One of the things that sets the health and beauty aids (HBA) category apart from others found on convenience store shelves is that it contains both wants and needs.
While what’s a want and a need in the HBA section can vary among customers, needs are usually those emergency items that are driving customers to stop at the c-store.
It is a distinction that should be reflected in a store’s merchandising strategy.
Products that customers need typically include pain relief products; Band-Aids; toothpaste; cough, cold, flu and sinus medications; internal analgesics; upper respiratory products; gastrointestinal treatments; antacid tablets; stomach remedy liquids and powders; and more.
Since the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, hand sanitizers and antibacterial wipes have become must-have items for many, as well. Vitamins, supplements and other wellness items tend to straddle the line between needs and wants.
Shoppers can always be counted upon to search out what they need, which is why placing these products at the rear corner of the store is so smart. There is no question that they will make the trip to the back, which gives the operator a golden opportunity to expose them to a wide variety of shelved items, freestanding displays, coolers, food offerings and signage of varying types. The odds are good that something will catch their eye as they traverse the length and breadth of the store, which will translate into an additional purchase and higher ring.
In searching out needs, customers will undoubtedly come across items in the HBA category that they might also want. These items might include cosmetics, skin care products, nail care, shampoo, etc. These must be as eye-catching as possible to gain attention and motivate purchase. While some customers might need these items, for many they’re more likely to be impulse purchases.
For the non-necessities, merchandising should be more attention-grabbing, with more of an emphasis on the brand names that customers trust and/or prices they prefer. This is especially true in tourist areas and highway locations, where customers want to get back to having fun as quickly as possible and are more amenable to spending money, and thus are unusually susceptible to impulse-driven purchasing.
Your location — for example, a highway store vs. neighborhood location — can make a big difference in what customers are seeking from the HBA section. Retailers should consider their demographic and depending on their location, they may want to focus on adding non-necessities that appeal to parents, students or road warriors. It’s equally important to remove slow sellers to free up space for faster moving products.
It goes without saying that no matter the product category, merchandising must at all times be neat, clean, well maintained and frequently replenished.
