Not buying a pig in a poke

Wahl GmbH is a German company with a tradition of manufacturing pet clippers that goes back 65 years. Under the Moser Animalline brand, the company offers a range of mains- and battery-operated clippers and trimmers along with a range of blades and various accessories for pet grooming at home. Moser pet clippers and blade sets are developed and manufactured in Germany and are exported to over 60 countries. 
To make customers aware of the idea of home pet grooming at the point of sale and make it easier for them to select the right clipper model, Wahl GmbH has been offering pet product retailers in Europe a test station concept for Moser pet clippers since January. The test stations were rolled out in various stores back in September 2015 in a trial phase. Since then, around 250 pet stores in Germany, Austria, France, the Netherlands, Russia and Norway have been working with the test stations. "Further stores in Scandinavia and Italy are expected to be added in the second half of 2016. By the end of 2017 we expect to provide approx. 1 500 stores with a test station," said Norman Klinger, director of sales EMEA at Wahl GmbH, when speaking to PET worldwide.
Moser pet clippers and trimmers are high-quality, sophisticated products that are a prime target for shoplifters. In the past, high street stores repeatedly encountered problems in displaying the clippers in an attractive manner; empty boxes were usually presented on the shelves, but this made it difficult to advise consumers regarding product use. Electrical products call for a demonstration or test at the POS. The test station now makes it possible for the appliances to be demonstrated and gives customers an opportunity to feel, hear, see and try out the products before purchasing. The specialist adviser can also give an informed presentation on the range. The risk of theft is significantly minimised or even eliminated. Display cards carrying the barcode, sales arguments and detailed product information hang on pegboard hooks, replacing the retail pack. These cards are scanned at the till and the pack is then handed over following payment. The entire display set-up comes with detailed installation instructions, according to Klinger.
But what are the costs and outlay for the store? Wahl GmbH assures retailers that no costs are generally incurred. "We offer retailers starter packages that have set contents. In these packs, the investment in the test station is offset against the value of the goods and the…