samples into the binder.

[candyappy]

@wsmoak

Right now if I want to see the back of the bag at my feed store I have to flip it over.

That is what I do and I actually prefer to see what the manufacturer of the feed has to say( and see the bag) over something the store would have out and no feed available to see. The info sheets in addition to having the feed on floor is my preference.

[HenryisBlaisin]

IME (I’m the feed point and equine consultant at my store)…even when we have sales sheets with all the nutritional info on them, people want to see the actual bag–we keep most of our feed on the floor, and if something isn’t out, they usually want to see the bag before buying. The binders and signs are a good idea, but the vast majority of customers don’t take time to read any signs we have, so my guess is they will either ask to see the bag or ask q million questions (or both) anyway because they don’t want to be bothered with reading something else. Personally, I do want to look at the bag…not an empty one, but one with the feed inside.
What I do is have a featured product or two every month and have an eye-catching, in-depth display to highlight those products, usually with literature the customer can take (we make our own brochures that answer the main questions customers have, like senior horse feeds, chicken care etc. as well as the feed spec sheets). I just did one with fat supplements for horses, next up is cattle minerals, after that I’ll do another species, probably chickens, as we will have chicks coming in. We put together sample bags of any new or featured products, so the customer can look at it, touch it and see if their animals like it. We also create videos for our social media that go along with the display.
All of our employees are encouraged to do additional online feed training, so there’s always a knowledgeable staff member on hand and that’s what we get complimented on the most.

[Bluey]

@HenryisBlaisin

IME (I’m the feed point and equine consultant at my store)…even when we have sales sheets with all the nutritional info on them, people want to see the actual bag–we keep most of our feed on the floor, and if something isn’t out, they usually want to see the bag before buying. The binders and signs are a good idea, but the vast majority of customers don’t take time to read any signs we have, so my guess is they will either ask to see the bag or ask q million questions (or both) anyway because they don’t want to be bothered with reading something else. Personally, I do want to look at the bag…not an empty one, but one with the feed inside.
What I do is have a featured product or two every month and have an eye-catching, in-depth display to highlight those products, usually with literature the customer can take (we make our own brochures that answer the main questions customers have, like senior horse feeds, chicken care etc. as well as the feed spec sheets). I just did one with fat supplements for horses, next up is cattle minerals, after that I’ll do another species, probably chickens, as we will have chicks coming in. We put together sample bags of any new or featured products, so the customer can look at it, touch it and see if their animals like it. We also create videos for our social media that go along with the display.
All of our employees are encouraged to do additional online feed training, so there’s always a knowledgeable staff member on hand and that’s what we get complimented on the most.

Knowledgeable employees is nice.
Once I bought some items along with horse feed, one a hoof pick.

The lady at the register looked at it, turned it this and that way, I was thinking she is looking for a price, finally she said, “I can’t look it up, don’t know what this is!”
I said look for hoof pick, she did and found it and still didn’t know why and how you would use such on a horse.