We caught up with owner Kent Wories and merchandiser Nancy Hauck at Runners Roost, which has 10 locations in Colorado, to learn how the store approaches the Run Safety category on the salesfloor.

While acknowledging that Run Safety is a year-round category, the team at Runners Roost notes that they bring it to the forefront in the autumn months, specifically as they head into National Running Safety Month in November. When we spoke with the team in late October, the Denver store had an eye-catching Reflectivity/Visibility front window display, as well as an entry display with full mannequins donning items such as reflective apparel, footwear, headwear and vest. Plus, the store had a full Run Safety display near the checkout area.

“Run Safety is a year-round thing, but it is more of a focus right now, at this time of the year, where everyone looks for some kind of lights or product with visibility features,” Hauck explained. “Safety is more of a concern than it ever has been. With cell phones and the distractions that [runners and drivers] have right now, Run Safety is a big thing. And at this time of year more people are running in darkness because of daylight saving time, so we are trying to teach that Safety is important.”

Retail Messaging

Wories says, “Obviously we’re trying to get people to think about Run Safety, and having a strong visual cue that’s  visible when you walk in the door is important to us.”

Runners Roost’s messaging around Run Safety also includes things such as events and product demos — night runs where everyone wears a headlamp, or “light up” runs during the Holiday months. Often demo product is available. A recent event at the retailer’s Boulder location showcased a new product from Safely — the brand’s Sidekick is a small handheld protective device equipped with a defense spray, flashlight, alarm, grip, keychain and safety spike.

Merchandising & What Shoppers Want

When Run Safety is placed front-and-center with interactive displays in the store, Hauck says the products she sees shoppers gravitate towards most are lights, such as headlamps or wearable strobe lights.

The store’s front window display captures attention visually, especially at night, as it showcases reflective apparel which shines brightly, offering a “wow factor” for those who pull up driving in a car with lights shining on the window.

Hauck emphasizes that to successfully tell a Run Safety story in-store, merchandising all Run Safety products together is key, as well as having interactive displays, such as a mannequin with a lighted vest that shoppers can engage with and touch.

Wories and Hauck highlight Nathan as a safety brand standout for the retailer, with items such as reflective belts, reflective handhelds, strobe lights and headlamps. Reflective apparel from Rabbit is another standout for Runners Roost. The brand’s Low Light collection features 360-degree reflectivity.

“The safety products we sell are a mix of what has sold well in the past and then we always try to insert something new into the mix,” says Wories. “That’s the same strategy with most of our product assortment. You want to keep adding something fresh each season to see if there’s another hit, and also just to keep it interesting.”

Beyond Run Safety

While customer engagement with safety products and sales at the register are the most obvious reasons to focus on the category, a Run Safety focus at retail goes beyond that.

“Certainly, we want to see sales,” notes Wories. “But this category is still pretty small in terms of overall sales. In some ways this is about making specialty run a little different, and it gives the sales associates a good opportunity to engage in a conversation with customers about a topic, so there’s a starting point.”

Wories emphasizes that Run Safety may be a relatively small category compared to footwear, but it can be a “big” thing for runners. “It’s a big deal if you’re running when it’s dark, or if you’re running in an area where you don’t feel safe,” he notes. “The other big thing is that we want people to enjoy running, and to keep doing it. We want to make sure we’re equipping people to enjoy the run. If a light makes you feel safer, then great! And that’s going to keep you running and keep you buying your shoes, so that’s important.”