BRADENTON, Fla. – July 5, 2005 – When shopping for hardware products, consumers react best to bargains, promotions and neat displays because it appeals to their desire of saving time and money.  Using new temporary dump bins from Intertape to tie into this urge can help increase unit sales by as much as 427 percent.

    In a study conducted by the Russell R. Mueller Retail Hardware Research Foundation, the use of temporary dump bins in high-traffic aisles on the sales floor dramatically increased sales of low-ticket items.  Since tape is a low-involvement purchase, it can be an ideal product for retailers to put into dump bins to increase profits within that category. .

    “The research shows the power of what a merchandising effort like dump bins can do for product sales not considered high profit centers,” states Brian Miller, vice president of Intertape’s Consumer Products Business Team.  “Dump bins create a new awareness of the product by breaking it out of the clutter of the store shelf while creating a sense of urgency for the consumer to buy the short-lived promotion now.  In the end, merchandising programs, like the ones we provide, help retailers stay ahead of the curve to win at the store level.” .

    In the merchandising study, dump bins were placed in high-traffic power aisles.  Prices were not changed and the dump bins did not mention price.  Four scenarios were tested:  a neat display with a “Special Sale” sign; a messy display with a “Special Sale” sign; a neat display with an “Everyday Bargain” sign; and a messy display with an “Everyday Bargain” sign. .

    All four scenarios increased sales substantially with a composite score of 427 percent.  Additionally, the research showed that neat displays performed better than messy ones (529 percent increase to 327) and “Special Sale” signs outperformed “Everyday Bargain” signs (543 percent to 215). .

    “With this research and our own experience,” states Miller, “we move forward with the intent to provide our customers with the products, merchandising programs, and tools they need to be successful.” .

    The largest tape manufacturer in North America, Intertape Polymer Group Inc., headquartered in Bradenton, Florida, develops, manufactures and sells polyolefin plastic, paper packaging products and complementary packaging systems. Products include masking tape, acrylic and natural rubber pressure-sensitive carton sealing tapes, paper and reinforced tapes, HVAC tape and a number of automotive and aerospace high-performance products.  The company sells under a portfolio of brands including Intertape, Anchor, American, and MailAway products. .

    The company also manufactures and markets Exlfilm® shrink film, StretchFlex® stretch film, case erectors, shrink packaging machinery, ink jet printers and labeling systems, woven coated fabrics products and flexible intermediate bulk containers. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.intertapepolymer.com.