Location is a driving factor in not just where a seaside retailer sets up shop but also how souvenirs are positioned in the store to capture attention, inspire more sales and trigger a giddy got-to-have-it feeling.
Impulse souvenirs abound at Imagine Gift Store in Warren, Rhode Island. “We are an experience store,” says Michelle Santiago.
Whimsical with an iconic building featuring two life-sized cows at the doors, entering is a souvenir on its own with photo ops galore. Immediately, guests experience a throwback ice cream parlor where “adults become a kid in a candy shop” because of hundreds of varieties of penny candies and nostalgic treats arranged in tiered shelves and baskets. They are front and center, including by the register. Display buckets and cubbies also brim with sweets.
Who can resist dipping in a hand to grab a fistful of confections to deposit in a handy basket the shop provides? Any guest who does not have one is hospitably handed one for convenience — also a way to increase spontaneous sales, says Santiago.
“If customers don’t have a basket, we offer them one,” she says. “We offer to hold a basket for them, give them a new one and our associates know, if you see anyone empty handed, offer. Even if guests are carrying one item, suggest a basket and they will start filling it up.”
Wear it home
Souvenirs are a staple at seaside shops. Not to mention, there are locals who like to send namedrop gifts to out-of-town friends and relatives.
Playful LollyPlush are easy add-ons at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation gift shop.
Name drop is key, agrees Tracie Yoshimoto, owner of The Most Irresistible Shop in Hilo, Hawaii. It’s not all that easy to find Hilo-specific goodies. But Yoshimoto has developed relationships with local vendors and suppliers who will ultra-customize so tourists can get specifically Hilo gear.
“Hilo is not easy to find,” she says, though Hawaii and Big Island are much easier namedrops to source for apparel, stickers, car decals, hats and more.
And while the sea turtle is a common motif in North Carolina, Luckaia Strand says personalizing gift shop goods with the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center name spreads the word about their work and is a memory visitors want to take home.
“Our biggest goal in the last year has been finding products we can customize and the majority of our products have our name on it,” says Strand, gift shop manager at the center in Topsail Island, North Carolina.
The top category at Most Irresistible is T-shirts, mostly short-sleeved and unisex but with women’s options — scoop- and V-necks — and children’s sizes. Clothing is easy to pack and take home, which is a consideration for all souvenirs at the shop, Yoshimoto says.
Yoshimoto often relies on local suppliers for graphic tees and hats, including embroidered namedrop ballcap styles that sell the most. However, beanies and safari hats are also in stock.
Logoed apparel with conservation messages like “Don’t let us fade away… extinction is forever,” add an awareness element to apparel at the sea turtle rescue gift shop. Every year, the center chooses a theme and designs a shirt to honor it, which goes over big with the customers.
Interesting and iconic
From the display of Jelly Bellies to the 500 types of candies at Imagine Gift Store, the shop is designed to tempt guests of all ages to take home all kinds of goodies.
Santiago says impulse souvenirs are generally priced $10 or less and include stocking-stuffer worthy items visitors enjoy year-round, including bouncy balls, keychains, lip glosses, stickers, magnets and little mint tins fashioned after the Rhode Island license plate with its iconic wave.
Local items are hot sellers. Imagine Gift Store assembles an array of variety baskets with local products and souvenirs for weddings, corporate events and gifts.
“People appreciate finding souvenirs that are Rhode Island-made,” says Santiago.
Prank gifts are also lure in customers who appreciate a gag or want to give someone else a good laugh. “We are a whimsical store,” says Santiago of decidedly “quirky items.” A variety of squirrel-themed fun includes a squirrel air freshener by the novelty supplier, Archie McPhee.
Grab and go
An item Santiago underestimated that fires up sales is the adjustable wish bracelet by Two’s Company that sells for $4.99. The shop showcases a wall display of bracelets you wear, make a wish, and when it falls off the wish comes true.
At Most Irresistible, jewelry is a popular souvenir, primarily pieces created by local artisans that range in price from $10 to $30. Taylor Swift-inspired beaded bracelets with message such as “be kind” or “Aloha, Hilo” rank high with the younger set, Yoshimoto says. Necklaces with a cutout of the Big Island are also easy add-ons.
Again, Yoshimoto says easy-to-pack is a priority when sourcing souvenirs and impulse items for tourists with baggage limitations.
Easily folded and tucked into a suitcase, dish towels with local themes are practical, everyday souvenirs that sell fast, she says.
At the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation gift shop checkout, Strand says a cube-shaped slat-and-hook display encourages visitors to score more — and give back more, too, since proceeds play a paramount role in supporting the center’s mission. Signage explains which items were made by volunteer artisans. It holds homemade Christmas ornaments (very popular!), keychains created by volunteers and even magnetic car decals.
“We make sure souvenirs are at eye-level and kids’ items like plush and turtle figurines are positioned lower so our young guests can convince their parents to make the purchase,” says Strand.
It’s all about making souvenirs simply irresistible. Variety is huge. Yoshimoto says, “We try to offer a little bit of everything so there is something for everyone.”
