Are you losing money on ball sales?

Ian Melham, Head of Membership Services, Foremost Golf provides advice on maximising ball sales in 2023.

Every decision we make in life is influenced by our perception. In this case, we are talking about perception of choice, value & convenience. So in order to convince your visitors and members that they should buy their golf balls from you, we need to convince them of the following: Value, Choice, Convenience and Advice.
Below you’ll find seven key retailing tips which will help you increase your in-store golf ball sales:

Clear Store Proposition – Ball Plinth Displays
Ball Plinths are a very effective way to merchandise your ball proposition to your customers. These are designed to be set up in front of the counter, and as a result are working in a primary selling space within your store. Due to their stock holding design they provide the customer with choice and the sense of convenience due to their ‘self-serve’ design. Foremost members have seen exceptional sales performance over the years with their ball plinth concept.

Ticketing
When done well, ticketing will ultimately drive sales. The combination of effective ticketing and well stocked ball plinths will only have a positive impact on your ball sales. When done correctly, ticketing should act like another member of staff for you, allowing much easier self-service, especially during busy times.

It’s essential that you look to include a ‘Multi-Buy’ ticket type in your offering. This will give you the opportunity to sell multiple dozens whilst reinforcing the desired perception of ‘value’. This ticket type is available to Foremost members within in our industry leading ticketing platform ‘ForeTickIT’.

Are you losing money? The best retailers maintain their displays
You wouldn’t ever run out of beans for your coffee machine. The best retailers manage and maintain their displays right the way through the season. We sometimes see shops that look as though they might have been raided mid-season. The section shouldn’t be perfect just at the start, but all the way through the year. Don’t only do all the above as a one-off. Once you’ve created a powerful sales section, make sure you maintain it. Key stock displays must be maintained otherwise you will be losing sales opportunities every day. Why not delegate this stock section to a member of your team, who can maintain display levels, re-order when necessary and adjust pricing and ticketing to maximise sales.

Marketing & Showcasing Value
There should be no reason why a club member or a frequent visitor is buying golf balls online or from high street stores. It happens because they perceive these stores to be better value than their local professional shop and as a result are tempted into deals. Therefore in addition to your ticketing it’s imperative that you market the ‘Value’ you can offer on golf balls through both your digital and in-store marketing channels.

Promote Your Expertise
Like any product or service as a retailer it’s really important that your market your expertise and your point of difference over your competition. A great way to do this would be to conduct a golf ball review on video. This could provide you with an opportunity to educate your customers on the different types of golf balls and the importance of golf ball fitting.

Ball Fitting Events
People are far more likely to spend money when attending an event appointment. Ball Fitting events provide an excellent way to provide advice whilst gaining a better understanding of your customers game and golfing background.

Staff Product & Sales Training
Ensuring all your staff have product knowledge on your ball ranges is essential. Knowledge breeds confidence which in turn breeds sales. Basic sales training on your golf ball proposition makes all the difference. Are the correct questions being asked delivering value to the customer but also high levels of service from your operation? GR