Increase Store Traffic Through Pinterest Classes

“This year we have a goal of increasing average transaction size and traffic coming through our door,” says Jared Sawyer, owner of Sawyer’s True Value & Just Ask Rental in Dalles, Oregon.

To increase store traffic, the store began promoting “40 Days of Fun” throughout the year, which includes forty different days of classes, events and large sales. Some of the classes included in “40 Days of Fun” are bird and beekeeping classes, salsa garden classes and DIY pallet classes.

Since Pinterest is a popular way to find DIY projects and inspiration, Sawyer is using the platform and incorporating it into his store. The pallet classes, focused on creating projects from recycled wood pallets, was inspired by the popularity of pallet projects on Pinterest.

“A key driver in what determines where people shop is ‘salespeople I know and trust,’ along with ‘a good source for generating ideas and inspiration,’” Sawyer says.

The classes are free for customers to attend and they take home a completed project, which is inexpensive for Sawyer’s True Value since they have plenty of pallets already at the store from shipments.

The class is held about once every month and projects have ranged from a towel rack to a chair and most recently, a wine rack. Along with the creation of the projects, attendees also receive educational anecdotes. For example, some pallets may be stamped with MB, which means the pallet was treated with Methyl Bromide, a powerful pesticide, and should not be used for DIY projects. Pallets stamped with HT are preferred for DIY projects since the wood was heat-treated and is not harmful to one’s health.

Sawyer believes that tying education in with projects is a great way to provide customers value and show that his store is a source of both knowledge and inspiration.

Below is a gallery of pallet projects that could be turned into classes at your store. Click here for more Pinterest inspiration.