REX Awards: General merchandise

 

Continuing to recognize standouts in their field, this month, Drug Store News is focusing on general merchandise manufacturers. While such products as batteries, greeting cards, laundry cleaners, tech accessories and eyewear may not be why shoppers initially come to your store on a given trip, these must-have products often make their way into their carts nonetheless.

The impulse appeal of general merchandise has long been known, and today’s benchmark retailers are capitalizing on this interest by highlighting products with eye-catching displays, placing these products in high-traffic locations and working closely with supplier partners to leverage this high-margin opportunity.

It is no small feat to be called out as an innovator within general merchandise. Standing out from competitors requires companies to dig down and identify opportunities others don’t see. Innovators accomplish this by taking the time to truly understand consumer needs, and then introduce products that excite interest.

This month, DSN recognizes the risk-takers who are disrupting the GM world.

American Greetings
American Greetings consistently earns high marks from its retail partners for its product quality, relevant and comprehensive breadth of offerings and unmatched store-level service, but the most significant differentiator is the level of partnership they bring to every retail relationship.

“Our relentless focus on the consumer is essential to our industry leadership,” Steve Laserson, senior vice president of North American sales at the Cleveland-based company, said. “We simply love this business and have an insatiable appetite for understanding consumer needs and anticipating where they are going. As a result, we’ve built a brand portfolio that cannot be replicated or rivaled.”

Officials at American Greetings don’t refer to themselves simply as “a greeting card company,” they consider themselves to be experts in meaningful connections and the thought leaders in the social expressions category. With a purpose of making the world a more thoughtful and caring place, it’s important to the company to show that difference to its retail partners and consumers.

One of the many ways the company achieves this is through its internationally awarded and engaging marketing. From unexpected and acclaimed advertising campaigns to inspirational content that helps consumers connect with the people they care about, the company’s marketing efforts drive category relevance to benefit both its retail partners and the industry overall.

Innovation takes many different forms at American Greetings and something Laserson calls “a natural extension of our obsession with understanding consumers and helping them connect with the people in their lives.” In fact, the company’s innovation agenda encompasses everything they do from design styles and language trends to application of new technologies, and how to meet the needs of the evolving omnichannel marketplace.

While everyone knows American Greetings as a highly creative company, it is equally obsessed with analytics. It’s how the company ensures it is deploying its products and portfolio with strategies that drive superior retail productivity.

Navajo
Denver-based Navajo is best known for offering eyewear products under its Piranha brand, mobile accessories through the Hottips! Brand, and trial and travel items under its Handy Solution brand.

President Mark Deuschle defines Navajo as a 40-year-old start-up. Believing the successful legacy of his company is something to be proud of and to build on, Deuschle and his team strive to operate each day from the position of needing to exceed the expectations of their retail partners and their shoppers.

“We never want to get too comfortable with our success, our offering or our strategy,” he said. “Staying humble and hungry, with a relentless focus on quality, are the key points of success and differentiation for our company.”

Navajo achieves this, he said, by cultivating a culture of customer and shopper focus, making quality, performance, consistency and value daily goals. To meet the needs of their retail partners, Navajo adapts to the variety of visions and plans rather than forcing compromises of conformity.

To remain a leader for this long requires making the inspiration to innovate and create a core part of its company culture. The company works by a rule that 50% of what they offer today must be changed, upgraded or expanded each year — which officials said has made the company able to thrive in a competitive market.

“Eyewear is a fashion-driven business, and we must constantly monitor what is happening relative to style, color, materials, etc.,” Deuschle said. “With mobile accessories, we are deeply engaged in the industry so that we are not just instep with the changes, but anticipating needs and solutions.”

Designer Greetings
Designer Greetings is best known for its expansive offering of greeting cards and related products, including gift bags, gift wrap, roll wrap, ribbons, bows, stickers and more, all at a value price.

Operating in such an intensely competitive market, officials at the Edison, N.J.-based company fully understand the qualities needed to stand apart. For instance, knowing that personalization is a key sales driver today, the company has created an entire line of customizable cards. Its Locally Yours cards can include the name of your state, hometown, school, university, camp, landmark and more.

Dawn Garvey, chief financial officer, also pointed out that the company strives to make sure their cards have a trendy look and feel by including such things as fancy embellishments, tip-ons and spot treatments, among other elements. “While our products stay current, our pricing structure is appealing to discerning cost-conscience customers,” Garvey said.

Designer Greetings’ talented staff of in-house artists and graphic designers consistently build on their talents by keeping pace with design through such innovations as the company’s new 3-D line of cards. As Garvey described, these cards use 3-D imaging that is both innovative and eye-catching. This line of interactive imagery uses a flat card to portray movement that would otherwise be achieved through the use of technology. “This technique is a perfect way to attract consumers of any age,” she said.

Henkel
Fritz Henkel could never have guessed that the small laundry detergent business he founded in 1876 would grow into a global leader, with more than 53,000 employees in 120 locations around the world. Laundry products remain a specialty at Henkel, and along the way, the company expanded into beauty products and became the world leader in adhesives.

 

Officials said that the company’s diverse products share one common ingredient — innovation.

“Our founder, Fritz Henkel, proved to be an early innovator,” said Joe Pastorkovich, vice president of customer development laundry/home care at the Rocky Hill, Conn.-based company. “He was the first to sell laundry detergent in handy packets rather than loose. And his introduction of Persil in 1907 as the first ‘self-acting’ laundry de