(Published Nov. 2006)
A Whole New World … For Fish
Here's everything you need to know to sell more tank décor
By Scott and Ann Springer

Little girls like to play dress-up. They start with a beautiful gown and add a crown or a fancy pair of slippers to the ensemble. And then they start over with a new set of apparel and accessories.

Aquarium hobbyists aren't that different. They enjoy frequent changes to their tanks as much as little girls enjoy changing up their outfits. In fact, for some hobbyists the décor is as much fun as the fish that swim around it.

"The fish are large part of the hobby, obviously, but decorating is a big part of the fun," says Patrick Donston, the owner of Absolutely Fish in West Clifton, N.J. "Decorating the tank is half of the fun of the hobby."

Hobbyists love to show off their tanks to guests in their homes, and many use them as a focal point in their main living areas. "This is living art that you can change relatively inexpensively," says Ivan Fielman, the national sales manager at Penn-Plax, Inc. based in Hauppauge, N.Y.

This addictive redecorating activity can translate into gargantuan gains for retailers who cash in on these add-on sales that yield a good margin, Donston says. This is because many customers spare no expense when they see something that catches their eye.

While a hobbyist may look around for a deal when shopping for filters or other maintenance products, this pattern doesn't repeat when purchasing décor.

"Decorations are an impulse buy," Donston says. "It's not really something people are going to go online to comparison shop."

Decorations aren't just for new hobbyists, either. "You also get people who already have a tank and want to change it to make it look new and fresh," Donston says.

What to Watch
Hobbyists are returning to nature and seeking out products that help them bring the outdoors in.

"The most popular tank decoration is and always will be the natural aquarium look," Donston says. These tanks include live aquatic plants and driftwood pieces.

A new trend is creating realistic backgrounds for tanks. One way to achieve this is through the use of reticulated foam, which aids in filtration and can add a three-dimensional look to an aquarium, says Rick Strauch, the president of K & A Imports, a manufacturer based in Scranton, Penn.

Fiber optic technology is making its way into aquarium ornaments. These ornaments light up the tank on their own or can be inserted in other ornaments.

"People put them inside castles to get a Harry Potter Hogwarts castle look," Fielman says. "Fiber optics are a lot of fun and give a magnificent effect."

What to Order
When selecting inventory to stock your aquarium section, it's good practice to keep your regular customers' buying habits in mind.

"Some of our customers will buy a different piece from a line every week," says Scott Wilson, the fish room manager at Cindi's Pet & Aquarium Center, in Vero Beach, Fla. "It's a collectible hobby to them, like someone who collects stamps."

When ordering inventory, look for items that are detailed and realistic. "Customers seem to be looking for natural and realistic products," Strauch says. "They're shying away from the old concept that was more colorful and chotchkey-looking."

Wilson agrees that cartoon-looking décor is not selling well in his shop.

"People are asking for sand as opposed to gravel because the natural look is what they're going for," Wilson says. "People think pirate turtles or bobble-headed crabs are cute, but not for their aquariums."

Colorful tanks, especially the neon-colored and glow-in-the-dark versions, are on their way out. "They are still popular with children, but older customers prefer something more realistic and relaxing," says Bill Sorrell, the owner of the Fish Peddler, in Pinson, Ala.

Faux rock and artificial driftwood pieces aren't selling well, either, Donston says. However, faux décor pieces with holes to insert plants are catching on in popularity.

Some décor items may be cross-promoted with terrariums to give you more versatility. "Because a product is able to be cross-sold to reptile customers as well, it has more appeal to the store," Strauch says.

It is recommended that you stock products for all sizes of tanks. "We're seeing requests for larger aquarium décor because more customers have bigger tanks," says Susan Thompson, the senior brand manager of aquatic environments for United Pet Group, based in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Be careful of fads. After all, what goes up must come down. "Things that are driven by movie- or television-hype are eventually going to die out," Strauch says. "You don't want your inventory too high because when the fad goes out you won't have any way to sell it."

A wise way to stock fad-inspired items is in rounding out your inventory. "Change your décor products often," Strauch recommends. "Blow it out and liquidate what isn't selling and find things that sell well."

Keep a steady stream of new inventory flowing onto your shelves. "Décor pieces are very trendy, so you want to keep the category fresh and rotate out different items," Thompson says. "This segment is kind of the fashion industry for aquariums."

If inventory is moving at a slower pace than you want, shake things up. "We put plants in some of the ships that weren't moving and they started to really sell," Wilson says.

Look at the packaging. Some manufacturers have packaging that is open on the sides to allow consumers to interact with the product before they purchase it, Fielman says.

Items that sell well consistently should be added to your list of staples, but reevaluate your static line yearly, Strauch says.

How to Sell It
"Presentation, presentation, presentation," Strauch says. "That's what selling these products is all about."

Sorrell has found that setting up display tanks has helped to keep his sales swimming upstream.

"By displaying a themed tank you're giving the customer some extra options to consider," Sorrell says. "It gives the customer a little idea of what his or her tank will look like."

But Strauch has found some retailers resist setting up wet displays in their shop because they feel it creates more work for them and they have to eat the cost of the ornaments in the tank.

"The reality is that it is more work and you won't be able to sell those decorations out of the tank," Strauch says. "But presentation will be your best sales person."

Some manufacturers of decorative products will give retailers free ornaments when they purchase a number of pieces because they know this is the key to increase sales, Strauch says.

"Décor isn't purchased based on price; it's purchased based on appearance," Strauch says. "You can't make a castle bubble with air and no water no matter how hard you try."

Consumers may be intimidated by setting up their own décor, so some manufacturers have created kits to make it easy for consumers to reconstruct a display tank without much fuss.

"Not all customers are good at décor. Some don't know how to put it all together," Strauch says. "They see a display at a store and aren't sure how to recreate it."

Some items may need signage to coincide with the display to explain their features. For example, artificial rocks with inserts for faux plants will sell better when customers see their benefits, Thompson says.

"You're able to see all of the features of the item that you couldn't when they're just in the tank," Thompson says.

Signage can also be used to highlight new products to lure customers to make an impulse buy when they wander in to buy more fish food, Fielman says.

Providing reliable information and sound advice to your customers will help drive sales. "Today's customer is a more demanding customer than in the past, and wants as much information as possible before making a purchase," Sorrell says.