When guests visit the Texas State Aquarium gift shop, Amy Corral and her team inquire about favorite exhibits to provide a pleasant experience while informing product suggestions — and they offer trivia and fun-fact insights that get customers excited about supporting the aquarium through meaningful purchases.
One of Corral’s favorite “Did you know?” is the story of Milla the ocelot, an endangered species participating in the Texas Ocelots Species Survival Plan. “They are close to extinction,” relates Corral, store director. “So, our aquarium has been collecting samples from male ocelots to inseminate her so she can help repopulate the state.”
Storytelling enhances the visitor experience and boosts sales, with proceeds supporting the aquarium. This approach extends beyond welcoming customers and includes how products are displayed. Much like the aquarium’s exhibits, the gift shop’s presentation is arranged in themed product groupings. It makes gravitating to a favorite animal seamless.
“We drive sales every day by engaging our guests with captivating merchandise, ensuring products are available and talking to them about their visit,” says Corral.
Eco centric
There are many different species represented in the gift shop’s plush selection.
Photos: Mark Marquez
The gift shop’s energy and “fun vibe” encourage longer visits, and its placement in the museum is intentionally designed to capture attention multiple times. The shop is a pass-through store connecting the lobby, a Caribbean exhibit and a popular new shark exhibit.
“For the most part, visitors pass through our store a couple of times so we get plenty of opportunities to tease them with our products as they walk through,” says Corral. “Kids are already eyeballing what they are going to ask their parents for before they leave.”
Every purchase supports the aquarium, and a round up feature at the register provides an easy way for customers to give back more, which most do.
“Sustainability is a high priority for our buyer Event Network and they select vendors that support our cause,” Corral says.
One example is the Wearsponsible brand, which produces apparel from a factory that sources organic cottons and is fair-labor certified. The same philosophy applies to Eco plush from Nature Planet Inc.
“One of the most gratifying aspects of managing the shop is knowing that we are helping a bigger cause. It’s all about the planet and conservation and I love the way our products educate and reach customers.” — Amy Corral
“All of our Eco plush is made from recycled water bottles and it takes eight to make a single plush,” says Corral. “A lot of our customers really appreciate the fact that they are made from recycled plastics, and Eco has great signage that shares how they make the plush even more sustainable by removing plastic eyes and whiskers. There are no pellets or beads in the plush.”
Jumbo plushies from Rhode Island Novelty are eye-catching favorites with popular animals including stingrays and sharks. The Petting Zoo is also a major vendor at the aquarium gift shop. These stuffies are also made from recycled plastic bottles with the largest ones requiring at least 17 of them to produce.
Table displays incorporate several types of products to promote add-on sales, such as name-dropped T-shirts, mugs and even Spicy Shark hot sauce.
The top five categories in the shop are plush, toys, apparel, jewelry and souvenirs like stickers, mugs, keychains and magnets emblazoned with the aquarium’s logo. These impulse purchases rack up last-minute sales that support conservation efforts. No one leaves with just one sticker. Five is the average.
The same increasing bag size is true with Fahlo animal tracking bracelets that appeal to customers of all ages with a sweet spot of ages nine to 49, says Corral. “I have people buying eight to 10 at a time during our busy season,” she relates.
The turtle table is always a draw. T-shirts with a message reading, “Keep the Sea Plastic Free” are the presentation’s foundation story. “We have shirts for men, women, children and infant onesies, along with mugs, magnets and plush to anchor the story and help add on items,” Corral says.
While the entire shop is conservation focused, more pointed messaging at a themed table focuses on endangered species.
Shark-themed products are also top sellers, including a collegiate shark shirt in Texas Longhorns’ burnt orange with a motif and message that simply says, “Protect.”
Stingray and otter themes are also popular, says Corral. “We have a couple of opportunities for guests to engage with our stingrays, touch and pet them so it’s one of the animals that leaves a lasting memory with visitors and they want to take home something from the shop that reminds them of their time here,” she says.
Sustainable stocking
The busy season at Texas State Aquarium begins during spring break in March and extends through summer, with sales peaking in June and July. However, visitors come to the aquarium year-round and from all over the world, which is an aspect of managing the shop that Corral especially enjoys. These travelers often come in the off season. “I’ve had guests from Germany, Sweden, Canada and beyond,” she says.
Corral prepares by ensuring the store is fully stocked and replenished to maximum capacity. “There are times of the year when we don’t max out, but during the peak season we push as much product as possible to the floor,” she says.
Playful novelty hats, plush and toys are all great souvenirs for younger guests at the Texas State Aquarium gift shop.
Backstock is also filled with top sellers for quick replenishment.
“We make sure that anything coming from an outside vendor that requires our own bar code is prepared for peak season, which entails making sure everything is stickered upon arrival so we don’t have to do that at the time of replenishment when we are busy,” says Corral.
She also hires additional store associates and trains them before the crowds pour in.
Sell-through strategy is mission critical.
“If we know we will sell out of a certain item that is on back order, we determine what product to substitute,” Corral says. “For example, one of our top-selling plush is on the turtle table and if we sell through, we know we have a healthy inventory of different turtle plush. That sell-through strategy helps us maintain fullness even if an item is no longer in stock. And the whole team knows.”
The stocking strategy also includes offering interesting products people might not find elsewhere that are aquarium related.
For example, the shop sells a popular shark blaster with sound and light effects that kids love. Another favorite is a jellyfish lamp. “You plug it into an outlet, add water and it has a light and pump that move the jellyfish around,” Corral describes.
The same concept (without water) applies to a Bluetooth speaker that lights up with swimming, wiggling jellyfish.
“I have to give a shoutout to the wildlife rescue kit that includes a carrier with vet toys so our kids can come in, get the kit and play doctor with a plush they find in the shop,” says Corral.
Corral has worked in retail for 25 years and this position is the most rewarding because of the sustainable focus and support for conservation and the aquarium’s mission.
“One of the most gratifying aspects of managing the shop is knowing that we are helping a bigger cause,” Corral says. “It’s all about the planet and conservation and I love the way our products educate and reach customers.”
