How to open a dishware shop - entrepreneurial experience. How to open an online tableware store for wholesale buyers

Transparent, colored, plain, with patterns, flowers, checkered and striped - today the choice of plates, cups, glasses and glasses is striking in its diversity! Previously, such dishes could only be seen on TV, and at best in expensive restaurants.

And now from any "curiosity" there is an opportunity to dine just in your kitchen. And all thanks to entrepreneurs who make it affordable to buy original dishes. Maryana Zemlyanykh has been in the dishware business for seven years, and recently she opened the Posuda store.

– What did you do before? What brought you to the ranks of entrepreneurs?

- I worked at a dairy. Gone to maternity leave and after the decree, she resigned from there, and it was not clear what happened there, everyone was fired, the beginning of the 90s. I sat without work for a long time, since my husband's situation with work was better. In 2000, I got a job as a sales assistant in the Everything for the Home store. She worked there for 4 years. During this time, I very often met customers who were interested in dishes. In that store there was a selection of dishes, but not a large one, people always left dissatisfied. And then one day I thought, why don't I “shape” this choice for buyers myself.

- And what were your first steps?

- Without consulting with anyone, I began to look for ways to implement my plan. First, I asked the owner of the store where I worked how he found suppliers of dishes, he naturally reluctantly told me, but did not specify anything. And so in the papers, I started looking advertisements tableware manufacturers. I didn’t have the Internet at home, I didn’t know how to use it at all.

It can be said that my desire to become an entrepreneur accompanied my development, I went to computer courses, bought a computer, connected the Internet over time and continued my search for suppliers on the Internet, everything is much faster there - there are contacts, phones, I called everyone, everything is detailed found out.

I sketched a business plan in a notebook, and there was little left to do. I had to take at least 10,000 dollars to start somewhere to pay the rent (there was no talk about the premises yet, at that time it was unrealistic for me), for a place in the market and to buy goods.

- Where, if not a secret, did you manage to get the funds?

- I got into a loan, on the security of my husband's car, he became my guarantor. In general, the risk was colossal! Took more than 10 thousand dollars from the bank. My husband almost kicked me out of the house for all my tricks, we swore very much at that time. But, despite this, he supported me, grumbled, but helped.

Was the risk justified? Did the investment pay off?

- Of course! I collected myself various types utensils, provided customers with a wide choice. Then the colors were very fashionable - bright different monochromatic colors, white dishes, transparent from black glass. Today, a square shape prevails, transparent glass with various patterns, vegetables and fruits.

I always try not to miss new items so that my customers can get everything their heart desires. So a year later, I was able to repay the loan, but I must say, I was lucky, there were many customers, the goods sold perfectly. And then it's time to open your store. All circumstances were conducive to the fact that my store opened.

- Mariana, tell me, what difficulties prevent you from working fully today?

Probably competition! It is very difficult today to survive among competitors, but we try, I think we are doing well. And the difficulty still arises in the fact that many still do not understand why special glasses for whiskey or martini are needed, because they either do not drink these drinks, or they will calmly drink them from ordinary wine glasses. Often such goods are sold more slowly.

But even in these seven years, the needs of customers have noticeably changed, even for a family, people began to buy expensive beautiful sets and plates for the dinner table. The buyer has developed his own taste, so to speak. If earlier the French Luminark tableware was bought only for a gift for a wedding or an anniversary, today I already have enough customers who have purchased such dishes for themselves.

It is very difficult to maintain a store without assistants. Tell me who is helping you?

- I have a sales assistant, I pay her wages, everything is as it should be. And, of course, my husband, he has his own business, but he also devotes time to my store.

– Do you sell only table glass or enamelware?

- Mostly glass, crystal, porcelain, but enameled - also abound. Colorful pots, pans, teapots.

- Do you consider selling dishes a profitable business?

– Naturally, the dishware business is a profitable business, since beautiful, original dishes are always popular ... Even our grandmothers loved beautiful dishes, but then there was no such variety. Manufacturers, in turn, advertise their product, for example, with the help of indirect advertising in TV shows, we can see a familiar plate or glass on the kitchen table.

Here you have an advertisement, the viewer has already deposited in the memory, some wanted to have such a plate for themselves. And where can I get it? And here entrepreneurs who are engaged in the sale of dishes will help the client satisfy his need. Everything is simple!

– What is the price of your dishes?

- Prices are completely different, there are funny cups for 15-20 UAH. And there are services worth 1500 UAH. (for 19 persons).

- What do you spend profitable money on?

- For the necessary needs. And also for self-study, recently I began to attend courses of English language I do shaping. For my son's education. There is always something to spend on.

“You must always keep your nose to the wind!” And at the initial stage, think it over carefully, write a business plan, even a non-professional one will help a lot. After all, starting any business is a risk.

Be carefull!

The market is a place where everything is constantly changing. Moreover, changes and changes also apply to such segments, where there seems to be nothing to change. For example, in the area of ​​selling the most elementary household items - dishes.

It seems that you can’t think of any special innovations or tricks here, but there are subtleties everywhere, including in the sale of dishes. And knowing some of them can increase sales at times. What are the wonders of marketing? And what needs to be done to successfully apply them?

Who? Where? When?

Let's start with the most basic - with the buyer. There are three questions to be answered here:

• who buys your dishes?
• when does he buy?
• where does he do it?

The first question concerns the price segment, which can be economy, medium and premium. Everyday economy dishes will be constantly bought by 80% of the population (because it breaks from time to time). 40% of the middle class will be tempted to the medium (and very, very rarely, since they will use it only on holidays). And a maximum of those 10% of the population that have become “big people” and now take care of the external attributes of their status consumption will spend on premium. Which, by the way, is very good for the seller, since high-status consumers have to follow fashion trends that are constantly changing even in the field of kitchen utensils (although not as fast as in clothes).

In the meantime, it remains to decide when and where people buy dishes? With regard to the economy segment, the answer will be banal: as needed and during long trips to supermarkets (when products are purchased immediately for the whole week). That is, on the shelves related products. But for a medium and premium dishes, people may not be too lazy to go to specialized stores that are located ... where? This is an interesting question.

Anchor for the buyer

Let's start with the fact that a specialized dishware store does not have to be located in the business center of the city. Firstly, for economic reasons - the rent of retail space in such areas is too expensive. And secondly, in the view of even a rich person, kitchen utensils are not such an important acquisition to go for them somewhere very far away.

Therefore, it makes sense to open a dishware store even in a residential area, since many of these areas themselves represent cities with a population of over 100,000 people. But even here there is a subtlety: a shop selling utensils should not be located completely on its own. It must be located next to other shopping centers, which in modern cities play the role of "anchors" of consumer demand.

So a shop that sells dishes can be either a separate building or a cell in mall- the main thing is that it often catches the eye of potential buyers. The rest will be a matter of technology. If, of course, it is applied correctly. Anyway, knowledgeable people we are sure that any product can be made a financial “goldfish” if three conditions are met:

• hire good sellers;
• choose the right assortment;
• competently organize merchandising (that is, the supply of goods).

At eye level

Let's start with the range. Experienced retailers say that most of the products in shopping centers belong to the middle price segment. At very cheap and very expensive goods no more than 15-20% of the assortment remains.

However, most of the revenue, as already mentioned, is brought by expensive and medium-sized goods. How do sellers achieve this ratio?

First of all - due to merchandising. The simplest of merchandising rules is the location of the most hot goods on shelves 110-130 cm from the floor, at eye level. Goods of the medium segment, which are in a conspicuous place, provide up to 40% of sales. Above are more expensive goods, and below the level of the hands (50-60 cm from the floor) - quite an economy segment.

Let's start with an elementary technique - specialized corners that can draw attention to certain types of goods. Plates and dishes will look much more solid in a specialized department facing the buyer.

If a potential buyer suddenly sees a table served for dinner in a supermarket among long rows of shelves, then this will certainly attract his attention. And if the table is served and decorated in accordance with all the rules, and there are nice consultants next to it, ready to talk about the action of a company that specializes in the production of tableware of such and such a brand, then with a probability of about 90% it can be assumed that the name of the company is the buyer will remember. As well as the appearance of her products. And on occasion, such dishes will buy.

However, supermarkets are usually not eager to arrange such performances. But they have other tricks. For example, a combination of medium-class dishes and souvenirs made of porcelain or faience in one department. The combination of dressy trinkets with plates turned to face the customer creates an upbeat mood that helps a person to decide on a purchase. But expensive premium-class dishes are usually exhibited in glazed mirrored display cases-slides, which by their own appearance should emphasize the luxury of the proposed product. Ideally, such showcases-slides should be rotating and backlit. Silver and gilded cutlery sets are sometimes even placed in jewelry counters. As for more prosaic kitchen utensils (knives, ladles, pots, etc.), instead of horizontal shelves, vertical perforated panels are fitted for them, on which these items are hung.

Another trick: frying pans and other small utensils (spoons, spatulas, ladles, etc.) are displayed several units at a time - from 3 to 10 pieces. This layout makes the product prettier and "richer", and at the same time creates an association with the inventory, which in itself instills confidence in the soul of the buyer.

"20 to 80" in a china shop

Then the question arises: if large supermarkets are familiar with all the know-how to increase sales of tableware and use them, then what about a single store that is going to do the same? How can a small shop (colloquially "china shop") compete with the sharks of the big china business? Will it work?

The answer is simple: it will work if you remember about the “20 to 80” rule, which we have already talked about.

To put it simply, super and hypermarkets do business on those 80% of buyers who spend 20% of their money on dishes. And a specialized dishware store will have the task of attracting those 20% that the remaining 80% will spend. But how to do this if all the ways to attract customers are already known and used?

First, not all are used. In supermarkets, it is still extremely rare to find themed corners. You can understand the owners of supermarkets - retail space should give a quick return. And when and to whom can an exemplary served table in trading floor? But this question will no longer be before the owner of a dishware store.

Secondly, the owners of specialized stores have access to some other ways to promote their products. For example, sales different types dishes can be enlarged if they are displayed on display windows not in the form of empty plates, but with contents. Of course, not real, but various dummies. This effective way to increase sales has long been used in Japan. Another way to attract consumer interest is the creation of corners of dishes associated with national cuisine. This move is promising because it is in this area that the influence of kitchen fashion is present.

Again, if space permits, 4-5 square meters can be allocated in the store to conduct workshops on the proper handling of exotic dishes. These events can be recorded on video and posted on the store's website, then the club of loyal fans will eventually form by itself.

And, of course, the staff. It is preferable to recruit women aged 40-45 as sellers in a dishware store. They come across as seasoned kitchen experts in their own right, and buyers will tend to heed their advice.

Encyclopedic reference: dishware store - a point of sale where you can buy pots, plates, glasses, other items for serving or cooking, as well as various kitchen accessories.

Modern manufacturers offer a wide range of dishes different sizes, shapes, colors and purposes. Demand for this category of goods seems to be stable, but not everyone is lucky in this business. Why? Read our article and find out if a cookware store is profitable and how to avoid the most common mistakes in the initial stages.

Step by step to a profitable housewares shop

Step one: preparing the legal and material base

The same documents are required for the trade in utensils as for the organization of other types of retail sales:

Registration certificate ( entity or IP);

Certificate of registration and assignment of an individual taxpayer number (TIN);

The conclusion of the State fire supervision and sanitary and epidemiological station;

Cash register license.

Experienced entrepreneurs are advised to start with a small shop or department in a large shopping center. Choose a place where there is an "anchor" - outlets with themed goods such as kitchen textiles, Appliances And so on. Remember: dishes, as a rule, are purchased against the background of other purchases. You can also sit near the gift shop, since many buyers consider kitchen utensils to be a good present and buy them on the occasion of certain holidays.

How to choose a place? A good option is in a large shopping center with good transport accessibility. Also, a china shop can be opened in a residential area. If the premises can be rented, then shop equipment it is better to buy - so you can easily expand trade in another place, if necessary.

Step two: choose a strategy

Experts advise beginner businessmen not to sell dishes of one brand, but to have goods from different manufacturers available. In this case, you should choose a price category in advance. For example, focus on selling inexpensive tableware from China, Russia and Ukraine, or create an assortment based on more expensive European brands.

Before you open your kitchenware store, also decide what kind of goods you will sell. It can be kitchen utensils for cooking, exquisite crystal, practical plastic and much more.

Step three: we form the assortment, we recruit personnel

There are several ways to form an assortment. Firstly, you can offer customers a product that is fundamentally new for your region. For example, no one sells bamboo or ceramic dishes nearby. Focus on it, and the attention of the audience will be ensured. If there are no free trading niches or you do not want to take risks, take a closer look at your competitors. Which product category is used most in demand? Focus on it and you, offering, for example, a better price or a wider selection.

Remember that the reputation of your store is the key to its prosperity. If the buyer likes you, he will tell three friends or relatives about it, if not, ten. That is why the choice of suppliers should be approached with particular care. Try to negotiate with manufacturers. Firstly, you will get a good price offer, and secondly, it is easier to control the delivery schedule and quality.

Important: each type of product should have its own zone: a zone for gift sets, a zone for cooking utensils and a zone for serving utensils. A third of the income per year brings each of these groups of goods.

In the place of the seller, according to experienced businessmen, it is best to hire a middle-aged woman. On a subconscious level, among buyers, it is she who is associated with an experienced hostess who can give useful advice choice of dishes.

Where to get money?

When calculating how much it costs to open a dishware store, consider the costs of renting a room, purchasing commercial equipment, and forming an assortment. At the initial stage, you will need quite big investment, since bulk purchases of dishes from suppliers are coming. Want to save? Sign contracts during exhibitions - large manufacturers offer good discounts during this period.

Credit is the most common form of raising start-up capital. When choosing a loan program, keep in mind that the trade in utensils is a stable business that brings year-round income. Profitability is quite high if the trade margin is 25-30%.

Underwater rocks

Your reputation may be threatened by poor quality dishes and poor service. Failure can also befall you if you choose the wrong assortment. For example, you start selling elite crystal in a middle-class residential area. In addition, there is quite a lot of competition in this niche. Loyalty programs will help you stand out from your competitors. Remember that people love discounts and promotions.

Summing up

The dishware store is a fairly stable business with an average level of profitability. With the right approach to the formation of the assortment and the organization of the trading process, you will ensure the interest of customers in your outlet. It is easier to start with a small multi-brand store.

Trading is one of the most sought after sources of income. If you are attracted to the job own business, consider opening a china shop. Draw up and carefully work out a business plan for a dishware store, and the result will not be long in coming. Try to open a store and it will become your reliable and constant source of income.

Why is it profitable to trade dishes today?

Firstly, people have always had, have and will have the desire to stand out from the crowd. Each hostess is always happy to surprise her guests and loved ones with serving both a festive and everyday table. An important role in the dishware business was played by the Soviet shortage - a time when people had a desire to be different, but this was impossible for one simple reason: everyone ate and drank from the same cups and plates, because there were no others at that time. Therefore, nowadays it is very valuable for people to have something beautiful and unusual in the house. This also applies to dishes.

Secondly, the sale of tableware is significantly influenced by social factors. Luxurious sets are must-have gifts for a wedding or housewarming. The more people buy houses and apartments, the stronger the demand for dishes for arranging new housing increases.

Thirdly, the constant change in fashion trends always entails a demand for dishes. Now in stores you can find plates not only round, but also oval, square and even triangular in shape, while having different colors. The ever-expanding assortment is another guarantee of successful trading.

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The success of your business will depend on the preparation of a business plan.

A well-written business plan will help open a store and become the key to success and future profits.

Therefore, approach this issue responsibly and use the advice of specialists who will analyze your business plan and check the correctness of the calculations.

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Manufacturers and suppliers

First you need to decide on the brands of manufacturers that will be presented for sale. According to the price range, manufacturers are divided into classes:

• low - Turkey, China;
• medium - Poland, Belarus;
• high - France, Czech Republic, Italy.

Having studied in detail the range of different brands, proceed to the selection of future suppliers. Check out their terms and prices. For suppliers, a very important criterion is the fulfillment of the conditions by the customer. In order for your further cooperation to be profitable and successful for both parties, familiarize yourself with the terms of payment and delivery of products in advance, highlight all the pros and cons for yourself.

The next step is to define the audience of buyers. It depends on which point you want to open: mono- or multi-brand. For beginners, it is better to focus on the second option, as it is more flexible. Without having certain experience and skills in the trade of dishes, it is quite difficult to represent only one company at the initial stages.

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Premises: location, area, interior

To open a glassware store, you need to choose the right location. It is important that the outlet is located in densely populated and passable areas. Best Option will be the location of a china shop in a large shopping center. With this arrangement, a constant flow of visitors is ensured. It will not be superfluous to familiarize yourself with nearby competitors, as well as evaluate them pricing policy about the product they are selling. The rental price of the premises will vary depending on the location, the availability of parking lots and the convenience of access roads.

When choosing a room, it is necessary to take into account the area outlet. For organization small shop The minimum area is 60 sq. m. The footage depends on the number of zones and the range of products. Dishes are selected according to their purpose and divided into zones, for example, festive - in one zone, everyday - in another.

An important step is the interior design of the store. This will also affect the cost of purchasing equipment (cash register, showcases, shelves, racks, etc.), information about which should be included in the business plan. If you work with manufacturers directly, they can provide commercial equipment for their products. In branded racks, dishes will look more impressive. The downside is that foreign manufacturers cooperate exclusively on a prepaid basis, but in cases where amounts of several tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars are involved, it is possible to get a discount of up to 10%.

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Recruitment and advertising

Seriously, you need to approach the choice of personnel. Sales consultants can be the key to both trading success and failure. Therefore, it is necessary to train staff on product characteristics and sales techniques before opening a store. Enough six sellers who will work in three shifts. It is recommended to hire charming and attractive women who themselves love to cook and set the table. If sellers like the product they are selling, they will be able to communicate the benefits of the product competently and convince the buyer to buy.

To attract future customers, you need to create an effective advertising company. Use the following advertising methods:

• own site;
• outdoor advertising;
• advertising in local media;
• advertising in local culinary magazines and newspapers;
• product placement on television (dishes are provided for use in culinary programs).

The customer loyalty system is one of the main competitive advantage any store. Therefore, it is necessary to create a system of discounts, as well as to carry out promotions with drawings and prizes. Your task is to keep the customer base, and make visitors who will be in the store for the first time your regular customers.

The wholesale base "Posuda" began its history in the 90s. It was a warehouse and showroom - next door to the production workshop toilet paper. The first deliveries were from Ukraine, from where inexpensive dishes were transported in whole trucks. In 2013, the company created its online store on the platform, and in two years the site's turnover increased 30 times. How to open an online tableware store and how such a business works - this was told to us by development manager Rustam Musifullin.

How to open a cookware store from scratch and become the first in a niche

“Wholesale warehouse “Posuda” appeared in 1998, and now it is more than 15 years old,” says Rustam. - Then, in the 90s, everyone was looking for the best way to make money, they tried to sell everything in a row, up to car parts. And then we thought about the business of selling dishes.

A small dishware warehouse worked next door to a toilet paper factory. They were mainly purchased from Ukrainian factories: they were transported by trucks! Now those factories are not in sight, and the utensil business is alive. Our “horse” is domestic dishes. From abroad we carry almost nothing. Among our suppliers are such giants as the Kuban, Dulevo, Dobrush porcelain factories, Experimental glass factory ... More than 50 enterprises.

More than 20,000 items are presented in the online store: dishes and souvenirs, porcelain, faience, glass, enamel, aluminum, galvanization, non-stick, souvenir, household group, plastic. Everything a hostess might need.

We do not work for the end user

In the 90s, the company focused on the local market and some neighboring cities. Now it is export all over Russia. To the south - to the Astrakhan region. To the west - to the Lipetsk region. To the north - to the Arkhangelsk region. The main buyers are from Bashkiria, Tatarstan, Samara region. There is no region where the company would not carry dishes: there are buyers even in the metropolitan regions.

We focus exclusively on wholesalers. Clients - the same wholesale bases, markets, shops, points in the markets with household goods. And an important limitation: in the store, so that retail customers would not be interested in ordering one or two products, we set a minimum order threshold.

Our online store is not a standard store. This is a catalog store

Dishware businesses are not very fond of the Internet as a sales channel. Before creating an online store, we had a small website with product photos. So, like a catalog, nothing special: you can look - you can’t order. At that time, business trips of managers were the main way to sell goods: they traveled around the regions and looked for outlets.

They took packs of catalogs, disks with them, offered to look through the site-catalog. In general, they worked in the old fashioned way. And it worked! But in 2013, we decided to take a more thorough approach to the Internet promotion of products and created a website with the possibility of ordering dishes.

The method, when the manager goes on a business trip and gets acquainted with the buyer on the spot, still remains the most effective. But now a potential buyer can see and order a batch of goods directly in the online store. All photos, all current balances, all discounts for customers registered in the store are in the online store.

We chose AdvantShop as a platform for creating a store website. The platform is convenient for the most unenlightened person in Internet technologies. You don't have to think: just insert pictures, edit and catalog.

We almost do not promote the online store of dishes: we do not work with contextual advertising, with SEO optimization, all this is useless. In the dishware market, everyone already knows our base. We go the simplest way: through a live dialogue with a potential client.

How to open a cookware store to stand out from the competition? The most important advantage is efficiency. The goods arrived - we immediately take pictures. Everything that is in stock immediately appears in the store.

How to work with a store client

We work like this: a store customer examines the assortment, adds the product to the basket, and the manager immediately starts working with the order. Now the order is his responsibility.

This scheme is not quite traditional for an Internet business, but we rely on personal communication with a client, even if he comes from the Internet. By phone, for example, we can resell something or offer an alternative to a product that the client needs, but we do not have it.

The manager tells the client about the system of discounts that he is entitled to depending on the volume of the purchase. The discount also depends on the distance of the region to which the goods are delivered. The further the customer more money eat up shipping costs. It also depends on the amount of goods that the customer is willing to buy. Now the average order in the online store is 40,000 rubles.

What departments does the dishware business consist of?

The structure of the company then and now is based on the principle: supply department, sales department, showroom, warehouse.

• Sales department. Its experts know how to sell the dishes that we buy from suppliers. This dish appears on the pages of the online store. Sales managers work with customers who come from the online store: they call, talk, place an order and monitor payment.
• Showroom serves local clients. The minimum purchase amount at wholesale prices is 4000 rubles.
• Stock. All dishes are delivered here and sent to customers from here.
• Purchase department works with all suppliers, factories and companies that are ready to work on barter. Suppliers consult with the sales department to understand what is most often taken and what the client needs: in order to understand how to sell dishes, you need to know exactly the seasonality of this product.

Holidays are always a surge of interest in our product: February 23, March 8. People are actively buying dishes. For men - men's sets and assortment. Women - sets, gifts, souvenirs. In summer, this is a household group: buckets, goods for working in the garden. Goods for children's camps, glassware, glasses.

How we work with carriers

The most common method is the formation of a route: for example, we gather together all the customers of an online store from Bashkiria, and the truck goes to all these points. There are other ways - for example, containers, rail transportation, air transportation.

All dishes are delivered in factory packaging. If the goods are delivered "in bulk", then we put them in boxes so that there is as little fight as possible. The fight arises - we pick up on acceptance.

How sales in the online store increased in 2 years

Photo-operation helped us to open an online store of tableware from scratch. In the first month of operation, the online store brought in a very small amount, but there were very few photos in the store.

Dishes are very reluctant to take photos of the goods, infrequently, and supplier plants provide images of their products. Many factories simply do not have photos of the goods, and the contracts do not state that they are obliged to provide them.

And we take a lot of pictures ourselves. And we do it quickly. Our difference is speed. Goods arrive - we quickly upload photos to the store.

Now sales and the number of orders of the online store are now constantly growing. We believe that the platform is a great tool for working with both new customers and old ones.

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