Is Your Gun Store Black Friday Ready? While many industries are reeling from the effects of Covid-19, the firearms industry has been booming! The NSSF recently reported that since January of 2020, as many as 5 million people have become first-time gun owners. Some retailers are predicting that this year’s Black Friday sales could break the record for the number of NICS checks performed in a single day. Retail store owners know, a great holiday shopping experience can build positive momentum for the spring selling season. Will You Deliver An Amazing Black Friday Retail Experience? Research indicates that firearm enthusiasts enjoy shopping for guns at their local gun stores. Customers like to pick them up, feel the quality of the materials used, try the action, and get a sense of how it fits in their hand or on their shoulder. Consumers choose to shop retailers with great products and a great customer experience.  They are looking for a store that is well organized, staffed with experts, and has quick service.  Without a great shopping experience, consumers will go elsewhere or purchase online. Over the last ten years, Orchid has spent countless hours reviewing retail operations, and we have collected tips and tricks for keeping your store running smoothly during peak periods. Over the next few weeks, we will share some of our favorite ideas with our readers. The team at Orchid would like to help you maximize your selling season.  That is why we have already begun to research and prepare ways to help you stay ahead of the larger retail stores in your area. This week we will review how to prepare retail staff to deliver a fantastic customer experience. Step 1 – Prepare Your Retail Staff Ask yourself, “Why would someone want to come to my store versus shopping online this holiday season?” There are two common answers, the store, and the people working in the store.  An astounding 56 percent of people want to see and touch things before they buy them.  Getting your staff and your store ready for the busy holiday season will ensure that you build a loyal customer following. Building A Customer-Focused Experience Anthony Carlson, a former Senior Retail Associate at Impact Guns in Boise, Idaho, said, “In my experience firearm customers can generally be classified into one of two groups; experts or novices.” Sales associates should take a different approach with each customer type. It is important that they be properly trained to assist both.  Remember, both an expert and a novice represent a sale. How do you teach people to be fun, engaging, and understanding of the customers’ needs?  Role playing exercises are a great way to communicate new skills to trainees.  Look for natural “people” persons on the staff and consider using them to create quick, role-playing scenarios to demonstrate how to handle each customer type.  Rookie retail associates can build their confidence quickly when they have a mentor to show them the way.  Role-playing does not have to be a big production.  Once the ice is broken, quick role-playing can happen right on the retail floor.  Adding an incentive like time off or an extra employee discount can help motivate people to participate in the role-playing activities.  The Orchid Team would recommend reviewing the following scenarios with new staff members:

• This is my first gun; what should I buy?
• What’s the best new gun on the market? I have a bunch already.
• I am not happy with my purchase; I couldn’t shoot it very well.
• I am looking for a home protection gun. What would you recommend?

Product Training Besides coaching sales associates on how to interact with customers, the second most important thing for an employee to learn is the product they are selling.  Hundreds, if not thousands of products can be found on display at any given gun counter.  How do you train a new associate on all of them? Start with the most popular models in each category.  Most manufactures will offer free training on their products.  Before COVID, some firearm manufacturers would host local training events and invite retail associates in the area to attend.  Other manufacturers have fee-based, multi-day certification classes.  Online training is becoming more popular.  Online training comes in two forms, self-paced tutorials, and live events.  Orchid has some fantastic self-paced tutorials.  Check them out here.  Live events tend to be more engaging, resulting in associates retaining more of the information they have learned.  YouTube videos are another option, but a word of caution here, anyone can claim to be “expert” on the internet.  Look for someone with NRA training certifications or someone who worked in the military or police as a firearm instructor. Lastly, if your store has a range, give your sales associates some “trigger” time with the products they sell.  It’s hard to come across as genuine when the sales associate does not have firsthand experience with the products.  Retailers do not necessarily have to use a new gun for training.  Many manufacturers have a “range” program which would allow stores and ranges to purchase firearms at a steep discount, provided the firearm is used for rental/training purposes.  Generally, the firearm can be sold as “used” after a period.  If a manufacturer does not have a formal program, it’s worth reaching out to the sales team to see if they would consider discounting one for you.  Many manufacturer sales teams have discretionary dollars that they use for things like this. During the busy season, it’s hard to keep track of everyone’s training needs and progress.  Using a training log can help keep things organized.  If you don’t already have a training log, we have included a free template here.  Feel free to download and modify for your specific needs. Step 2 – Prepare Your Store Set up your store to meet the needs of your customers.  Focus on giving them the best shopping experience possible.  One way to refocus your thinking is to imagine yourself as a specific type of customer.  For instance, complete a “shoppers” walk in your store as if you were one of the 5 million new guns owners we discussed earlier.  Ask yourself, what would a new owner need to see, where would they go, how would they get help? Ask a store employee to take a walk with you.  As you complete the walk, you will start to see opportunities for changes; make those changes.  Move the racks, relocate products, add signage.  Walk through the store again.  Did you make your shopping experience better or worse?  Continue to walk the store until it is perfected to meet the needs of your customers. Here are some other considerations:

• Increase the amount of available walking space by shrinking your displays. Customers hate to feel crowded.
• Focus attention on your best-selling products by limiting the number of them on display.
• Make sure the store is as bright as possible. Replace burned-out bulbs and consider adding new light fixtures in key areas of the store.
• Make minor repairs and set a regular schedule for cleaning and organizing and upkeep. The condition of the store will impact the customer’s perception of your brand.

Special COVID-19 Considerations You must follow all state and local COVID-19 guidelines. Customer attitudes towards the virus vary greatly. Taking a few extra precautions can help an apprehensive customer feel more comfortable in your store. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Have hand sanitizer readily available for all staff and customers.
2. Regularly sanitize common surfaces and high touch point areas.
3. Encourage social distancing.
4. Recommend that people pay with a credit card instead of cash.
5. Remind people to stay home if they are not feeling well.

Summary We hope the suggestions provided here will help you deliver a fantastic customer experience.   Future articles will highlight other opportunities for a successful holiday season. Upcoming Topics Promotions, Cross-selling and Upselling Counterless checkout Post-holiday Sales

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