Sealants, adhesives and fillers are the ultimate answer to many jobs on site, yet their qualities can often be undersold. Scarlet McAleese-Banks, Marketing Director of Hilton Banks, explains how a little extra knowledge can really boost sales at the trade counter.
We take sealants, adhesives and fillers for granted, but without them many jobs on site would be difficult and take a lot longer to finish. Whether it’s fitting a bathroom, finishing around windows or guttering, or simply making good at the end of a job, the number of applications for products such as ours is vast.
The HB42 range, which grew by 45% in sales in 2019, was launched in 2013 to meet increased demand from builders’, plumbers’ and decorators’ merchants to supply a high-end trade range of sealants with clear branding and sensible pricing that offered merchants good margins.
At the trade counter, understanding the uses of products is vital. Coupled with a bit of knowledge, eye-catching point of sale and effective product branding, merchants can take advantage of a good opportunity.
Here are HB42’s Top Five Tips on stocking and selling sealants and adhesives.
- Eye catching point of sale
Make sure your supplier offers eye-catching brand and point of sale materials that work for you. HB42 for example has a POS trade stand for merchants, designed to showcase the range and maximise sales — optimising profit margin for merchants.
- Meet demand for sustainability
It is really important to understand that society and its attitudes to single use plastics have changed significantly. It’s estimated that over 2 million single use plastic cartridges are put into landfill every week in the UK — it is an unsustainable figure, especially when plastics can take up to 500 years to fully decompose.
This is why Hilton Banks launched its HB42 All-in-One Sealant and Adhesive in 400ml Eco-Foils, removing the environmental problem of disposing of the plastic cartridges normally associated with these type of products.
It’s worth explaining to customers that the Eco-Foils not only produce 95% less waste than the single use tubes but that users also get 38% more sealant than in a standard cartridge. The Eco-Foils are very durable and foil guns are easy-to-use and stay extremely clean throughout their use. They also take a conventional cartridge so it can be used with every type of sealant if required.
At the end of their life, the waste left over from foils is tiny compared to the plastic tubes and the foils are much easier to dispose of. We have also recently launched a starter pack which includes a sealant gun to encourage uptake of the Foils.
- Chemical technology makes a difference
Over the last few years, the chemical technology in sealants and adhesives has changed to make them stronger and safer to use. Advanced hybrid polymer technology, for instance, gives outstanding trade strength and adhesion. It also means that sealants can be used on many different applications.
For example, Ultimate All-in-One can seal, stick and fill and is flexible up to 230%. It works in the wet, does not shrink and can be overpainted. It is also low in VOCs, is anti-fungal, bonds to almost anything, is food safe and fully cures within 24 hours.
It’s a product that does what it’s meant to do very well — and consumer satisfaction means repeat custom for merchants.
- Upsell when you can
Upselling is a really good way to maximise sales. For instance, if wood filler is being bought at the trade counter, your customer may be involved in carpentry work so why not offer an item like the HB42 Ultimate Bond, which is ideal for bonding on wood mitre joints?
Similarly, the ‘All-In-One’ Ultimate Solvent is the ultimate partner to our sealants range and is an ideal way to safely remove sealants, adhesives and other stubborn deposits such as wax, ink, tar, splashes of cement, adhesive labels and even chewing gum. Great for preparation work, the fast-acting spray evaporates to leave no oily residue, and is safe to use on virtually all materials.
- Choose a specialist supplier
Make sure your supplier is committed to the merchant supply chain. At Hilton Banks/HB42, we can draw on over 170 years’ of experience working with the trade. It is a company designed for merchants, with a central distribution centre and 48-hour delivery.
