Powered for Safety: How a Safety-First Approach Can Drive Power Tool Sales

Power tools have gone through many evolutions in recent years, becoming more accurate, energy efficient and safe for users. Many power tool manufacturers have added safety features built into the product and moved to battery-operated designs, aiming to decrease the chance of user injury. Building a power tool category around these features, through merchandising accessories and safety equipment alongside tools, displaying compatible tools alongside each other and staying ahead of product trends can set your operation’s power tool section apart from the crowd.

At Nena Ace Hardware, which operates four locations throughout central Illinois, manager Douglas Hausam relies on innovation in this category, keeping products up-to-date and educating customers about power tools’ newest safety features and uses.

“Product innovation is by far the primary driver of change in our power tool selection,” Hausam says. “The shift from corded or gas-powered tools to battery-powered options has been quite dramatic, and the demand for the battery option is only increasing every year.”

The shift to battery-powered tools can be an important sales conversation for customers discovering a new tool or brand of tools. When a customer purchases their first tool in a new battery ecosystem, helping them understand how those batteries and chargers work across an entire product line can turn a single sale into a
return customer.

“Customers have told me stories about getting electrocuted when they cut through power cords, and how battery options are so much safer,” Hausam says.

Drills, impact drivers, circular saws, chainsaws, weed trimmers and blowers are the store’s top-selling power tools, many of which are equipped with safety measures, like trigger lockouts, chainsaws equipped with technology designed to quickly stop chains, autostop control on drills and built-in battery sensors signaling when a battery is too hot or cold.

“A good number of these features are so well incorporated into the tool that a customer may not realize they are there,” Hausam says.

Training employees to speak knowledgeably about these built-in features is key to making a sale in this category. Customers want confidence that their purchase is a smart investment, and an employee who can walk them through a product’s specific safety technology builds trust.

Protective Equipment Brings In Sales

When customers purchase a power tool at Nena Ace Hardware, they often leave the store with more than just the tool. Employees recommend that customers purchase personal protective equipment (PPE)—like safety glasses, hearing protection or gloves—when making their selection.

“One of our power tool brands includes complimentary safety glasses with many of their units, and we ask every chainsaw purchaser about buying a pair of chaps with their saw for their safety,” Hausam says.

Power tool accessories and PPE should be merchandised alongside power tools, allowing customers to easily find them on store shelves and pick them up when browsing. Nena Ace employees also get questions about product compatibility, specifically with battery platforms, and often want to know about the parts included with the product and the tool’s warranty.

“Some customers are more concerned about tool power and durability, while others are more concerned about product weight and versatility,” Hausam says. “The exact questions may vary, but what does not vary is the goal to determine what model best fits their needs.”

The majority of Nena Ace’s power tool buyers are DIYers, who often need guidance on choosing additional parts or accessories needed to complete their project.

“When purchasing a brush cutter for string trimming, for example, customers will sometimes move up to a larger unit because it gives them the option to add a brush cutting blade on it in the future,” Hausam says.

Committed to offering the best options to customers, Nena Ace Hardware stays up-to-date with the latest trends and developments in the power tool space by taking advice from product reps who stop by the store and being an early adopter of new products from their wholesaler. Independent retailers have the advantage of being able to adapt to trends quicker than big-box stores, keeping product selection fresh and being the first destination for customers searching for new tools, Hausam says.

“We also take advantage of different times of product training offered by power tool manufacturers,” he says. “Doing these things has propelled our product selection forward, moving more and more towards battery units over the years.”