“If a customer can’t see it, they won’t buy it.”

This simple sentiment by Bear Creek Country Store Manager Drew Tolbert summarizes why he puts so much strategy in their stores’ retail merchandise displays. With two locations, in Leonard and Bells, Texas, Tolbert said the retail displays their stores create are vital to product awareness and education.

The Bear Creek Strategy

With so much experience serving his community and marketing to their needs, we couldn’t help but ask Drew for some tips and tricks. Here’s what he had to say.

It’s All About Timing

At Bear Creek, end caps are rotated about every two weeks; however, they feature one brand for the entire month. Their featured brand has a prime display location, and that display is left for the month before it is returned to its regular shelf or warehouse location.

Tolbert said, after a month of being featured, customers will know to look for it or feel comfortable asking for that particular product line.

Displays are made based on timing and scenarios that are happening. For instance, during chick days, poultry products are featured. During the recent local “picnic weekend” pet food and poultry products were featured and on sale.

Signage Is Key

Tolbert said posting big “featured price” signs on products draw customers in. Even if the prices are regular retail prices, customers will still feel good about purchasing a featured product, regardless of price.

Prioritize Detail

“When we put the products in front of the customers, they are likely to ask more questions. Some will just be satisfied with the price. Others will want more information,” Tolbert said.

That is where information like sell sheets and product guides can come in useful for a display. Typically, he likes to post just the price, and have the customer interact with him or his staff so they can ask questions and perhaps cross sell or upsell.

Use ODC as a Resource

Tolbert said he learned during the recent Dealer Retreat the value of the Online Dealer Center (ODC) for materials to liven up his in-store displays. He can access brand logos, sell sheets, product brochures and more to print from the ODC, and he adds these to his displays.

Partnerships Matter

Bear Creek Country Store is an ag retailer. It is also a family-owned and operated store in two rural communities. That is why it has partnered with the local chambers of commerce.

“We try to have informative and friendly events to try to promote products, interact with customers and build our brand,” Tolbert adds.

Tolbert says a partnership like this helps get feet in the door, and helps the local customers realize that they are more than just a feed store. They run promotions through the chamber, and when the chamber of commerce has a big event like Picnic Days that draws a crowd, they see the benefit, too.

Another partnership Tolbert encourages is with the Area Sales Manager. He said his ASM Chris Kyle is another great resource who he can bounce ideas with. Chris sees a lot of different stores. In addition to sharing product knowledge, he also can share marketing ideas with Tolbert.

For More Information About Profitable Partnerships, Turn to BioZyme

From retail displays to online marketing and texting, Bear Creek Country Store is mastering its marketing efforts. Thanks for sharing your marketing advice with us, Drew. We count ourselves lucky to benefit from a partner so committed to care that comes full circle!

If you’re looking to partner with BioZyme for marketing support or resources, learn more about marketing tools we have available.

Mid-year Outlook 

Livestock producers are in the mid-year quandary. Do they hold onto their cows in hopes for some late summer rains for fall grass? Or do they ship them to town now, potentially taking a loss but not spending excess resources on feed?  More producers are shipping cows due to widespread drought; however, if forecasts for both weather and markets remain where they are currently, cow-calf producers will potentially make a profit at fall weaning time if they can hang on that long.  

Everyone continues to be a little bullish about the fed cattle market as we move in the third quarter. According to Darrell Peel, Oklahoma State University,” Reduced fed slaughter for the remainder of the year implies reduced feedlot marketing rates. Feedlots, as of June 1, had record inventories of cattle on feed which seems to be at odds with the idea of reduced marketings in the coming months. However, feedlots have been placing larger numbers of lightweight cattle which leads to more days on feed and slower turnover rates… in other words, slower marketing rates.” 

In other markets, sheep appear to be trading slightly lower, with Colorado feedlot inventory up over the same period as last year at this time. If you’ve been to the supermarket lately, you’ve likely noticed the egg market remains high on extra-large and large, lower on medium, steady on the balance. Supplies of extra-large are very light. Retail demand is good. The highly pathogenic avian flu incidences have decreased; however, the implications of that are still evident from both egg and poultry prices at the retail levels. 

Hay production is also down this year, either due to drought, lack of fertilizer or a combination of factors. This is a great time to promote minerals with Amaferm® so producers can get the most out of their existing forages and feedstuffs.  

Freight Issues Continue 

According to Trains.com, Foster Farms, the largest chicken producer in the western U.S., asked federal regulators to issue an emergency service order last week that would direct Union Pacific to prioritize corn shipments that thousands of dairy cattle and millions of chickens and turkeys depend upon. 

”The point has been reached when millions of chickens will be killed and other livestock will suffer because of UP’s service failures,” Foster Farms wrote in its request to the Surface Transportation Board.