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GUITAR INDUSTRY SPECIAL FASHION STRAPS
72 I MUSIC INC. I JULY 2012
touts Scraps as a strap that
“truly makes noise.” One features
Albert Einstein’s face on
a James Dean-like leather-clad
body. Beneath it are the words
“stand alone.” “On our Scraps
line, we brought in an outside
fashion design team to help us
create the concept and design,”
Mechem said.
Female-specific models also
make up a solid category for
LM Products, according to
Mechem. Howard Gittli, guitar
department manager for Mom’s
Music in Louisville, Ky., has
spotted this trend in his store.
“It seems female players
embrace the more fashionable
straps,” he said.
GENERATING SELL-THROUGH
So how do dealers cash in
on stylish straps? In short,
merchandise them like clothing.
Gittli noted that product rotation
and high visibility have
been key in creating sell-through
at Mom’s Music. Harvey Levy
also called “a tidy, well-organized
display” the most important element
in generating strap sales.
“A display that is overloaded
with a mishmash of straps makes
it difficult for the customer to
see the options,” he said.
Then there’s good salesmanship.
Mechem cautioned retailers
to avoid giving away straps.
“They should be an add-on to
every guitar purchase.”
“Every instrument has a
strap that goes with it, geared
toward the person who is going
to buy the guitar and strap,”
Tabor added. “When someone
is looking at a Souldier guitar
strap, my first question is, ‘What
color is your guitar?’”
“It definitely helps when the
retailers and sales reps know
the story behind the brand, and
even better if they use the straps
themselves and can vouch for
the product,” Lynn said.
Vance mentioned that paying
attention to reordering is critical
— and an aspect that many dealers
overlook. “Perhaps they have
a lot of inventory and replacing
one or two straps here and there
might not seem that important.
Over time, it can add up.” MI
— By Zach Phillips