How to Sell More Umbrellas in Your Retail Space
For many retailers, umbrellas are treated as a product customers either need or don’t. When it starts raining, people buy an umbrella. The weather certainly plays a part, but our experience suggests that where and how umbrellas are presented can make a significant difference to sales.
The key is to treat umbrellas as a product that responds to customer behaviour, rather than leaving them in the same place year-round.
Make the weather work for you
One of the simplest opportunities is also one of the easiest to overlook: when rain is forecast, take your umbrellas.
If umbrellas are normally displayed halfway around the shop or towards the back, bring them closer to the entrance, till, or another high-footfall area when bad weather arrives.
That’s also why we make our umbrella displays portable. Our retail units come on wheels, while hanging display ‘ladder clip strips’ provide a lightweight alternative, allowing retailers to quickly move umbrellas to the entrance, till or other high-foot-traffic areas when the rain arrives.
Customers caught in the rain often make an immediate purchasing decision. Making umbrellas prominent at the exact moment they need one removes the need to search and turns the weather into a merchandising opportunity.
For convenience stores, pharmacies, petrol stations and other retailers without space for a full umbrella stand, clip strips and smaller displays near the till can make umbrellas an effective impulse purchase.
Make use of spaces where a full display won’t fit
Not every location needs a full umbrella stand. At Autumn Fair, retailers were particularly interested in our hanging clip-strip displays because they provide a simple way to introduce umbrellas without taking up valuable floor space.
Each strip holds 12 individually packed compact umbrellas and can be positioned beside a till, on a wall or alongside another product display. Customers simply take an umbrella from the strip and bring it to the checkout.
They’re also useful in larger stores with several till points. Rather than positioning a full umbrella stand at every checkout, smaller hanging displays can put umbrellas in several high-footfall locations around the store.
That makes them particularly useful for convenience stores, gift shops, pharmacies, garden centres and other retailers where space is at a premium.
Stock for your type of customer
Not every retailer needs the same range.
In a convenience or high-footfall environment, customers may simply want an affordable umbrella to get them through a downpour. Accessible, entry-level folding umbrellas can therefore be important.
An independent fashion, gift or department store may have greater opportunity to offer distinctive colours, patterns and premium products alongside essentials.
There is a balance to strike. Interesting designs and unusual features can attract attention, but traditional colours and dependable core styles often provide the volume. From our experience working with retailers, a starting point of around 60% core styles and 40% more distinctive designs can be a useful way to think about the range, although every customer base is different. Check out our Autumn range buyers guide blog for ideas on types of umbrellas to stock.
Give customers a reason to trade up
Price differences are easier to understand when customers can see what they are paying for.
A larger canopy, automatic opening, wind-resistant construction, a double canopy, or more advanced frame materials can all give reasons to choose one umbrella over another.
This is where the display and staff knowledge can help. Instead of presenting several umbrellas that only differ in price, highlight their features and the situations they’re designed for.
A golfer, for example, may value greater coverage and a robust frame. A commuter may prefer something compact enough to fit in a work bag. Someone caught unexpectedly in the rain may prioritise convenience and price.
Quick tip
When rain is forecast, move your umbrellas to where your customers can’t miss them.
Make umbrellas easy to buy
Ultimately, selling more umbrellas doesn’t necessarily require stocking hundreds of different designs. It means having the right mix of products, in the right place, at the right time.
Watch the forecast. Move stock into prominent positions when rain is expected. Match the range to the customers who use your shop, and make the differences between products easy to understand. Sometimes the simplest retail decision — moving the umbrellas to the front of the shop when it starts to rain — can be the most effective.
Looking to develop your umbrella range for Autumn? X-Brella works with retailers to build ranges around their customers, available space and price points. Trade customers can explore our wholesale umbrella range or contact us for help choosing the right starting stock.
The best umbrella isn’t necessarily the most expensive. It’s the one that suits how and where you’ll use it.
FAQ
Aim for a balanced range that reflects your customers. Core colours and practical folding umbrellas can provide dependable volume, while colourful designs, walking umbrellas, domes and larger styles add choice and help attract attention.
Visibility is particularly important when it’s raining. Entrances, tills and other high-footfall areas can turn umbrellas into an immediate or impulse purchase. Wheeled retail units and portable hanging displays make it easier to reposition stock as demand changes.
Act before the rain arrives. Check the forecast, make sure popular lines are stocked and move your display somewhere prominent. Clearly showing different price points and useful features such as compact size, automatic opening or wind resistance can also help customers choose quickly.
