Coordinated outfit displays inspire apparel purchase

    Caroline Houghton, category buyer for apparel and footwear at American Golf offers some advice about in-store apparel displays.

    Second only to woods in market value, the availability and interest in golf apparel is growing. With retail facilities that enable it to devote space to the sector, American Golf is well placed to assess the importance of apparel to a retailer’s overall performance and evaluate the impact that getting apparel right can have on a company’s bottom line.

    There is demand for a wide choice of golf apparel and all the key golf brands understand the importance of devoting research and development to the sector. Gone are the days of just producing polo shirts and trousers in beige. Golfers focus on looking good on the course, choosing apparel in brighter colours and understanding those products with a technology built within the garment fabric too.

    This fact alone presents opportunities for retailers to make buying decisions easier for customers. While choice is vital, the number of choices can be daunting for the average golfer on how to build an outfit suitable for the game. American Golf displays products in outfits, by brand, layering items visually to help navigate customers through buying decisions. In addition, the company has gone even further in its online store, providing an outfit building option to inspire golfers to create full, co-ordinated outfits within brands.

    By helping customers to visualise what apparel works well together we’re providing head-to-toe options and making our stores an easier place for golfers to shop. We’ve also recently moved towards providing fuller ranges from key brands in-store and supplementing those choices with an extended range of brands online, which store staff can order on behalf of the customer. This enables us to showcase collections as they should be seen and also provide a huge range of brand options across different platforms.

    The company is also using our retail outlets to trial successful online brands which enable us to monitor progress and assess the opportunity to offer the brand in higher grade stores. This model gives brands the opportunity to gain an in store presence but also underlines the importance that American Golf places on reacting to customer demand.

    That commitment is showcased with American Golf’s own apparel brand, Palm Grove, which is high quality, well designed and good value apparel. The success of Palm Grove, engineered to achieve a modern, clean look, comes from understanding, listening and reacting to customer demand.

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    Miles is the Owner and Managing Director of Robel Media, and the award winning GOLF RETAILING Magazine. With over 25 years in the media business, Miles has a wealth of experience in magazine publishing, digital media and live events. HANDICAP - 7.2