A strong park store does not sell products, it sells benefits.

During a visit to a National Park last summer I overheard a family refer to the products in the park store as ‘weak’. Looking at the shelves filled with plastic mementos and affixed logo items I knew what they meant, but still I politely inquired.

The family considered the products in the park store as trinkets. Such products did not represent the great several days they had just experienced. Over the past several days the family had shared a rare extended weekend together. During their last hour in the park they wanted to buy something that helped ‘connect’ them to their enjoyable family experience. The family was purchasing one small item for a house-sitting relative but did not find any items that benefited themselves. Their final moments in the park would end on a lackluster note. The park store had products, but products alone do not sell. Too often park stores do not understand why customers buy.

Customers Buy Benefits
Park store customers seek benefits. Another way of saying this: customers do not buy products; they buy the benefits they receive from the products. Examples: People do not buy plush animal toys; they buy play. People do not buy books; they buy knowledge. People do not buy a whistle; they buy safety. People do not buy annual park passes; they buy convenience. People do not buy jackets; they buy warmth. What product benefits do the visitors to your park store seek?

All sellable products in a park store, or at least every product group, needs to be benefit-assessed. The next step is to determine how these benefits add-up to strengthen the store, extend interpretive programs and benefit customers. Product strength can be identified as weak, medium or strong.

Hougardy’s Park Product Strength Scale-

WEAK benefit products share two criteria:

• Single use.
• Function is only in appearance.

MEDIUM benefit products share three criteria:

• Can provide more than one use.
• Function is limited.
• Allows visitor to convey an understanding of the local resource.

STRONG benefit products share four criteria:

• Offers potential for multiple uses.
• Provides an interactive function other than appearance.
• Allows visitor to convey a fuller appreciation of the local resource.
• Can be used to further interpretation of other parks and resources.

A Balanced Park Store
A balance of weak, medium and strong-benefit products in the store can strengthen sales. Too many weak items, greater than 50% of inventory, does not serve any interpretive mission for the organization. Weak benefit products are generally impulse-buy items that do not engage the user beyond the act of purchasing it. I have found that medium and strong benefit products have the ability to engage the user, even alter perceptions. Strive for a combined inventory of 60% with medium and strong products.

Park customers buy the benefit(s) provided by a product. Park stores need to identify the benefits of their products and classify them as weak, medium or strong. A healthy inventory will have a majority of medium to strong products. Products do not sell, the benefits of the product do.