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BobFenner@WetWebMedia.com

Complete?

Do you have a marketing strategy for selling both kits and more expensive complete aquarium setups for both beginning and seasoned aquarists? This article describes our practices and philosophy for selling aquarium packages.

What Goes In Is What Comes Out: Small Systems

Do you offer more than one "grade" of set-up in different sizes? In small, ten gallon and less, and novelty aquaria we have only one quality of complete set-up. Usually these are supplied with the aquarium/top/base itself or come as a composite kit. Oftentimes it pays to supplement these tiny tanks with a small amount of gravel (bagged up from larger torn units), food and water conditioner. The latter are frequently available from your distributor in little free sample packets.

Larger Systems:

What do you think of the separate items that come in pre-made kits from manufacturers and distributors? Do you stock and endorse all of those heaters, lamps, filters, air pumps, et al? We don't. Why would someone offer in kit form what they don't sell individually? We make up our own kits in two grades for both fresh-water, marine and goldfish in several sizes.

Our "Best" quality system's include an acrylic aquarium and hood, fluorescent fixture(s) and lamp(s), good submersible heater(s) and liquid crystal thermometer, choice of gravel/substrate, water conditioner, food and an introductory book(let). For freshwater we include a top-line undergravel filter coupled with a high quality air pump, check and gang valve and tubing, and an appropriate sized outside power filter. For saltwater we upgrade the outside filter to a canister.

Our "Good" or second quality line consists of a quality glass tank, cover and light fixture, sometimes fluorescent. Gear included is a premium undergravel filter, pump, valve and tubing, a less expensive heater (non-submersible) and a glass thermometer. Larger systems include a second-line hang-on-the-back outside power filter.

Saltwater kits in addition have salt-mix, a hydrometer (a plastic one for up-graded kits) and some test kits for pH, ammonia, nitrate.

Goldfish kits exclude undergravel filters and include specialized flake food and conditioner.

What To Leave Out:

Is as important as what to leave in? We don't include ornaments, nets, specialized foods or backgrounds with our kits. Why? It drives the price up, narrows the possibilities in the customer's dreams, and presents the hobby as being "difficult".

Don't Forget The Novelty Tanks:

Where's the most productive part of your store? The area that generates the most sales and profit per square foot. The six square feet that the frozen foods freezer covers? The counter with the advanced test kits, ozonizers and U.V.s? For us it's the novelty aquaria corners in our stores. The hexagon and bubble aquarium mini-tank with the hurricane glass cover/two Betta combo is an all-time high seller. The glass cube tank with a simple assortment of Whiteclouds, Platies and a Chinese Algae Eater walks out (half-filled) like a six-pack. The little mermaid, gumball, fire-hydrant, mini-hexes...they are all strong movers. We purposely place many @ one pound packages of colored gravel, marbles and small ornaments at this area. Oh yes and drum and squat, glass and plastic bowls and related equipment as well.

Merchandising:

How can your customer's tell what comes with your complete kits? Is what's included clearly and attractively displayed? I like to take all the gear out, assemble and install it, and mount all the boxes/containers in the tank itself.

We list the items included and their collective/system price on one tag and another of the tank by itself. with or without specialized lighting, filtration, or other options and stands available and their price on another label in the tank. These labels are retrieved on sale of the unit and utilized for inventory control and re-stocking/labeling.

Keep It Clean:

When you go to a showroom of habitat enhancements, like furniture, what strikes you about the place? High tech? Novel? What about Disneyland is it that more people than anything else say impresses them? That it's so clean! What is one of the most common gripes we hear about our trade, the pet industry? Smell and cleanliness! We try to keep our display kits spotless. They are wiped clean of finger prints daily and cleaned with a silicon-based, anti-static liquid weekly. I'd like to additionally throw a practice at you I've found to be very useful in the sale of "rough" finished stands: the value of wiping them down with lemon oil. This procedure, once a month or so, goes far to keep the wood attractive, resist water spotting and it smells good. Try it out!

Due to space considerations we do stack tanks, with the ones on top being the kits. These we place on a sample of open and cabinet stands we stock in each size.

Premiums:

A very successful approach to educating the customer, insuring their satisfaction and bringing them back is the use of in-store handouts. We insert three items in each tank set-up. 1) A thank-you, general notes on setting up your aquarium, and business card letter. 2) An open-ended offer from our service division to aid them, and 3) A coupon for a discount on a future livestock purchase.