No matter the economic climate, there remains a need for outdoor power equipment among homeowners, commercial landscaping businesses of all sizes, and other entities such as municipalities. However, dealers cannot depend entirely on that need to bring customers into their showrooms and keep them coming back. For some dealers, a key marketing strategy includes introducing a private label credit card that can be used not only to buy equipment, but also for service and purchases of parts, accessories and supplies. Many dealers have already boarded the private label credit card train. Some merchants, especially those with a significant volume of commercial customers, are seeing a high percentage of sales charged on their private label credit cards, while for others, the percentage is more modest. The extent to which the dealer promotes the card plays a big hand in the proportion of sales driven by private label programs. No matter a dealer's size, the structure of private label credit programs is rather simple. Customers can complete applications at the point of sale, with their information then electronically submitted to the third-party program provider for immediate review and credit decision. Once an application is approved, the provider assigns and shares with the dealer an account number and the size of the credit line. Some dealers also give customers the option of completing an application online.
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