With demand for professional ladders and access equipment continuing to grow to a level comparable to pre-Covid, Jamie Brassington, Product Manager at WernerCo, discusses how manufacturers are helping merchants make the most of the limited space available in branch to maximise sale opportunities.
Whilst 2020 bought with it plenty of uncertainty, it is positive to see that support and investment in construction has continued. This step has meant that many sites are continuing to operate in a somewhat normal capacity, with small adjustments made to accommodate Government guidelines when it comes to social distancing in the workplace.
As construction began to pick back up in the latter half of 2020 and has continued to do so during start of 2021, the Builders Merchant Building Index report for 2020 has found that demand for tools such as ladders and access equipment remains positive. For example, since May, the point at which the lowest figures were recorded during the year, tools have seen a 188% in sales between May and October 2020. (https://www.bmbi.co.uk/the-index/)
With this in mind, tools and safety equipment can prove to be a valuable department for merchants to be well stocked in. By having a wide variety of products available, merchants will be in a prime position to cater to the needs of its customers and make the most of every sales opportunity.
However, for many merchants, space is a valuable commodity and it can often be a challenge to juggle the demands of suppliers versus demand for products. This can start to become a problem, particularly when stocking larger safety products. For instance, a stepladder will require much less storage space than an access tower.
As such, manufacturers such as WernerCo have started to look at how products can be developed to help merchants make the most of the storage space they have to work with.
Increasing sales
WernerCo has continued to work closely with its stockists to understand the most popular types of products amongst their customer base, as well as what some of the most common issues are when it comes to the sales process. This feedback is then used to help develop new and innovative solutions, whether it be new product development or updated POS to drive demand, helping to improve the customer experience and increase sales.
The new Youngman PAX Tower, for example, is packaged with merchants in mind — particularly when it comes to storage. The new access tower is supplied in modular packs, allowing merchants to easily store each of the three different packs efficiently, without any loose components that could be misplaced in the stockroom.
The tower also offers merchants the flexibility to stock any combination of the base packs and additional packs to extend the tower to the heights required, whilst the specially designed packaging makes them instantly recognisable.
The convenience of stocking packs in this way is also a huge benefit for customers, allowing them to easily select the one they need to meet the requirements of the particular job. This also provides merchants with future sales opportunities when customers need to expand beyond their existing packs and return to purchase additional extension packs.
The new PAX Tower comes in two build methods (Advanced Guard Rail and Through the Trapdoor) and delivers a raft of timesaving and safety-enhancing new features, all while being fully compliant with the latest safety regulations.
Improving safety standards
It’s positive to see that equipment such as access towers and ladders are currently in such high demand, as this signifies that tradesmen are looking to make investments to reduce the risk of accidents when working. This is highly important as currently, falls from height remain the main cause of fatal accidents in the construction industry according to the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) ‘Workplace Fatal Injuries in Great Britain 2020′ Annual Statistics.
By providing a good supply of safety equipment and ensuring all products stocked meet the required standards such as EN1004 for access towers, merchants can play an important role in helping to reduce the number of accidents that occur each year when working at height.
To find out more about WernerCo and its new Youngman PAX Tower, visit www.youngmanaccess.com/paxtower.
