Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
Colors of the year selections are some of the biggest news paint manufacturers announce. At the beginning of the new calendar, manufacturers across the coatings spectrum select hues they think encapsulate the customers’ moods and style preferences. Whether it’s a vibrant pink or a soulful purple, each manufacturer is counting on catching color trends with their selection.
How much these colors actually represent the moods of consumers can be debated. Past trends vary wildly, and often the colors for the year can be all over the color wheel. However, retailers and sales associates should be familiar with retailers’ and manufacturers’ colors of the year and how to sell them when a customer come looking for renovation inspiration. Here are three ways to make the most of popular colors of the year selections.
Be Complementary
Paint manufacturers don’t make their color of the year choices lightly. These colors are designed to work well not only with current trends, but with other paint colors available through their own lines of paint. Along with the marketing campaigns around each vendor’s announcement will likely come materials showing how a certain color can be combined with complementary colors in a home for balance. Is the color a soft gray? There are likely many shades ranging from beige to dark green designed to accent the main color. Understanding a color of the year’s complementary companions can boost your add-on sales.
Find the Value
Is your customer looking for paint to liven up their home for sale? One of the most commonly suggested tips for home sellers is to brighten up their homes with a fresh coat of paint before the prospective buyers start streaming through the door. When prospective homebuyers see a home for the first time, their first impression of style and color can be crucial in sealing the sale. While someone selling their house might not want to go all-out on a new trending paint, using a trendy color as an accent piece can help show off a home before its sale.
Bring It Home
Though color trends change each year, the basic practices of selling paint do not. Having knowledgeable staff ready to help advise customers on their color choice is a must for any retailer looking to make paint a priority. Being able to recommend a trendy color or its complementary colors is a key component of good customer service. Even when working with the hottest hue in the store, make sure to have customers take samples home and get a look at the paint in the light they’ll be living with once the paint goes up on the wall.
Looking to brush up on your paint knowledge or selling skills? Check out the product knowledge modules available through the North American Retail Hardware Association’s Trainer’s Toolbox.
