FILM, CAMERAS GET EXPOSURE AT RANDALL'S

JOEL ELSON

HOUSTON -- Randall's Food Markets is maximizing its film and camera impulse purchases with a dedicated 3-D end cap, and by cross merchandising products in appropriate grocery and other sections of the store. The chain began testing the program designed to increase impulse sales of photo/film this spring. In August, it expanded the merchandising to other stores. Randall's plans to institute it chainwide at 75 stores by the end of this year, said Dorothy Jones, buyer and merchandiser of video, film and service center. At a high-traffic, front-end area, a grocery gondola end cap contains single rolls of film, multipacks with two and three rolls and clip strips of four different single-use cameras.

The end cap is set up at a front grocery aisle that faces the service center and is adjacent to the pharmacy for maximum exposure. Randall's decided to devote an end cap to film because of "the exposure you get at the beginning of a grocery aisle. We wanted to sell more film and pick up a lot of impulse sales we'd miss if it wasn't there for customers to see. The more film you sell, the more film processing you'll do," Jones added. The items also are cross merchandised at bottled water and sun screen displays, to remind shoppers to photograph outdoor activities; near floral areas and greeting cards and party supplies, for social and special occasions; at children's book sections and at the pharmacy. The prominent placements have triggered higher than planned film and camera purchases for the chain.

"Merchandising film and disposable cameras at a front grocery gondola end cap puts the products right out into the traffic mainstream where it almost jumps at customers," said Jones.

Randall's tested the merchandising concept at stores with one-hour film processing to measure shopper response. "We wanted to see how they did before we moved the program into our other stores. It has done very good," said Jones. "The 3-D end caps have been very successful in picking up a lot of impulse sales for us, especially with people who don't think about buying film. (These displays) give them a great reminder." Jones said the greater exposure of photo/film should help fourth-quarter sales. "During the fourth quarter, a huge chunk of film sales are done on Christmas Eve when everybody waits [to the last minute] to buy their film." Prior to setting up the dedicated film end caps "the only film we had out in the general selling area of stores and away from the service centers were shippers of film and rolls clip stripped at the checkouts. But after we installed the film end cap at the first few test stores, we heard comments from customers that revealed to us that they didn't know Randall's had film," she noted. The end caps are planogramed "with the film needs and cameras that most of our customers want, based on sales and movement reports of the best-selling models at our stores and in the Houston market," added Jones. Four single-use camera models are offered at the end cap and on secondary tie-in displays: Fun Saver with flash, retailed at $12.99; Fun Saver without flash, $7.99; a panoramic camera, $10.99, and an all-weather waterproof model at $12.99. Setting up the 3-D end caps is part of Randall's strong "commitment to film and single use cameras that we've really increased in the past year or so. We also increased our film and photo processing advertising weekly, which raised customer awareness."