Walk into any outdoor speciality store, and you’ll see no shortage of eye-catching displays – branded shelves packed with goods. But a closer look and you’ll often find a missing piece: the guide who connects the right gear to the shoppers.
In retail, presentation matters. But presence – specifically, the presence of a knowledgeable and motivated sales associate – matters even more.
Static Displays Can’t Answer Questions
For decades, retail store positioning has revolved around planograms, product placement, and branded displays. The goal is simple: put your gear in the shopper’s line of sight and let the product do the talking. But that’s no longer enough in today’s world of performance-driven purchases.
Consumers walk into stores pre-informed. They’ve researched specs, read reviews, and maybe even looked into a competitor’s product before.
They know what kind of product they need but don’t know which one’s right for them. And when it’s time they turn to the associate in-store.
Many brands invest heavily in in-store displays, only to leave the staff behind them under-equipped. When associates aren’t engaged with your product – don’t know how it works, who it’s for, or why it’s worth the price – they’re far less likely to recommend it. And when they don’t recommend it, it doesn’t move, no matter how slick the merchandising is.
Display strategy, then, isn’t just about visibility. It’s about advocacy.
Empowering People to Power Your Positioning
The brands winning in wholesale stores aren’t just showing up with fixtures, flyers and digital ads. They’re utilizing tools that make it easy for store staff to understand, talk about, and believe in the products they’re selling.
When sales associates are confident in your product’s value, they’re more likely to bring it up in conversation. They’re more likely to make the correct recommendations when they understand the difference between your new trail shoe and the original model. When rewarded for learning about your product and recommending it successfully.
This is where brands are rethinking how they approach retail store positioning. It’s no longer a standalone function of the visual merchandising team. It’s becoming a coordinated strategy between sales, marketing, and store floor teams – when product displays are paired with the right sales enablement tools that drive real engagement on the floor.
At ENDVR, we’ve seen this shift firsthand. Brands that combine in-store campaigns with frontline incentives and bite-sized education consistently see stronger associate participation and faster sell-through. The formula isn’t complex: when the people beside your displays are equipped and motivated, shoppers are more likely to trust them. And when shoppers trust them, they buy.
From Store Design to Store Advocacy
Reps and marketing teams can’t be in every store daily when the associates are. They’re the final touchpoint in your go-to-market strategy. If they’re disengaged, your shelf space becomes passive. But if they’re activated, your store presence works harder for you.
This is particularly important for outdoor brands, where the chances of impulse buys are lower. The shopper isn’t just buying a product – they’re investing in gear that performs and keeps up with whatever they throw at it. A pack that has to hold up over a multi-day hike. A shoe that needs to stay comfortable and reliable mile after mile. A bike that has to handle rough terrain without missing a beat – When they ask questions, associates’ answers matter.
Your display strategy should still start with great design. But it should end with associate readiness. That means integrating associate-focused tools into your retail execution plan – tools that give them the right product knowledge, highlight key talking points, and reward them for driving results.
You’ve already invested in positioning your brand at retail. Don’t stop at the surface. Include the people behind the floor, and you’ll turn displays into drivers of growth.
Interested in how the ENDVR platform works? Get started for free today to get visible on store staff and explore the platform at your own pace. It’s the first step in a flexible journey that can grow as your budget and brand does.
