Americans are increasingly using bicycles as a means of transportation for work and errands — in fact we’re making progress in some cities towards catching up with Scandinavia, where the Danes average three bike rides per day (according to the Cycling Embassy of Denmark). What are you doing to make your store bike friendly?

The first step is to work with your city or mall to make sure that there are adequate bike racks in your area.  The standard, boring bike rack is being replaced by fixtures that double as street art.  If you’re on Pinterest, search under bike racks. You’ll be amazed!

An additional way to make bike riders feel welcome is to offer a reward to those who use this healthy type of transportation instead of driving to your store.  You could come up with your own perk, or cooperate with others by joining a program like Bicycle Benefits.  Businesses (including ours) that participate in Bicycle Benefits sell a sticker that goes on the bike rider’s helmet, and when someone shows their sticker we offer a small reward. This program not only promotes bike riding, which decreases traffic and parking issues — but it also promotes wearing a helmet. That’s something we feel is very important.

According to trend analyst Sharon Adler, quoted in the Minneapolis Mart Trend Watch, bicycles are also a fun new trend on merchandise this year.  We’ve noticed lots more items with a biking theme, and find that customers who bike a lot will purchase products that reflects this passion.

Another trend that I’ve noticed recently on Pinterest is the use of bicycles as window props.  Try painting an old, out-of-commission bike a bright color and fill its basket with wrapped packages. We plan to do this for our holiday window this year — if we can find a bike that’s not in use!

Happy Retailing,

Carol “Orange” Schroeder